News

16 July 2026

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva sent a letter to Petar Petrov, Chief Executive Officer of “Toplofikatsiya Sofia” EAD, regarding the announced temporary suspension of hot water supply to customers served by the Sofia Thermal Power Station, due to the annual scheduled maintenance of the heat source and the heat distribution network.

In her letter, the Ombudsman emphasises that the timely completion of repair works and the preventive maintenance of facilities are of key importance for a reliable and high-quality heat supply. At the same time, however, she points out that the planned outage will affect tens of thousands of residents of the capital, which is why the company must take all necessary measures to protect its customers.

“In view of the above, I believe it is necessary to inform those affected by the temporary scheduled hot water cut-off that the days without hot water supply will be correctly recorded by “Toplofikatsiya Sofia” EAD in their monthly bills for estimated heat consumption in August 2026, and accordingly, their monthly hot water charges will be reduced,” writes the Ombudsman.

She also points out that this is an important prerequisite for open dialogue with consumers and for strengthening trust between the company and its customers.

In her letter, the Ombudsman insists not only on strict adherence to the announced eight-day deadline for carrying out the repairs, but also on exploring ways to shorten it in order to minimise the inconvenience to the public.

In her letter, Delcheva also draws attention to the need to ensure the safety of all repair sites, as well as the timely repair of any damaged road surfaces and pavements once the works have been completed.