News

6 March 2026

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva also contacted Acting Minister of Energy Traicho Traikov to request information on whether any progress had been made and, if so, what that progress entailed, regarding the development of a new method for calculating the amount of energy supplied by the so-called heating systems in condominium buildings.

This is yet another letter from the Ombudsman on the subject, following the failure of the previous governing team at the relevant ministry to present a new methodology for calculating heat from building heating systems in condominium buildings.

The Ombudsman’s letter was prompted by numerous complaints from citizens highlighting the lack of a valid formula for calculating this component in heating bills. The reason is that the application of the formula under the Methodology for the Proportional Distribution of Thermal Energy, an annex to the Ordinance on Heat Supply, has been suspended since 12 September 2025 by a ruling of a three-member panel of the Supreme Administrative Court.

The Ombudsman notes that the legal consequences of the suspension of the formula’s implementation have not yet been resolved. The next hearing of the Supreme Administrative Court on the case is scheduled for 28 April 2026, and the reporting period for 2025–2026 ends on 30 April 2026. After that date, heat meter readers must record the meter readings in citizens’ properties, perform a pro-rata allocation of heat energy, and issue the annual adjustment bills.

In her letter, Delcheva emphasises that the cost of heat energy supplied by the building’s heating system represents a significant portion of household bills during the fall and winter season and, in many cases, is the cause of inexplicably high debts to heating companies. Therefore, the rules and parameters that the minister sets forth in the ordinance on heat supply under the Energy Act are of great social significance.

The Ombudsman firmly states that the procedure and method for determining the amount of heat energy supplied to the building’s heating system must ensure accurate, clear, transparent, and fair metering of individual heat energy consumption in each unit within the buildings—which are subject to condominium ownership. In this regard, she also cites the requirements of European legislation, including Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, as well as the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union from October 2025.