Housing estate residents see energy bills frozen
Summary
Residents at the Byker Wall housing estate will have their energy bills frozen in 2026-27 to provide cost stability. Newcastle City Council, which owns the district heat network supplying heat to the estate, has already issued refunds and reduced fees to help homeowners manage expenses.Key Facts
- Byker Wall homeowners previously paid over £200 a month for heating via a district heat network (DHN).
- Newcastle City Council gave more than £56,000 in refunds last year, averaging about £646 per household.
- The council will freeze bills for 167 private homeowners this year to offer financial certainty.
- Bills are made up of an energy charge and an infrastructure charge; the energy charge is more affected by national gas prices.
- Last year’s new DHN fees lowered heating bills by up to 31%.
- The annual infrastructure charge will stay at £366.32, with an energy charge of £18.92 per square meter yearly.
- Heat networks are now regulated by Ofgem, but not included in the energy price cap.
- The council does not profit from the heat network and is reviewing all its heat networks to improve billing transparency and base charges on actual consumption.
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