Residents in towns where heat is supplied by COFELY Group companies will pay less for heat this year. In addition to a milder winter, the price of heat has also been affected by the lower price of natural gas and investments in the development and modernisation of the heating plants operated by the COFELY Group.
As of 31 March 2015, most of the COFELY Group companies have prepared heat price bills for their customers. The past heating season was significantly influenced by the warm winter, which was one of the mildest in the last 10 years. In addition to the weather, the cost of heat was also affected by the price of natural gas, which was lower year-on-year. “We have managed to agree on more favourable conditions with our gas supplier for the past heating season and also for the next one, which is certainly good news for our customers. The maximum gas prices for 2015 are about 5% lower compared to 2014,” says Martin Žigo, Director of the Energy Production and Distribution Division at Cofely.
“The decrease in heat costs was also positively influenced by a slight reduction in the variable component of the heat price. Thanks to investments in the development and modernisation of heat management, Cofely has been able to increase efficiency and reduce losses in heat production, which of course also has a positive impact on the final price of heat for our customers,” adds Martin Žigo. A concrete example is the reconstruction of the heat management in Pezinok. Termming, a company of the COFELY Group, plans to invest a total of EUR 5.3 million in Pezinok. In the first stage of the reconstruction, which was completed last year, Termming replaced the hot water pipes and installed 60 heat transfer stations directly in the houses. The impact of the investment, which will be fully reflected in the heat price next year, has already had a positive effect on the price during this year’s heating season.
“In the towns where we operate heat farms, we are succeeding in connecting new buildings and building new heat sources. This increases the control power, spreads the fixed component over a larger number of customers, which ultimately reduces the overall price for heat. In addition, we are planning to build cogeneration units in the heat farms in Bratislava and Malacky, which will increase energy efficiency,” says Martin Žigo. All of the above-mentioned positive impacts are reflected in lower heat costs for the end customers of COFELY Group companies. The actual price of heat for 2014 supplied by COFELY Group companies is on average approximately 3% lower in the variable component and approximately 6% lower in the fixed component than the approved maximum price for 2014.
“We are pleased to be able to offer our customers quality services at stable and competitive prices. Modernisation and investment in the development of heat management, which has a significant impact on the price of heat, are among the priority objectives of our company,” concludes Martin Žigo.