The heat supply is switched off on Tuesday for residential blocks of flats and administrative buildings in the capital city. On Wednesday, heating will be turned off in kindergartens and personal health care institutions.
During the 2023-2024 heating period, the average outdoor air temperature was 1.4 degrees Celsius, or 0.2 degrees warmer than the previous season, according to Vilnius City. January was estimated as the coldest month of the season.
Vilnius residents were found to have paid 7.47 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for heating on the average, excluding VAT, or 7% less than in the season before. In the 2022-2023 season, the average cost of a kilowatt-hour of heat was 8.01 cents, excluding VAT.
The second-largest city of Kaunas said it is yet to decide on switching off the heating but only in light of long-term weather forecasts.
“The weather warming up overnight does not affect the decision,” said Karolina Sakalauskienė, spokeswoman for Kaunas City Municipality.
Residents who wish to end the heating season early can contact the manager of their building, she added. The central heating could be switched off for the block of flats if agreed by the majority of the residents.
Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys – other major cities – said they plan to continue with the heating due to the colder weather forecast for next week.