At present, the heat supply industry faces a number of problems that require increased attention from all parties involved in the sector as well as the federal executive authorities. One such problem is the underfunding of the industry and the resulting high level of physical deterioration of the fixed assets of boiler houses and heat networks, which has reached a critical level in several municipalities. The growing wear and tear of heat network infrastructure has increased the accident rate as well as heat losses. The current replacement rate of heat networks is not preventing their further deterioration. Fixing the current situation requires a multi-fold increase in the rate of infrastructure renovation and estimated investments of more than RUB 2.5 trillion, while actual annual investments in the heat power sector and centralized heat supply have not exceeded RUB 90 billion in recent years. In order to attract capital to the heat supply industry, just like in any other sector of the economy, business needs to have an understanding and guarantees that the funds they invested will be returned. What guarantee mechanism does the ‘alternative heating plant’ provide? What are the mechanisms used to reduce the financial burden on the consumer? Which mechanism controls regulate the new model? How has the model performed under existing economic conditions? Why has the rate of changeover to the ‘alternative heating plant’ remained relatively slow? Should the transition to ‘alternative heating plant’ plan be made compulsory for cities meeting certain criteria (high depreciation of fixed assets, high accident rate)? How can modernization be made as efficient as possible while improving quality and reliability for citizens, while also keeping the heating price growth rate in line with inflation not only in capital cities but also in small towns? What is the role of heat supply schemes in the transition to the ‘alternative heating plant’? What are the prospects for the digitalization of these two instruments?