The heating came on two days early, but around 170 buildings in Skopje were left with cold radiators, among them schools, kindergartens and hospitals

The heating season in Skopje began on October 13, two days before the official date, because the Hydrometeorological Service's forecast of an average daily temperature of 12 degrees met the conditions for switching on early. ESM started up the district heating systems. Part of the city, however, spent the first day with cold radiators.

Around 170 buildings were left without heating. On the list are the primary schools "Kiril i Metodij", "Dimo Hadzhi Dimov", "Kole Nedelkovski" and "Blazhe Koneski", the Faculty of Technology and the Faculty of Civil Engineering, the "Temjanushka", "Park" and "Mimoza" kindergartens, the Infectious Diseases Clinic, the City Hospital, the Psychiatric Hospital and the "Jane Sandanski" and "Idadija" polyclinics. The most common causes: leaks in the heating installation, substation faults, power cut off to the substations, or crews being unable to get access.

On top of that, because of increased water losses in the distribution network, ESM registered a temporary interruption of supply for some customers in the municipalities of Centar, Kisela Voda and Aerodrom and in the Avtokomanda neighbourhood in Gazi Baba.

The warning was public

Before this season too, ESM urged customers to check their radiators and installations in time. But when the list of cold buildings includes hospitals and kindergartens, the question isn't only for residents. Who checked the installations and substations in public buildings before the first cold day?

Warmer will be pricier

The bills will be higher. New heat energy prices, following the Energy Regulatory Commission's decision of July 27, have applied since August 1 and bring an average increase of 5.96% for ESM Distribution customers. According to published calculations, for a flat of around 60 square metres that is roughly 140 denars more a month, and the seasonal heating cost for such a flat is estimated at around 30,000 denars.

In October and the first half of November, supply depends on the outside temperature: a radiator that is warm in the morning won't necessarily be warm in the afternoon, and that is a regulated regime, not a fault. But for around 170 buildings on the first day, the problem wasn't the regime. It was the installation.