Government statements regarding the need to recalculate heat bills in Kyiv are essentially an admission that the capital's monopolist systematically overcharges residents. Experts point to a paradox: since the vast majority of buildings in the capital are equipped with meters, billing should occur automatically based on actual consumption.
According to Hvylya, Oleg Popenko, head of the Union of Utility Consumers, stated this on his YouTube channel, revealing the mechanisms behind "cosmic" bills issued by Kyivteploenergo.
He argued that if a need for recalculation arises, it indicates deliberate manipulation of figures rather than technical glitches. Such actions, he believes, should be investigated by the prosecutor's office rather than utility services.
According to the specialist, 90% of Kyiv's high-rise buildings have building-wide metering devices. This should eliminate the need for any additional recalculations, as residents ought to pay only for the heat that actually enters the building.
"I have a question: what kind of recalculation are we talking about if we have meters? It turns out the Cabinet of Ministers directly understands that Kyivteploenergo can generate 'leftist' and illegal charges. In that case, it shouldn't be the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection interested in Kyivteploenergo's work, but the prosecutor's office. They should investigate how a communal enterprise charges millions of Kyiv residents illegal payments," Popenko emphasized.
The expert claims the problem is widespread. He has personally publicized hundreds of cases where Kyiv residents received inflated bills. One of the most common schemes involves manipulating area measurements: the heated area of a building listed in the invoice often differs significantly from the official technical documentation. As a result, people end up paying for "thin air."
The situation is exacerbated by the total inaction of regulatory bodies. According to Oleg Popenko, the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, which is supposed to protect citizens' rights, has effectively abandoned its duties.
"In 99% of cases, the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection writes that 'we don't have the staff, we don't have the capacity, we don't have the funding, and we cannot verify illegal charges by Kyivteploenergo'... Meanwhile, courts rule in favor of the monopolist 99% of the time," the expert concluded.