Inflated tariffs for heating cost Ukrainian citizens hundreds of millions of hryvnias annually
Inflated tariffs for heating cost Ukrainian citizens hundreds of millions of hryvnias annually. This according to the participants of the roundtable “For Fair Heating Tariffs!” held on December 11 in Kyiv. The discussion was organized by the Committee for the Protection of Citizens’ Constitutional Rights and Freedoms and Opora with support of the International Renaissance Foundation’s Rule of Law Program.
The experts discovered that housing offices are using outdated schedules that are based on cold winters recorded in 1881-1960. Tariffs are also too high because of overstated standards of heating consumption per cubic meter. There are currently two regulatory guides in Ukraine: one contains outdated energy-intensive heat consumption norms and the other has more reasonable rates based on energy efficient criteria.
“The utility billing practice is as follows: they deliberately apply energy-intensive norms that allow them to obtain additional funds that cover all negligent expenses, nonpayment by other consumers, and mask the crisis in the utilities sector. In terms of figures this waste mean that every year residents of Kyiv overpay nearly UAH 700 million, while residents of Luhansk and Mykolayiv overpay nearly UAH 60 million each,” said Mykola Kozyriev, the head of the Public Committee for the Protection of Citizens’ Rights.
Advocates propose that the authorities recalculate the cost of heating consumption based on the difference between the normative and actual temperatures outside and return excess payments to consumers. This practice exists in Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, where appropriate methods have been approved.
Contacts:
Committee for the Protection of Citizens’ Constitutional Rights and Freedoms
Mykola Kozyrev
+380 99 553 20 49
koniku@i.ua
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The aim of the Rule of Law Program is to support the civil society initiatives directed to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, to promote strengthened legal consciousness and public activity at the central and local levels.
