District heating plants in Czechia start heating season later than usual this year

District heating plants in Czechia are starting the heating season after a sharp drop in temperatures this week. The first plants began supplying some heat in western and northern Bohemia, higher-altitude mountain areas and the Vysočina region. Others will follow depending on the weather and local conditions. The Czech News Agency (ČTK) was informed today by the Czech District Heating Association. Compared with last year, the heating season is starting almost two weeks later this year; compared with the long-term average, the difference is several days.

Some places began heating, particularly in the mornings and evenings, last week. Other district heating plants will follow depending on local conditions. “District heating plants are ready to ensure thermal comfort for their customers as soon as outdoor temperatures make it necessary. We expect this to happen over the course of this week,” said Jiří Vecka, director of the Czech District Heating Association.

Over the past decade, radiators have typically started heating from 18 September, making this year’s start to the heating season several days late. Last year, heating began on 12 September, almost two weeks earlier than this year. The association noted that September is typically marked by wide temperature variations and, consequently, varying heating needs. In September 2010, for example, heating was on from the beginning of the month, while in 2023 there was no heating in September and temperatures did not drop until mid-October.

By law, the heating season runs from the beginning of September to the end of May. District heating plants start supplying heat if the average daily temperature falls below 13 degrees for two consecutive days and no rise is expected the following day. Heating may subsequently be restricted or suspended if average daily outdoor temperatures in a given location exceed 13 degrees Celsius for at least two consecutive days.

The previous heating season was slightly above average. According to district heating companies, climatic conditions during last winter’s heating period returned to the average. Heat consumption was therefore almost a quarter higher year on year, exceeding the ten-year average by 3.6 percent. The increase in consumption is also evident in statistics for the first half of this year, when heat consumption rose by 6.6 percent year on year to 37.6 petajoules (PJ).