Grajewo. It has a gigantic heating extra charge. For the second year in a row. He is not going to pay

Mrs. Ewelina from Grajewo (Podlasie) for the second year in a row received over five thousand zlotys for heating a 44-meter apartment in a block of flats. She claims that the radiators itself is unscrewed to the “three”, but the apartments of both neighbors are cool, which – as she argues – has an impact on her bills. The President of the Cooperative comments that the account amount depends mainly on the manner of using the apartment by a given person. However, he announces that changes in the regulations and residents who have crazy radiators will pay more than today. A specialist from the Bialystok University of Technology indicates that the problem would solve the installation of thermostatic heads.

– These bills are horrendous. And this is the second year in a row. If I had radiators unscrewed to full and all the windows open all the windows, maybe I would have to pay so much, but in a different situation it is impossible – says Ewelina Grzybowska, a resident of Grajewa, who reported her problem to us for Contact24.

For heating a 44-meter apartment in a block of flats, she received-both in 2024 and in 2025-an account of over eight thousand zlotys. Of which over five thousand for the second year in a row.

He has chilled apartments on both sides

– I didn't pay last year because I can't afford it. I am not going to this year either. We live with a family on the top floor, in the middle apartment. The neighbors on the left went abroad, and the neighbors on the right told me that they had a crazy radiators all the time. On both sides we have chilled apartments, which I think it affects our bills. However, this is not our fault – says Grzybowska.

He claims that the radiators are unscrewed to the “three” (on a scale from zero to five, where five is the highest value at which he will be the warmest in the apartment – editor's note).

– It's about radiators in the living room and in the children's room. The bathroom has so -called A candle, i.e. a radiator without a divider, which keeps a constant temperature all the time, and I do not unscrew the radiator's kitchen, because first of all it is built -up, and secondly I often cook, so it is warm in the kitchen – says Ewelina.

She has already received three pre -court payments

He adds that on weekends the family usually goes to grandparents, so the radiators are twisted at that time.

– I also turn off when I open the windows. So that there is no heat – as we live on the top floor – we have ceilings insulated with wool. We also have tight windows. We do everything to make the bills as low as possible, and the affect is that the neighbors from below get PLN 500 a refund each year and more, and we after over PLN 5,000. The cooperative has already sent me three pre -court payments, we found a lawyer and we are waiting for a lawsuit – says Grzybowska.

Patron Adam Wigda: There were judgments in favor of the residents

The patron of Patron Adam Wigda comments that it is not possible for so much heat to be used in the apartment.

– Such cases have already been decided by the District Court in Bialystok. The judgments that were made in favor of the residents – he emphasizes.

Cooperative President: A resident leaves us no choice

Paweł Kurzachkowski, president of the Lokator-Housing Cooperative in Grajewo, tells us that the resident refusing to pay the fee does not leave the cooperative's choice, hence the pre-trial payment calls were sent.

– Of course, we can spread the fee to installments. The company that was assembly of the housing estate stated in writing that the devices are functioning properly. If a resident came to us again, we will ask the company to check the devices again – emphasizes the president.

60 percent – fixed costs, 40 percent – costs from divisors

He adds that such high heating subsidies are sporadic in the cooperative.

– According to the Cooperative Regulations, fixed costs are 60 percent of the invoice, and the variable costs, i.e. resulting from the indications from allocators – 40 percent of the invoice. However, when it comes to situations in which someone lives next to someone who has crazy radiators, it can have some impact, but in my opinion the amount of the bill depends mainly on the way the apartment is used by a person and what this person likes thermal comfort – says Kurzachkowski.

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He also adds that it must be remembered that in every apartment – even in one where all radiators are crazy – there are “pawns” in the bathrooms that do not have allocators and which are always warm.

“These are quite thick pipes that make the apartment relatively warm,” he notes.

There are to be changes in the regulations

Nevertheless, he emphasizes that he has heard about the phenomenon of the so -called energy vampirism that occurs in blocks.

– Cooperatives and housing communities adopt in the regulations, which assume that people who do not use heat – in addition to paying 60 percent of fixed costs – also participate in variable costs that are incurred by those who do not turn off the radiators. In our cooperative, we also intend to introduce such changes in the regulations – says the president.

Ewelina Grzybowska hopes that the changes will be introduced as soon as possible.

– May it improve the situation. I can't imagine getting another horrendous extra charge next year – he says.

Professor Gajewski: Energy vampirism has an impact on bills

Professor of the Bialystok University of Technology dr hab. Andrzej Gajewski from the Faculty of Construction and Environmental Sciences comments that heat always penetrates from higher to a lower temperature and no barrier will stop one hundred percent of this heat.

– Therefore, the phenomenon of so -called energy vampirism affects bills. The heat does not flow only when there is no temperature difference between individual apartments – the professor points out and adds that whether the impact of energy vampirism in this particular case is so large that you need to pay more than five thousand zlotys, requires research.

– I was doing such research at one time. However, I had much smaller differences in fees than in this case – he says.

According to him, such large bills can be influenced by, for example, the tightness of windows and the method of operating radiators.

– It is best to maintain a constant temperature by placing the radiator, for example, to the “three”. You can turn off the radiators when we go for example for the weekend, but when we return, unscrew again to the “three”. And not on “five”, because we can forget that he is on “five” – ​​he emphasizes.

Heat meters and monthly readings

However, when it comes to a way to deal with energy vampirism, he mentions that when he lived in a block of flats belonging to one of the housing communities, he had – heating meters placed on cages.

– An employee of administration did readings every month. If someone had zero consumption, they paid a very high, prohibitive, rate calculated from the meter of the premises. Therefore, the inhabitants made sure that there was consumption every month. The phenomenon of vampirism did not occur – says prof. Gajewski.

The problem of vampirism would solve the installation of thermostatic heads

As for allocators, as in the case of the cooperative in question – the case is more complicated. If only because the divisors are placed not on cages, but in apartments (you would have to enter the apartment every month and make a reading).

– In my opinion, the solution is to mount the thermostatic heads at the valves that would maintain a constant minimum temperature at the level of plus 16 degrees Celsius. So the temperature that is when we unscrew the divider to the “two.” Maintaining such a minimal temperature in each apartment will cause that energy vampirism will not occur. I know that such heads are mounted in new blocks. Nothing prevents them from being mounted in all others. This is not a complicated process – says the professor.