According to the National Statistics, 803 thousand people receive pensions below the poverty line of BGN 369. According to Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva, when we talk about promotion, this line should be skipped. She commented on NOVA that many people receiving the supplement of BGN 50 are worried that they will cross the threshold for receiving heating subsidies.
„I sent a recommendation to take into account the supplement of BGN 50, because of which there are many people who can skip the line for receiving heating subsidies.“
The system is unfair to those who have retirement experience but are under years old, Kovacheva said. She agrees that by the time they reach old age, they may receive less. The point, however, is that they are expected to remain on low pensions for the rest of their lives. According to the Ombudsman, this is discriminatory and dishonest.
Regarding the prices of electricity, heating and gas, Kovacheva is of the opinion that the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) should change the approach for determining the price of heat. Then she explained:
„On July 1, EWRC made a forecast for next year what the price of heat will be. There is a problem because the forecast is made on the basis of Ordinance 5, which was changed last year. (…) EWRC reinsures against possible increases in natural gas and carbon emissions, which do have a serious impact on the price of heat. The price of natural gas changes every month and no one knows whether it will rise or fall. However, the price of heat on the basis of these indicators changes once a year. The past heating season has shown that the forecasts made by the EWRC are incorrect and inflated. The EWRC working group found that BGN 29 million had been overpaid last year. I asked the EWRC how this money will be refunded.“
The Commission cannot make a realistic forecast for the year ahead, as the price of natural gas changes monthly – both up and down, Kovacheva said.
„I insist that the ordinance be changed so that every month the EWRC says whether the price of heat is increasing or decreasing. It must go close to natural gas prices and carbon emissions. This is an estimated price and it cannot be realistic. Not many people have measuring instruments online. Once a year the heating is reported. People pay estimated consumption once, the second time at an estimated price.”
She received information from the State Agency for Metrology and Technical Supervision /SAMTS/ that they had checked the subscriber stations, which are 17,500 and are owned by the district heating companies.
„Inspections of 130 such stations have been made. Thermal energy enters through them. They found that in 90 of them the devices had expired. They have established an administrative violation and issued mandatory prescriptions. This raises doubts about what these heat appliances measure. The point is that it is not right to abandon things in this way. I sent a recommendation to “Toplofikatsiya” to check these appliances and replace them where they have expired.“
Kovacheva believes that district heating companies have a very unrealistic assessment of their demands for an increase. About a month ago, they asked the EWRC for a 70% increase, she recalled.
„The issue is related to the control and clarity of the costs of these companies. Some of them have not yet submitted their financial statements for last year. How did the EWRC decide that such an increase would enable them to work calmly? There is something here that is not quite clear and of course this arouses people’s distrust of the way they pay for heat.“, the Ombudsman added.
