Heating season in Czechia is slowly ending; this year was slightly above average

The heating season in Czechia is slowly coming to an end and was slightly above average this year. While last season was the warmest in more than 60 years, climatic conditions during this heating season returned to average. Heat consumption this year was therefore nearly a quarter higher year on year, exceeding the ten-year average by 3.6 percent. The Czech District Heating Association informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK) today. Heating has been required on 243 days so far, from last September through the end of this May.

"Although the need for heat this winter was significantly higher than during the previous heating season, it exceeded the ten-year average only slightly, by a low single-digit percentage. This was reflected in higher heat consumption this winter, but the ten-year average was exceeded only marginally," said Jiří Vecka, director of the executive office of the Czech District Heating Association.

According to the association’s statistics, the heating season now coming to an end was the third-coldest in the past ten years, surpassed only by the 2020/2021 and 2016/2017 seasons. By contrast, the previous season, 2023/2024, was the warmest heating season since 1960, with conditions for heating met on 199 days.

The association noted that households should now have received their final bills for heat used for heating and water heating during the previous calendar year. The beginning of that year was exceptionally warm, while autumn was average, the association said.

Under a decree issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the heating season runs from the beginning of September to the end of May. Heating can be suspended or reduced earlier if the average outdoor temperature rises above 13 degrees Celsius for two consecutive days and no colder weather is expected. According to the association, forecasts indicate that temperatures in some places could fall below this threshold in the coming days. In that case, district heating plants would continue supplying heat.