Residents must pay an additional PLN 6,000 for heat. This is all due to the new system.

• Residents of the Karpackie housing estate in Bielsko-Biała have received high heating bills - they have to pay up to several thousand zlotys - reports the Bielsko.Biala.pl website.
• Gigantic bills appeared after changing the system to one dedicated to people who like warmth in their homes.
• "The subsidies are due to rising heating costs, increased consumption, and a reduction in lump sum payments following changes to the regulations," explains Jerzy Skwarek, president of the Carpathian Housing Cooperative. To lessen the impact of the required subsidy on residents, the president of the cooperative has offered interest-free installments spread over 12 months.
• Residents disagree. 120 of them are demanding a re-billing of their heating costs, and if the cooperative doesn't listen, they're planning to take legal action.

Residents of the Karpackie housing estate in Bielsko-Biała have received high heating bills – they are expected to pay up to PLN 6,000 extra. This is not due to an increase in energy prices, as the total costs of heat supplied to the cooperative increased by approximately 17% in the previous heating season, due to the transition to a flat-rate system.

The flat-rate system was introduced in 2020. It was intended to appeal to those who prefer a higher temperature . Tenants were to pay higher advance heating fees, and the costs for all flat-rate tenants were aggregated, broken down into low-rise and high-rise buildings , explains the Bielsko.Biala.pl website.

We calculated an arithmetic average. Those who fell within that average paid according to the scale. Tenants who continued to heat more and exceeded the average received a letter in December warning them that they were above the average and would be charged additional fees.

- explains Jerzy Skwarek, president of the Carpathian Housing Cooperative, quoted by the website.

As it turned out, the system designed for these individuals led to enormous bills . To lessen the impact of the required surcharge, the president of the cooperative offered them interest-free installments spread over 12 months .

However, residents disagree with this solution, and 120 of them are demanding a re-billing of their heating costs. If the cooperative doesn't listen, they're planning to take legal action.

In an explanation published on social media, President Jerzy Skwarek replies that all submitted complaints will be individually verified for correct settlement, but re-settlement of all apartments is not planned .

The KSM district has nearly 3,700 units. Nine units receive heating subsidies of over PLN 6,000 , eight residents receive between PLN 5,000 and PLN 6,000, 21 apartments receive subsidies of between PLN 4,000 and PLN 5,000, and another 35 residents receive subsidies of between PLN 3,000 and PLN 4,000. Central heating subsidies for 2,615 apartments across KSM total over PLN 936,000, with subsidies totaling over PLN 948,000.

The cooperative doesn't take a penny beyond what we pay to Therma. The residents must pay what Therma charges us.

- explains President Jerzy Skwarek, as reported by the Bielsko.Biala.pl portal.

- In the next heating season, new regulations for settling central heating costs will apply, which will eliminate the problem of high subsidies - announces the president.