The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023

QHS customers

19.—(1) The customer under a supply contract is a QHS customer if—

(a) energy supplied under the supply contract is—

(i) energy supplied or otherwise made available, or

(ii) energy used to make heating, hot water or electricity available

to a certified heat supplier to make a qualifying heat supply (“QHS energy”), and

(b) the supplier under the supply contract has received from its customer that certified heat supplier’s QHS certificate.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a supplier may receive a QHS certificate—

(a) if the customer under the supply contract is a certified heat supplier, from the Secretary of State or from the customer, or

(b) from a provider that is its customer.

(3) Except as otherwise provided in rules, a certified heat supplier must send its QHS certificate to each higher-tier provider, as soon as reasonably practicable after receiving it.

(4) Subject to paragraph (5), if a provider that is not a supplier receives a QHS certificate from a certified heat supplier or a lower-tier provider, the provider must as soon as reasonably practicable send the QHS certificate—

(a) to each higher-tier provider, and

(b) if the provider is a customer, to the Secretary of State.

(5) If a provider that is not a supplier receives a QHS certificate and has no higher-tier provider, the provider must as soon as reasonably practicable give notice to the Secretary of State—

(a) identifying the QHS certificate, and

(b) stating that the provider—

(i) has received the certificate, and

(ii) is not a main scheme provider in relation to the certified heat supplier to which it relates.

(6) A supplier that has a QHS customer must give notice—

(a) unless it received the QHS certificate from the Secretary of State, to the Secretary of State, identifying the QHS customer as such;

(b) to the QHS customer, informing or confirming to it that it is a QHS customer.