As heating costs are expected to grow 17% this year, many Rīgans have opted not to rush ahead to have their domicile heated from the central, instead choosing to bear out the cold for a little longer.
But not all houses can be heated. There are 24 apartment buildings in which payments are overdue for more than half of the flats, or just about 2% of the total, according to municipal housing manager Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks.
These houses won't have any heat until a part of the debts are covered. The total heating debts for Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks is €12m, down from €15m at the start of the previous season.
The housing utility Rīgas siltums meanwhile says that this is historically the earliest time in which the heating season has started in the capital.
