Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Business-Related Administrative Disclosures and Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance (CHPQA) Guidance

This batch groups six DESNZ publications that share the word "business" in their titles but cover two entirely different subjects. Five are routine administrative transparency disclosures — quarterly reports on senior officials' expenses, hospitality, and outside appointments taken by former civil servants. These are standard civil service requirements, not energy policy.

The sixth is a technical guidance note on how Combined Heat and Power (CHP) operators use the CHPQA certification programme to claim exemption from business rates on qualifying plant and machinery. This is the only document with substantive relevance to energy regulation.

DESNZ published its regular quarterly transparency returns alongside an update to CHPQA Guidance Note 43. The transparency documents are nil returns or routine disclosures with no policy significance. The CHPQA guidance note is a standing document that explains the procedure for claiming business rates relief on CHP equipment — it was republished or updated as part of the broader CHPQA guidance suite.

Technical guidance


• CHPQA Guidance Note 43: Use of CHPQA to obtain exemption from business rating of CHP plant and machinery — Explains how CHP schemes holding a Secretary of State CHP Exemption Certificate can claim business rates relief on power generation equipment (turbines, generators, engines) and accessories. Heat recovery plant and buildings are excluded. Operators must follow prescribed procedures with local Valuation Officers.

Administrative transparency (routine, no policy content)


• Business appointment rules advice (collection page) — Index page for disclosures of outside appointments taken by former senior civil servants.

• Business appointment rules advice, July–September 2025 — Nil return. No former staff took outside appointments requiring oversight.

• Business appointment rules advice, October–December 2025 — One former deputy director (international energy transition) took a multilateral policy analyst role, subject to standard 12-month lobbying restrictions.

• Senior officials' business expenses, hospitality and meetings (collection page) — Index page for quarterly transparency reports.

• Senior officials' business expenses and hospitality, October–December 2025 — Routine stakeholder engagement data showing meetings with energy companies, grid operators, and industry bodies.