Regulation 6 Principal objective of the Regulator
The principal objective of the Regulator in carrying out its functions under these Regulations is to protect the interests of heat network consumers.
Those interests are their interests taken as a whole, including—
their interests in the reliability of the supply of heating, cooling or hot water;
their interests in the Secretary of State’s compliance with the duties in sections 1 and 4(1)(b) of the Climate Change Act 2008 (net zero target for 2050 and five-year carbon budgets)f1;
their interests in charges for the supply of heating, cooling or hot water being proportionate;
their interests in information about services and charges being communicated plainly.
References in this regulation and in regulations 7 (general duties of the Regulator) and 8 (duty of the Regulator and others to have regard to interests of consumers) to functions of the Regulator under these Regulations include references to any functions of the GEMA under section 5A of the Utilities Act 2000f2 that are exercisable in relation to a proposal to do anything for the purposes of, or in connection with, the carrying out of any function of the GEMA under these Regulations.
Annotations
Footnotes
- f1
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2008 c. 27. Section 1 was amended by the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019 (S.I. 2019/1056), articles 1 and 2.
- f2
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2000 c. 27. Section 5A was inserted by the Sustainable Energy Act 2003 (c. 30), section 6 and amended by the Electricity and Gas (Smart Meters Licensable Activity) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/2400), article 30(2) and by the Energy Act 2023 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/706), regulation 5(3); it is prospectively amended by the Energy Act 2023, Schedule 17, paragraph 13.