Zero Friction wins Market Entrant of the Year at the UK DEA Awards 2026

Since 2024, Zero Friction has worked closely with UK heat network operators, managing agents, local authorities and social housing associations to adapt its billing and customer management platform to the UK market. This year, that groundwork led to its first UK commercial agreement, with LanTen Metering Service, alongside a growing pipeline of operators exploring the platform. Zero Friction is also a founding member of Heat Network Scotland and an active contributor to the UK DEA, bringing nearly a decade of European experience in district heating billing into the UK context.

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"This award reflects careful, deliberate work to understand the UK heat network sector before entering it. We didn't want to bring a generic platform to a market with its own regulatory path and its own challenges. Winning Market Entrant of the Year tells us we got that approach right."

Wim Jacobs, CEO of Zero Friction

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"Being recognised by the UK DEA means a great deal, because it comes from the sector itself. As a founding member of Heat Network Scotland and an active voice within the UK DEA, we're not just entering this market: we're helping to shape how it matures, with tools that give operators real visibility into billing, fuel poverty risk and customer support."

Ryan Norris, Business Development Manager UK at Zero Friction

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🔥 Built for a maturing sector

As the UK heat network sector moves towards formal regulation, including the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme and a future oversight role for Ofgem, operators need billing and customer management tools that can keep pace. Zero Friction's platform supports both credit and Pay-As-You-Go billing, automated invoicing, metering integration, and full audit trails, while helping operators spot early signs of payment difficulty or fuel poverty risk among their customers. Together, we're making heating and cooling more transparent, affordable and reliable in the UK and beyond.