Heating season officially starts in Prague today

Despite summer temps predicted for later this week, heating season has kicked in. Here's all you need to know about how the Czech capital keeps cozy.

Expats.cz Staff

Written by Expats.cz Staff Published on 09.10.2023 14:31:00 (updated on 09.10.2023) Reading time: 2 minutes

The heating season started in Prague on Monday as Pražská teplárenská announced the start of heat supplies for households in connection with current temperatures.

According to Czech law, the heating season lasts from the beginning of September to the end of May. During this period, heating can be limited or interrupted if the average daily outdoor temperature in a given location rises above 13 degrees Celsius for two consecutive days.

"On Monday, Oct. 9, we start this year's heating season. We continue to carefully monitor outdoor temperature development and will flexibly respond to longer warming periods," said Pražská teplárenská in a news release.

The company's transfer stations have automatic regulations to limit heating when temperatures rise to avoid wasting energy. Operators of non-Pražská teplárenská stations must be contacted directly.

how heating works in Prague

  • Heating plants start supplying heat if the average daily temperature drops below 13 degrees Celsius for two days in a row. Heat supply is interrupted if the average daily temperature exceeds 13 degrees Celsius for two consecutive days and no cooling is expected.
  • Many buildings and businesses are connected to central heating networks using steam from electric plants.
  • Pražská teplarenská's main heat source is the brown coal-fired Elektrárna Mělník plant.
  • An incinerator in Malešice provides 7.6 percent of heat by burning urban waste to co-generate electricity and heat.
  • A network of over 650 km of pipes transfers heat from plants to buildings.
  • Pražská teplarenská supplies over 235,000 households and facilities in Prague.

Heating plants throughout the country have also commenced the heating season in recent days. Pražská teplárenská is one of the largest heating networks in the Czech Republic, operating in Prague and surrounding areas. In 2020, the French company Veolia bought Pražská teplárenská from the Energy and Industrial Holding of businessman Daniel Křetínský.

Other cities such as Otrokovice and Teplice started heating last week, with ČEZ Teplárenská activating systems in those areas based on customer requests due to cooler evenings. The heating season in Chomutov began as early as Sept. 15 last year. In Brno, heating starts automatically when temperatures drop below 15 degrees Celsius but remains off at higher levels, according to Teplárny Brno.

Energy price forecast: In 2024, the Czech Republic will no longer provide subsidies for electricity and gas, resulting in a projected 20 percent increase in regulated energy prices. This change comes as falling energy prices and the end of extraordinary circumstances led to the government's decision to align with a new methodology that calculates energy prices based on actual realized prices; this brings Czech energy prices more in line with EU standards. With the end of government subsidies, some households may experience higher heating costs. Prime Minister Petr Fiala expects the impact to be partially offset by declining prices, which would make it more manageable.

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