30% building installation fee in the heating bill - the proposal is from the Ministry of Energy and comes after a decision by the Supreme Administrative Court, which overturned the previous method of calculation. Will this lead to a jump in our heating bills?
The idea applies to condominiums that have not decided what percentage of energy to pay, NOVA specifies.
According to experts, however, the number of buildings in our country that have set such a value is insignificant - only 30 in the entire country, which in practice means that if the idea is adopted, this will affect everyone. And also - the equalization bills at the end of this heating season will have to be calculated according to the new mechanism, and it will make them more expensive.
Vanya Koleva lives in a block of flats and is heated by central heating. However, the building does not have a certain value for building installation.
“Like every year, this year too, we have an increase without an improvement in the service", she pointed out.
Despite living in a house, Vasil Georgiev also expects more expenses if the fixed fee is introduced.
According to him, now is not the time for such changes. "They should have waited until the heating season was over so there wouldn't be chaos, and then decided it in the summer, discussed it and then introduced it", he believes.
According to experts, the current formula includes all the factors that influence the amount of heat energy consumed, and it should remain.
"If it is assumed to be 30%, the equalization calculations should be calculated in the new way. And everything will go to hell. All the calculations that have been made for this entire season will turn out to be wrong, because in the end the equalization is calculated in a completely different way. This will also hit the pockets of consumers", commented the chairman of the Association of District Heating Companies Kremen Georgiev.
Along with this, there will also be damaged consumers who do not use heating, but will pay more.
“It would be most reasonable for the Minister of Energy and the team of colleagues to consider this as the maximum percentage, and for the percentage building installation itself to be determined by the company for share distribution. It can accurately measure the percentage of heat loss, with which the citizens of the condominium themselves can decide how much for their building”, said lawyer Nezret Babuchev.
The Association of Heat Accounting Companies defined the current method of calculation as effective and fair and insisted on its preservation so that there are no drastic changes in the balance sheets compared to the previous heating season.
“The current method of calculation using a formula has proven effective, as it takes into account the specifics of the buildings, weather conditions and fairly reflects the energy given off by the building installation. "Preserving the calculation method will not lead to large amplitudes in the equalization accounts for the current heating season compared to the 2023/2024 season, as well as to misunderstanding among end customers and distrust in the service," its position states.
And the Ministry of Energy specified for NOVA that the public discussion of the proposed changes continues until April 6.