Closed radiators won't protect you from heating bills in a block of flats
Residents of multi-family buildings in Poland who shut off their radiators, hoping to save money, may receive a bill for heating the entire building. Even a flat with its radiators turned off pays part of the heating costs.
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Why turning off radiators does not exempt you from fees
The cost of keeping the building at a suitable temperature is shared among all residents. An apartment with its radiators turned off still takes part in heating costs, because it benefits from heat carried over from neighboring units. Polish settlement rules do not allow avoiding these costs simply by closing the valves (Українців у Польщі попередили про пастку з опаленням: чому вимкнені батареї не врятують від великих платіжок – my.ua) (Опалювальний сезон 2026-2027: за що українці можуть переплатити у Польщі | Новини.live – novyny.live) (Українців у Польщі попередили про пастку з опаленням: чому вимкнені батареї не врятують від великих платіжок – TSN).
How the bill is structured
A heating bill in a block of flats usually has two parts. The first is a fixed fee, based on the apartment's floor area. The second is a variable fee, calculated according to heat consumption. Turning off the radiators only lowers the variable part; the fixed part stays the same.
Minimum temperatures in the regulations
The standards set minimum temperatures for rooms: at least 20 degrees Celsius in living rooms and 24 degrees in bathrooms. Residents who do not heat their apartment at all, or keep the temperature below these values, may also receive a heating bill.
An example from Gdynia
A resident of Gdynia turned off her radiators when leaving home. Despite this, the housing cooperative charged her 496.18 zloty for heating. The cooperative explained that the fee resulted from the settlement of the whole building.
What follows from this
If you want to reduce your bill, it is better to regulate the temperature so that it does not drop below the required values than to turn the radiators off completely. Simply closing the radiators does not guarantee a lower fee and may lead to conflicts with the building manager.
Sources
- [1]
Українців у Польщі попередили про пастку з опаленням: чому вимкнені батареї не врятують від великих платіжок· TSN - [2]Українців у Польщі попередили про пастку з опаленням: чому вимкнені батареї не врятують від великих платіжок· my.ua
- [3]Опалювальний сезон 2026-2027: за що українці можуть переплатити у Польщі | Новини.live· novyny.live
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