Serbia expands consumption-based billing for district heating

Director of the Association of Heating Plants of Serbia, Dejan Stojanović, announced that consumption‑based billing will be introduced gradually in more cities. The model, a legal requirement since 2015, aims to allocate heating costs more fairly: efficient plants will receive slightly lower bills while higher‑consumption users will pay more. A fixed charge will be paid throughout the year, with a variable component calculated during the heating season.

Of the 60 district‑heating systems in Serbia, 18 already apply the consumption model and the target is to cover about 70% of users by the end of the year. Stojanović warned that heating plants face severe financial strain, with total receivables exceeding 39 billion dinars and energy debts around 23 billion dinars. He added that gas supply contracts will not be signed without settled obligations. Gas prices on the European TTF market have risen from roughly €45 to €53 per MWh since early May, a trend linked to geopolitical developments.

He also noted Serbia’s shift away from coal and mazut, with 82% of heat energy now from natural gas and 4–5% from renewables, supported by projects financed by the EBRD and Germany’s KfW. The first trigeneration plant providing both heating and cooling is planned for the Expo site, and a new law on heating and cooling is needed to regulate future development.