In Kyiv, owners of luxury real estate and large apartments owe the most for heating
13 December 2024 16:49
The debt of the capital’s population to Kyivteploenergo is more than UAH 7 billion, so the utility once again called on chronic non-payers to pay or restructure their heat debts. This is stated in a statement by Kyivteploenergo, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
It is noted that out of more than UAH 7 billion in debts, UAH 4.3 billion is for heat, and UAH 2.7 billion is for hot water. And this is despite the fact that the vast majority of Kyiv residents pay for utilities in good faith.
Who “creates” huge debts
Kyivteploenergo explained that about 70% of the debt falls on 160 thousand personal accounts, which is about 15% of all customers. As a rule, these are owners of luxury real estate, large apartments, or owners of several apartments.
Practice shows that only penalties have an impact on chronic debtors. That’s why Kyivteploenergo has to charge fines. In November, more than 90 thousand customers received penalties amounting to more than UAH 6 million.
In order to avoid penalties, Kyivteploenergo calls on chronic debtors to pay or restructure their debt. A restructuring agreement can be signed online at the Utility Service Center and certified with an electronic signature.
If the debtor continues to ignore the bills, Kyivteploenergo will collect the debt through the courts. In this case, the collection may be compulsory and exceed the amount of the debt itself by up to 20%, due to legal and other related costs.
What determines the amount in the payment
Kyivteploenergo reminded that the cost of heating for the population in the capital has remained unchanged for the sixth year in a row. As before, the heat tariff is UAH 1654.41 per Gcal.
But the air temperature is a variable. In November 2024, according to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, the average monthly temperature was 2.7°C. For comparison, last year in November it was much warmer, when the average daily temperature was 1.4°C higher and amounted to 4.1°C. The outside temperature is the main factor that affects the size of the heating bill.
About 90% of the capital’s high-rise buildings are equipped with house heat meters. Charges are made according to the readings of the meters, meaning that residents pay for the actual amount of heat consumed by the building.
The buildings that participated in the city’s energy efficiency and energy independence programs saved up to 30% on heating in November.
How much do Ukrainians owe for heat and hot water?
As of October 1, 2024, according to the Energy Map portal, Ukrainians owe UAH 28.5 billion for heat and hot water supply. This is UAH 2.6 billion (10%) more than in October last year, when the debt amounted to UAH 25.9 billion. At the same time, compared to the beginning of this year (UAH 33.1 billion), the debt decreased by UAH 4.5 billion, or 14%.
Almost half (49%) of the total amount of debts for heat and hot water falls on Kharkiv region (UAH 7.7 billion) and Kyiv (UAH 6.1 billion), where the largest number of subscribers is concentrated. In Kyiv, 1,134 thousand heat and 981 thousand hot water customers use the services. In Kharkiv region, the number of such subscribers is 613 thousand and 451 thousand, respectively.
Consumers in the western regions of Rivne (UAH 186 million), Ivano-Frankivsk (UAH 181 million), Ternopil (UAH 171 million), Vinnytsia (UAH 165 million), and Chernivtsi (UAH 38 million) have the lowest debt, which does not exceed UAH 200 million. Consumers in Zakarpattia owe the least – UAH 0.1 million – due to the lack of centralized heating in most settlements of the region.
