The chairman of the board of "Rigas Siltums" on how much heating will rise due to severe frosts.
It's cold, and it's going to get even colder! It's not hard to guess that heating bills will be high not only for December and January but also for February. As for this month, one should be prepared for the worst. This is indicated by the "forecast" of the chairman of the board of "Rigas Siltums," Kalvis Kalniņš, in today's interview with Latvian Radio: Due to the harsh winter, the consumption of heat by the population is increasing, and calculations by "Rigas Siltums" show that the heating charges will rise. The increase in bills may range from 20 to 60%. However, this greatly depends on the technical condition of the building. Secondly, it depends on the consumption habits of the residents themselves, as well as comfortable temperatures. One example is that lowering the comfort temperature in an apartment by one degree allows for a 5% savings on the bill."
Kalniņš emphasized that such preliminary calculations were made in cooperation with the Latvian Association of Entrepreneurs in the Heating Supply Sector.
When asked if residents could expect deferred payments, Kalniņš replied that "we are not currently considering deferred payments because we have our own obligations to suppliers, and to resource suppliers — wood chips, natural gas, and thermal energy."
However, to encourage consumers to pay their debts and impact the population's wallets, there will be changes regarding penalties.
"We are ready to suspend penalties for the supply of thermal energy and the accrual of these penalties for the period from December to April 30 for overdue payments for all thermal energy users, and we will also offer economic entities to apply it to their clients," Kalniņš told Latvian Radio.
