Sofia Ombudsman seeks investigation into Toplofikacia Sofia

Bulgarian Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has requested that the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) conduct an extraordinary inspection of Toplofikacia Sofia. The request follows numerous accidents and prolonged hot water outages affecting thousands of households across several eastern districts of Sofia, including Mladost, Iztochnik, Izgrev, and others.

Residents have reported that repairs are taking significantly longer than the legally mandated 48-hour limit. Additionally, citizens have flagged leaks in the heating network that have resulted in flooded basements and ground-floor apartments, issues that were reportedly reported months before the actual accidents occurred.

Delcheva is advocating for an automatic compensation mechanism. She proposes that if Toplofikacia Sofia fails to resolve accidents within the 48-hour window, customers should be automatically reimbursed for the missing thermal energy. She also emphasized the need for accurate documentation of service interruptions to ensure customers have sufficient evidence for legal protection and rights enforcement.