site.btaAssociation of Heating Companies Head for BTA: EU’s Gas Demand Reduction Plan Is Inapplicable to Bulgaria 

The European Union’s plan to reduce gas use in Europe by 15% this winter is inapplicable to Bulgaria, according to the head of the Association of Heating Companies in Bulgaria, Kremen Georgiev. He commented for BTA on the plan whereby EU Member States agree to deploy their best efforts to reduce their natural gas demand by 15% between August 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 compared to their average consumption in the past five years, in order to prepare for possible disruptions of gas supplies from Russia. 

In Georgiev’s words, the reduction means that in January everyone should turn off their heaters and reduce the temperature in their homes, and the heating companies will supply them with less heat, thus saving on gas. However, this cannot happen on the part of heating companies because if consumers have their heaters on while the companies are supplying less heat, the system will crumble; also, no one will be warm. In this way the opposite of saving on gas will be achieved, Georgiev argued.

The EU’s plan cannot be applied either by heating companies or by producers who use natural gas as raw material, because the latter would have to produce less and that is not an option, Georgiev also said. 

According to him, the State could force public buildings, but not private homes, to reduce their use of heating.