New‑builds overheating as promised communal cooling and billing protections fail residents

Tenants in an east London glass‑fronted development say built‑in cooling did not work during recent heatwaves and that communal heat‑pump billing has left them exposed to higher, unpredictable charges — a problem campaigners say is widespread and under‑regulated.

Residents of a glass‑fronted new‑build in east London say the promise of built‑in cooling has not been delivered consistently, leaving some flats uncomfortably hot during recent heatwaves and exposing a wider faultline in how modern developments handle summer temperatures. The Evening Standard reported that interiors reached about 30°C for prolonged periods, with tenants describing disrupted sleep, health worries and expensive ad‑hoc fixes such as bespoke blinds. According to the article, the developer and building manager say systems are working as designed and that contractors have fixed individual faults where identified. (standard.co.uk)

Buyers and renters told the paper they were explicitly assured by developers that cooling units and mechanical ventilation would protect homes year‑round. Speaking to the Evening Standard, one resident, Gareth Humphreys, said the cooling provision had been ineffective and inconsistent across the block. “It was 30 degrees inside the flat for pretty much the entire two weeks or so. It never dropped,” he told the paper, adding that some neighbours had the promised cooling units while others did not. A Clarion Housing spokesperson told the Standard they had addressed units that were not working and were engaging with residents. (standard.co.uk)

The building’s technical and billing arrangements have compounded the problem. Residents told the Standard the block is heated and cooled from communal heat pumps and billed via top‑up (prepayment-style) meters rather than by individual gas boilers — a setup that, they say, leaves them exposed to higher and less predictable charges. The article reports a blunt resident observation: “you pay a lot more than you would if you had a boiler in your property.” That experience is consistent with consumer guidance showing heat networks can charge by metered consumption plus standing charges, often using prepayment or top‑up arrangements, and are not ordinarily covered by Ofgem’s domestic price cap. (standard.co.uk, moneysavingexpert.com)

Campaign groups and consumer bodies warn this is not an isolated quirk but a structural gap in consumer protection. Heat Trust has repeatedly highlighted that hundreds of thousands of households on communal or district heating remain excluded from the domestic price cap and other emergency support, and that operators buying fuel on the commercial market can set tariffs that run well above capped domestic rates. Heat Trust has documented cases in which bills reached many pence per kilowatt hour and has called for urgent regulation to prevent excessive pricing and unfair retrospective billing. (heattrust.org)

The problem of retrospective or “reconciliation” billing — where operators recalculated historic charges after moving to higher commercial rates and then attempted to recover the difference from residents — has already emerged in several developments, according to Guardian reporting. Tenants at some schemes were told past bills would be rebilled at the new tariff, in some cases amounting to significant sums and prompting legal and regulatory complaints. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has said it is working to introduce rules to prevent unfair back‑billing, and Ofgem is scheduled to bring heat networks into its regulatory remit, but campaigners say timetables are slow and interim protections are urgently needed. (theguardian.com, heattrust.org)

Beyond billing, the economics of heat pumps themselves complicate the picture. Public spending watchdogs and consumer‑facing outlets have warned that heat pumps — which run on electricity rather than gas — can be costly to buy and, depending on electricity prices, expensive to run. The National Audit Office and related reporting have found high upfront installation costs, limited consumer awareness and underperforming grant schemes have all slowed adoption, meaning many households may not see the promised long‑term savings and could face higher running costs in the short term. This helps explain residents’ complaints that communal heat‑pump systems can feel both inefficient in winter and expensive in summer if operators pass commercial electricity prices through to users. (thisismoney.co.uk, ft.com)

Some policy changes have improved fairness for conventional prepayment electricity and gas customers: the government removed the so‑called “prepayment premium” from 1 July 2023 so that households on pay‑as‑you‑go meters on mainstream energy supply no longer pay more on average than direct‑debit customers. However, that change does not automatically protect people on privately operated heat networks. MoneySavingExpert and other consumer guides note that many heat networks use bespoke top‑up or internal metering arrangements and sit outside the protections that apply to typical supplier‑customer contracts regulated by Ofgem, meaning those residents remain exposed even after the prepayment reforms. (gov.uk, moneysavingexpert.com)

What the Leaside Lock case and others around the country illustrate is a collision between modern construction, climate change and current regulatory gaps. New builds are increasingly well insulated for winter, which is positive for energy bills and decarbonisation, but without adequate design for shading, through‑ventilation and summer cooling they can become ovens in heatwaves. Experts and the Climate Change Committee have urged the government to rebalance building standards and planning guidance to address overheating alongside winter efficiency, and consumer groups say regulation of heat networks must be accelerated so that residents have clearer rights on billing, switching and complaints. In the meantime, tenants and owners in affected blocks are left to manage higher bills and uncomfortable, sometimes unsafe, living conditions. (standard.co.uk, theguardian.com, moneysavingexpert.com)

Until the regulatory framework catches up, practical steps would reduce harm: clearer upfront disclosure by developers about how communal heating and cooling are supplied and billed; independent testing and certification of cooling systems before handover; tighter limits on retrospective billing; and faster introduction of Ofgem regulation or an interim price safeguard for heat‑network customers. Heat Trust and consumer advisers continue to press for those protections so that the promise of low‑carbon communal heating does not translate into poorer comfort and higher costs for the people who live in those homes. (heattrust.org, moneysavingexpert.com)

📌 Reference Map:

Reference Map:

Source: Noah Wire Services

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score:
10

Notes:
The narrative is recent, published on 19 August 2025, and has not appeared elsewhere. No earlier versions with differing figures, dates, or quotes were found. The content is original and not recycled. The article is based on a recent press release, which typically warrants a high freshness score. No discrepancies or recycled content were identified.

Quotes check

Score:
10

Notes:
The direct quotes from residents and the Clarion Housing spokesperson are unique to this narrative. No identical quotes appear in earlier material, indicating original reporting.

Source reliability

Score:
9

Notes:
The narrative originates from The Standard, a reputable UK news outlet. The Clarion Housing spokesperson’s statements are verifiable, and the residents’ accounts are consistent with the reported issues.

Plausability check

Score:
10

Notes:
The claims about overheating in new-build flats during heatwaves are plausible and supported by similar reports. The narrative includes specific details, such as the building’s location, resident experiences, and technical issues, enhancing its credibility. The language and tone are consistent with typical reporting on housing and climate issues in the UK.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary:
The narrative is recent, original, and based on verifiable sources. The claims are plausible and supported by specific details, with no signs of disinformation or recycled content.