Association for Decentralised Energy

The Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE), formerly the Combined Heat and Power Association, is a trade association that supports the growth of decentralised energy systems, such as district heating systems. The association is based in London.^[1] The ADE was founded in 1967 as the District Heating Association, becoming the Combined Heat and Power Association in 1983, and was then renamed to the Association for Decentralised Energy on 12 January 2015.^[2]

The Association for Decentralised Energy

Abbreviation	The ADE
Formation	1967
Legal status	Non-profit company
Purpose	Combined heat and power, district heating and demand side services in the United Kingdom
Location	6th Floor, 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0DX
Region served	UK
Membership	c. 100 including energy, construction and manufacturing companies, universities and local councils
Chief Executive	Caroline Bragg
Website	www.theade.co.uk

The Association merged with the Association for the Conservation of Energy in 2018.^[3][4] ADE represents 160 organisations within the energy sector.^[5]

The ADE acts as an advocate for its members by engaging with Government and decision makers to support cost effective and efficient solutions to industry, businesses and householders by:

• Developing a policy which puts the energy user's needs first
• Delivering a local, low carbon energy system at lowest cost
• Ensuring an understanding of heat, which makes up half of our energy use
• Taking an integrated and 'systems thinking' approach
• Helping users manage energy demand to limit the need for new generation capacity
• Strengthening the sector's reputation through industry standards and best practice^{[citation needed]}

The Association also sponsors the voluntary consumer-protection scheme, which is run by Heat Trust.^[6]

When asked whether the Greater London Authority were members of the ADE task force on heat network investment, in 2017, the GLA answered that this "is made up of investors, developers, local authorities, and consumer representatives, and will be observed by Ofgem, the UK and Scottish Governments, and the Competition and Markets Authority", as such the GLA are not eligible members as they do not implement or run heat networks.^[7]

One example of the associations work, includes a 2025 report entitled "Consumer-Led Clean Power" which calls for changes that would allow anyone with solar panels, heat pumps, factory machinery or data centres to earn money for using energy when capacity is high and to defer use when renewables output is low. It recommends paying suppliers of stored power (that they generate) a fair price and encourages the government to incentivise businesses to engage in grid-balancing schemes, by reducing bureaucracy.^[8]

See also

• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero