Some Indre will have to pay as much as 328 euros for a 75 square meter apartment in Old Vilnius, while during the same period last year the bill was 182 euros, reports lrt.lt.
A woman lives in the Old Town, in a three-story unrenovated building from the 1980s. According to her, the possibility of renovating the building was considered earlier, but some residents did not support the idea at that time.
"Once, the neighbors thought renovation was too expensive, and now they are crying," she wonders.
A similar situation is shared by Vilnius resident Agne, who talks about the heating bills received by her mother. For a 46 sq. m old building apartment on S. Konarskio Street, the woman will have to pay 103 euros in January, while in December the bill was around 67 euros.
And Vilnius resident Modeste will have to pay 216 euros for heating a 69.5 sq. m apartment in an unrenovated building in January (the bill was 133 euros in December).
At the same time, Vilnius resident Goda shares that for heating a 67 sq. m old building apartment, including hot water, she will have to pay 245 euros.
A somewhat different experience is reported by Vilnius resident Jonas, who lives in a new 32 sq. m apartment. Although his heating bill in January nearly doubled, the amounts remain significantly lower than in old buildings: in December, Jonas paid 18 euros for heating, and in January — 34.91 euros.
"I used to live in a 68 sq. m old building apartment, where the heating bill reached up to 190 euros. When my life circumstances changed, I moved to a smaller apartment — there is less space, but the heating bills no longer cause stress," the man says.
Why bills are rising
The heating supplier in Vilnius indicates that the greatest influence on heating bills is the outdoor air temperature. According to the company, January of this year was the coldest in the last 16 years.
According to the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, it is the second coldest month of the 21st century. In Vilnius, the average outdoor air temperature in January of this year was minus 9.8 degrees, while in January of last year, the average was positive — +1.4 degrees.
January is also notable for the fact that, by decision of the Lithuanian Seimas, the value-added tax (VAT) rate on heating and hot water increased from 9 to 21 percent.
