Frequently Asked Questions

The standing charge and variable charge covers; operation and maintenance, replacement of plant, meter reading and billing, insurance, business rates, customer service and billing and bad debt. There is no gas boiler in your home to worry about as heat and hot water is provided from the community system through a heat exchanger which is also maintained and serviced by us. This means we will cover the cost of any call outs resulting from any of the above. However, we do not cover the radiator circuits and the pipework to the hot water taps.

No. The HIU is covered by your Standing Charge. However if you have a leak or fault on your radiators, taps or plumbing these items are not covered.

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The HIU typically uses around 1 kW per day for the following reasons “HIU's typically provide a minimal bypass through the domestic hot water (DHW) heat exchanger during idle periods.

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Please note: The Heat Interface Unit (HIU) within your property is installed within a district heating network thus meaning there will be heat transferring across the system resulting in a minimal kWh usage across it for running itself.

Our manufacturer explains this process in their following description: “HIU's typically provide a minimal bypass through the domestic hot water (DHW) heat exchanger during idle periods. This maintains the exchanger at a suitable temperature to provide instantaneous DHW and reduces the risk of increased levels of waterborne bacteria in the DHW supply that may occur if the DHW heat exchanger were allowed to cool down. This bypass and the maintained temperature in the HIU typically results in a minimal energy usage even during idle periods which may be recorded by heat metering systems. This is a result of heat energy being conducted from the hotter parts of the HIU to the cooler ambient surroundings”.

Through our calculations we estimate this minimal usage to be up to 1kWh per day and this is incorporated within your meter readings on your bill.

Registration is simple. You'll need to complete a registration form (online or by post). This can be done by our Registration Page - or by contacting our customer contact centre.

You do need to let us know if you are planning to let your property. You are responsible for the bill whilst your property is empty. Please visit our Registration Page for further information.

Blackberry Hill RMC's heating and hot water is produced in a centrally-managed, super-efficient energy centre, meaning that you don't need your own gas boiler in your property. The heating and hot water are piped to everyone's homes via a network of highly-insulated pipes. This system is far more efficient than the conventional alternative. The energy centre uses a range of generation technologies, including some renewable forms of energy, resulting in much lower greenhouse gas emissions, thereby reducing the effects on the environment.

Yes, you will still pay. If you switch off your heating and hot water system, you will only pay for the fixed Standing Charge portion of your bill. Please note that, although your home is highly insulated to the latest standards, we would not recommend switching off your heating during the coldest winter months to avoid the risk of frozen pipes.

You don't have an airing cupboard because you are not storing any hot water in your home. All of your hot water is produced as you need it, making the system far more efficient, thereby avoiding wasting energy and your money.

You are responsible for the radiators, pipework and thermostats inside your property. Blackberry Hill RMC is responsible for the heat interface unit (HIU) and as such, it must not be interfered with. This HIU is located inside one of your kitchen cupboards and looks similar to a normal boiler. You can see a picture of one by Clicking Here.
If in doubt, please Contact Us.

If there is a leak on your heating or hot water system, you need to switch off the supply. Please refer to our User Guide for information on what to do.

Yes, the system will serve hot water requirements in preference to room heating requirements. Consequently, during long periods of high demand for hot water the radiators may temporarily appear to cool down.

The heating times and room temperatures are controlled by a Programmable Room Thermostat which is the responsibility of the property owner and not Blackberry Hill RMC. Please make sure that the battery in the unit is charged / replaced, that the programmer is switched on and the thermostat is turned up before contacting Blackberry Hill RMC regarding no heating. Call outs where our engineers identify the Programmable Room Thermostat as the cause of lack of heating will be charged to the customer.

No. You only pay for the heating and hot water that you consume.

This information will be shown on your regular bill, a sample copy of which can be viewed by Clicking Here.
Soon, you will be able to access your account details from this website via the page called Your Account.
Your home is fitted with a meter that records the amount of heating and hot water consumed. This meter is automatically read via our data network - meaning that you won't have a visit from one of our team. Although you will receive a regular bill, we do record the initial and final readings for your account when you move in / move out; please tell us if you would like to receive these when you register. Click Here to view an example bill

The heating times and room temperatures are controlled by a Programmable Room Thermostat. The operating instructions for this should have been supplied by your vendor, landlord or housing association.