Hearing from our customers about their experience of the new heating system
Energetik, the energy company owned by Enfield Council, has welcomed its first customers. One of the first London Boroughs to establish a municipal energy company, energetik supplies low-carbon heat and hot water through community heat networks, also known as district heating.
The company will supply over 15,000 homes and businesses in Enfield through a series of heat networks. Each network is designed to expand so that more customers can connect over time and help energetik realise its vision to ‘transform the local energy market and be the supplier to trust’.
Managing director, Jayne Clare, said: “It’s an interesting time for the heat network industry, as it remains unregulated but is set to expand rapidly over the coming years. Energetik is proud to set itself apart from other companies as we’re focused on putting our customers first and delivering excellent quality. Community heat networks can be a fantastic way of providing efficient, environmentally friendly energy but unfortunately there are a lot of examples out there of schemes that don’t live up to expectations.”
“Energetik’s heat networks are designed to a far higher standard than what’s usual for the UK market. But we haven’t just concentrated on the technical side of things. At every stage, our customers have been our first consideration to make sure their service is reliable: from installing multiple back-up systems in our energy centres, to increasing insulation on above-ground pipework to reduce heat loss, to extended testing and commissioning to make sure everything works as it should before residents move in. We take the time to meet with our customers face-to-face to help them understand the system, as it’s new for most of them. None of this is rocket science but many of these aspects are often overlooked or rushed in private-sector schemes, and their customers end up suffering as a result.”
“With the Council behind us, we’re providing a sustainable and adaptable energy infrastructure that can continue growing over decades. We want to protect our customers in a market that’s still unregulated, focusing on giving them a great service that’s reliable and good value. The fact that we can do this whilst improving air quality and giving benefits back to the Council is a win-win.”
Plans within Enfield Council to set up an energy company to deliver heat networks began in 2011. Energetik was incorporated in 2015 and the company’s first heat network is now supplying new homes at Arnos Grove. Three other heat networks are being developed around the borough in regeneration areas, including estate redevelopments at Ponders End and Oakwood; and at Meridian Water, where all the new homes on this major regeneration scheme will be supplied by energetik.
