Last week, we received an email from a Reader, a resident of Jana Pawła II Street, who accused the “Bolesławianka” Housing Cooperative of “fraud on a grand scale”:

Residents are being incorrectly charged for heating. Despite not turning on the radiators, they receive an additional payment request; there are allocators on the radiators, and they show 0. Suddenly, the cooperative says there is a charge based on floor area, even though they installed new allocators six months ago.

What is more, according to the Reader, SM “Bolesławianka” explained that this was happening because “not everyone let the allocator installers into their homes and not everyone has them on their radiators. Therefore, they had to calculate the charges based on floor area.”

The person who reported the matter stressed that neither he nor his family had turned on the radiator even once. To avoid paying enormous bills, they bought electric fan heaters to heat their home. He also added that residents were considering filing a class-action lawsuit against “Bolesławianka”.

Beata Ślęzak, President of the Management Board of the “Bolesławianka” Housing Cooperative:

On behalf of the Cooperative’s Management Board, I inform you that the history of allocator installation varies from building to building.

Some buildings reached the level required under section 3.4 of the applicable “Regulations for settling the costs of heat supplied for central heating and domestic hot-water preparation in the resources of the ‘Bolesławianka’ Housing Cooperative and for individual settlement of these costs with premises users” (Resolution No. 21/2020 of the Supervisory Board of SM “Bolesławianka” dated 18 December 2020) concerning the principles for settling the costs of heat supplied for central heating and determining central-heating charges—namely, 80% of premises equipped with meters—in March 2021; others reached it in April, May, June, and even December of last year. In one building, despite the Cooperative’s efforts, residents did not make their apartments available for the installation of allocators.

Of the 19 buildings whose owners adopted a resolution on settling heat-consumption costs using electronic heat cost allocators with radio reading, only 2 buildings had 100% of their premises equipped with meters.

However, in one of the buildings, despite reaching 80% of premises equipped with meters in April last year, the allocators in one apartment were dismantled without authorization in October last year, resulting in the building falling below the required 80% level.

I ask Readers to reflect on the matter described.

She adds:

Furthermore, are the high heating costs for 2021 the result of negligence or fault on the part of the Cooperative (quoted: “fraud on a grand scale”), arising from:

  • the increased heat consumption generated by the buildings (residents) in 2021?,
  • the lower average annual temperature in 2021 (5.4°C) than in 2020 (7.4°C)?,
  • the approximately 25% increase in the price of heat resulting from the “Tariff for Heat” approved by the President of the Energy Regulatory Office for ZEC Bolesławiec and effective from 5 October 2021?.

In December last year, we asked residents to report any irregularities they noticed in the operation of the allocators to the Cooperative. Reporting zero readings to the Istotne information editorial office will not result in the irregularity being removed.

At present, following complaints submitted by residents, voting is taking place in three buildings on changing the settlement method for the entire building as follows:

  1. settlement of heat-supply costs for the first half of 2021 proportionally to the floor area of the premises,
  2. settlement of heat-supply costs for the second half of 2021 using electronic heat cost allocators (including settlement costs),

provided that a majority of the building’s residents agree to changing the settlement method.

At the same time, I inform you that, since 12 February 2022, a new heat tariff has applied to settlements with ZEC Bolesławiec, with prices increased by a further approximately 10%.

She also adds:

I will leave the purchase of electric fan heaters and heating apartments with them without comment.