In Estonia, they are afraid of utility bills due to increased heating tariffs

In the city of Narva in northeastern Estonia, heating tariffs have sharply increased; city residents are afraid of new bills for apartments, RIA Novosti found out after studying comments on social networks.

According to the Estonian television and radio company ERR, due to Narva's transition to heating with gas, the competition department increased the maximum heat price for the city to 170 euros per megawatt-hour, including VAT. This is 28% higher than the price for heating last year, when the cost was 133 euros per megawatt-hour.

Residents of Narva are outraged by such high heating prices. “Last winter, heating in a 3-room apartment was 300 euros, plus other payments, there are fears that this year it will be even more expensive. A lonely pensioner in such an apartment will definitely be in big trouble. Many will simply try to survive,” writes Narva resident Lyudmila Morina.

City residents believe that heating prices are unreasonably high compared to the salaries of city residents. “The fact is that if 30% of the salary goes to bills, and in our case it’s already more, then we have exceeded the poverty threshold,” says Alek Litvinov. “This is generally scary, especially when the salary in Narva for the majority of the population is 850 euros,” Alesia Perepelkina answers him.

Commentators see a solution only in cutting down on their other expenses or in stretching out payments for the heating season throughout the whole year: “You’ll have to give up food. Have you seen the bills?” - a commentator with the nickname Svetlana lb worries. “...I know many families who paid off their “winter” debts in the summer,” notes user Andres S.

Narva authorities believe that heating prices can be kept down by replacing gas with local shale oil. From a technical point of view, the boiler room allows this, however, for the transition it is necessary to justify the risk of interruptions or shortages of gas - cheaper fuel itself does not give such a right.

“We have received permission from the Department of the Environment (to use shale oil - ed.). I think that in a month this analysis will be completed, then we will be able to say in detail and specifically whether we will use oil or continue to use gas,” ERR published the words of the head of the energy company Enefit, Raine Pajo.