This describes how central heating is billed in apartment buildings in Ukraine; other countries do it differently. The heating season has started, and with it a line that sat empty for half a year comes back. Heat on it is usually counted in gigacalories, even though most flats have no device that measures gigacalories.
So where does the number come from? It is not measured in your flat — it is divided. How it is divided is set by the Methodology for allocating the volumes of utility services consumed in a building between consumers (approved by Order No. 315 of the Ministry of Regional Development of 22 November 2018) and the Rules for the provision of heat supply services (Resolution No. 830 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 21 August 2019).
One meter for the whole building
The heat that enters the building is measured by the building's commercial metering unit — usually in the basement, where the district heating main comes in. It gives one number for the whole building per month. That number then has to be split between the flats.
If the building has no flat-level meters, there is a single basis for the split. Section I, paragraph 10 of the Methodology: the basis is the heated floor area of the premises stated in the contract for the service. The Rules (paragraph 24) say the same more briefly: without metering devices, in proportion to the heated area (volume) of the consumer's premises.
Instead of area, the co-owners can decide to use the actual heated volume in cubic metres — which makes sense where ceiling heights differ between flats. But the two cannot be mixed: within one building, allocation by area and by volume at the same time is not allowed (paragraph 26 of the Rules).
The practical point first: if your building divides heat by area, the key number in your bill is not the temperature in your flat but the area in your contract. Check what area is written there. An error in it is multiplied by every month of every season.
A worked example
The rates and volumes here are illustrative — the proportion matters, not the figures.
| Area, m² | Share | Volume, Gcal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole building | 5,000 | 100% | 150 |
| Your flat | 50 | 1% | 1.5 |
Your flat takes up 1% of the heated area — and gets 1% of the building's heat, whether your radiators are turned down or your neighbour's window is open. The volume is then multiplied by the tariff per gigacalorie.
If the bill is in kilowatt-hours, it is the same heat in different units. The Methodology fixes the conversion: 1 Gcal = 1,162.2 kWh.
Everyone pays for heating the stairwells — even those who disconnected
Part of the heat does not go into the flats: it goes to the stairwells, auxiliary rooms and the running of the building's internal system itself — the pipes in the basement give off heat too. The Methodology calls this common building needs for heating.
If the building has neither flat meters nor disconnected flats, this part is not separated out: it is simply included in the total volume divided by area. If it does have them, the part is calculated separately. When the provider has no data on the area of the stairwells and pipes, the Methodology allows a simplified share of the building's total heat: 25% for a building of 1–5 storeys, 20% for 6–10, 15% above 10 storeys.
Who pays it is answered directly by Section IV, paragraph 12 of the Methodology: the volume is divided among all owners of premises in the building — including premises with individual heating, in proportion to area. The Rules (paragraph 38) repeat it from the consumer's side: when a flat is disconnected from central heating, the consumer is not released from paying the share of heat for common building needs.
Disconnecting takes your flat off the bill, but not the stairwell. Such flats are also charged for the heat from transit heating pipes that run through the flat: the Methodology counts it by pipe length, and where insulation is missing or damaged it increases the specific losses by 100%.
If your flat has a heat meter: the minimum share
With your own meter it would seem simple: pay for what it shows, plus the stairwell share. But the Methodology (Section VI) adds a condition that meter owners often learn about from the bill.
The specific consumption of a metered flat — per square metre — cannot be lower than a minimum share equal to 50% of the building's average specific consumption for heating. If the meter shows less, the provider adds volume up to that minimum.
The reason is written into the Methodology itself: to rule out heating a flat at the expense of the adjacent heated premises. A flat with its radiators shut off is still warm — the neighbours' walls and the stairwell heat it. So the bill will not fall below half the building average, even if the meter shows almost zero.
The top-up does not apply if there is a justified claim about the quantity or quality of the service for that flat — and does not apply automatically if such claims have been filed for more than 30% of the building's heated premises. How to file a claim is below.
Corner flats and top and bottom floors
A corner flat or one on the top floor loses more heat, yet under allocation by area it gets the same heat per metre as a flat in the middle of the building. For this the Methodology has correction coefficients (Section VII) — for corner flats and for flats on the first and top floors without meters.
But they are not applied automatically. The Methodology says the owners (co-owners) of the building may decide to apply them and notify the provider in writing. No co-owners' decision, no coefficients — and everyone pays the same per metre.
Why the first bill of the season looks odd
There is no special rule for it — a few ordinary ones happen to coincide at the start of the season.
- A partial month. The billing period is a calendar month, and heating is switched on partway through it. The first bill covers only the days when heat was supplied.
- Readings are brought to the end of the month. If the building meter was read before the last day, the Methodology allocates an adjusted consumption — extrapolated from the daily average.
- Redistribution for past periods. When readings of the building or flat meters are corrected, the difference is booked in the month the information arrived — going back no more than 12 billing periods, either up or down. So an October bill can carry a correction for last spring.
- If the building meter was not working, the volume is estimated — from the average consumption of the previous heating season, adjusted for the outdoor temperature.
We covered the mechanics of a correction line using electricity as the example: the difference does not rewrite the old bill, it arrives on the next one — see why a recalculation changes the next bill, not the last one.
When the flat is cold: the claim report
The standard air temperature in living rooms of buildings whose design was approved before 1 October 2005 is 18 °C (Section VIII of the Methodology). For newer buildings it is set by the state building codes.
If the temperature is lower, the Rules give a procedure.
- Call the provider to check the quantity or quality of the service. They must arrive within one day at the latest of receiving the notice (paragraph 56).
- The result of the check is recorded in a claim report (akt-pretenziia, paragraph 55).
- If the provider does not come or refuses to sign, the report is signed by the consumer and at least two neighbours, then sent to the provider by registered letter (paragraph 57).
- The provider has five working days to resolve it. If there is no reply within that time, the consumer's claims are deemed accepted (paragraph 58).
For flats without meters, an accepted claim reduces the allocated heat for the period of the deviation — up to the day the standard temperature was confirmed. For metered flats it removes the top-up to the minimum share.
Who decides when heating starts
The start and end of the heating season are decided by local authorities. The Rules (paragraph 8) set the limits: the season starts no later than when the average daily outdoor temperature has been 8 °C or below for three days, and ends no earlier than when it has been above 8 °C for three days. That is a deadline, not a fixed date: heating can be switched on earlier.
The subscription fee for heating
Not everyone has one. The Law of Ukraine «On Housing and Communal Services» (Article 14) states it plainly: under a collective contract, the price of services does not include a subscription service fee. The fee exists only under an individual contract — and its size is capped by a formula in Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 808, tied to the subsistence minimum. For heat supply the formula has its own coefficient, 0.019. Which contract model your building uses is decided by the co-owners, and it can differ between water and heat.
What to do about it
- Check the area in your contract. If heat is divided by area, it is the main multiplier of your bill.
- Keep your bills month by month. Your flat's volume is a share of the building's, and it changes with the weather. Compare with the same month last season, not with the previous month.
- When it is cold, record it in a claim report. Without one there will be no recalculation; with one, if the provider stays silent for five working days, the claim is deemed accepted.
How it looks in Platizhka
Heating is a ready-made service in the app, measured in gigacalories. If your flat has a heat meter, enter its readings — the app works out the consumption and the amount.
If there is no meter and heat is divided by area, you will have no readings: the volume and amount are set by the provider doing the allocation. For a line like that the app has a free-amount tariff — enter what came on the bill. The month-by-month history is kept, and comparing November with last year's November takes a second.