Although the average air temperature in Rīga in January was only 2.4 degrees lower than in December, the difference in bills is considerable.
Most of the residents encountered by LTV said that they are experiencing an increase in heating costs.
Andris said of his under 50-square-meter apartment: “If it used to be €200, I now received the bill of €402. It's without electricity, gas, TV. The increase is disproportionate because wages are not rising.”
Inguna: “About EUR 40 more is now to be paid. I have to think about my daily expenses.”
Silvija: “Some 30 euros more on the overall bill. Those other expenses hardly change. It is therefore heating. I have two lovely daughters who help me through it.”
Māris: “I think it was never lower.”
Ieva: “I have a one-bedroom apartment, I live on my own, and suddenly this bill! Well, nothing doing. I can pay from the pension. I'll buy discounted goods. A pensioner has time to go to the shop to buy the downpriced bread. There's plenty of time for a pensioner.”
“Riga House Manager”, which has several thousand houses in charge, pointed out that the bill is influenced by the amount of heat delivered to the building and can vary even for two identical buildings. It can be influenced not only by the technical state of the house but also by ventilation habits.
“One factor is the price of heat. The other factor is outdoor air temperature. The next factors are how homes use the heat, such as the way spaces are ventilated. If we look at these bills in general for the last three months, the bill will be on average 30-50% higher than previously,” said Krists Leiškalns, representative of Riga House Manager Ltd.
It should also be noted that a large part of the population still lives in unrenovated and uninsulated houses with outdated heating equipment, which affects the price of heating.
