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Ariston Thermo: Only 2 out of 10 towns in Romania are still connected to the central district heating system
* How will the new European regulations on energy efficiency change the market?
According to a analysis made by Ariston Thermo Romania, only 67 of the 320 towns in Romania are still connected to the central district heating system, while the number of disconnections continues to increase, the press release to ACTMedia informs. In these conditions and taking into consideration the local market’s need for efficiency, the company estimates that the introduction of the new ErP (Energy-related Products) directives will have a strong effect on the local market and change the Romanians’ perception regarding the chosen heating equipments.
“At this moment, according to an analysis Ariston made based on data provided by ANRSC and INSSE, of the more than 320 towns and cities, only in 67 still exist a central district heating system, and the majority of residents are permanently looking for a heating alternative that will provide both comfort, as well as reduced costs”, said Catalin Draguleanu, Country Manager Ariston Thermo Romania.
Thus, according to his declarations, starting this September, when the European directives will impose the sales of only those products that reach certain threshold of energy efficiency, Romanians who are looking for an alternative to the centralized system, will purchase and install condensing apartment boilers, which present a higher efficiency than the conventional ones.
“The main purpose of the ErP directives is to reduce the fuel consumption and emissions. Therefore, by allowing only high energy efficiency equipments, we think we will witness a consumer education, who will understand this necessity”, said Draguleanu.
“At present, 3 of the 67 towns and cities in which citizens are connected to central district heating system represents almost half of the national number of users”, affirmed Draguleanu.
Therefore, Bucharest, Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca, the only Romanian towns with over 300.000 residents and that still receive thermal energy from the district central heating system; have a total number of 660.000 subscribers to heat networks, which represent almost 50% of the total number of national subscribers of 1,326 million.
Catalin Draguleanu also said: „Even though the number of subscribers is very high, in the last few years there were a lot of disconnections in Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara. For example, between 2012 and 2014, over 13.500 families from Timisoara have disconnected from the heat networks, while in Cluj-Napoca the number is almost 5.000”.
Regarding Bucharest, the 564.379 connected houses represent circa 43% of the national total number of subscribers, the main reason being the low price of Gcal of 170 lei, this being one of the smallest prices after the ones in Bacau or Cluj-Napoca. In terms of cities with over 200.000 residents, the number of connected houses in Constanta, Craiova, Ploiesti, Galati, Iasi and Brasov sums up to 315.000. On the other hand, only three cities with less than 150.000 residents are still connected to heat networks: Pitesti, Oradea and Arad have circa 120.000 connected houses in total.
„In order to do a proper scan of the local heating market, it’s important to mention that 17 of the 67 towns that dispose of heat networks have less than 10.000 connected houses and other 29 cities have less than 1.000”, said Draguleanu.
Moreover, out of 41 counties in Romania, 8 have given up on heat networks in the last 5 years (Alba, Bistrita, Braila, Dambovita, Ialomita, Mures, Salaj and Satu Mare). On the other hand, the counties with the biggest number of subscribers are Constanta, Bihor and Timis.
Thus, under an outdated district heating system and very scattered nationally, Romanians choose individual heating equipments and their main option is the apartment boiler. The reason behind the disconnections is the big difference between the costs of thermal energy coming from the district heating versus the costs generated by an apartment boiler. Thus, according to ANRSC’s national data, the average price / Gcal in June was 226 lei, but in some cities the price is even bigger. For example, in Constanta the Gcal reaches 383 lei, in Arad 290 lei and 265 lei in Sibiu and Iasi. By comparison, the cost in the case of a condensing apartment boiler is approximately 175 lei.
“It’s important to remember the fact that the ErP directives will not affect those who have already installed an apartment boiler. The regulations provide that, starting September 2015, every new apartment boiler must be a condensing model. These products prove up to 108% efficiency, a low emission level and assure a 35% economy in gas consumption”, mentioned Draguleanu.
He also said that in the last few years, Romanians begun to turn to condensing models, understanding their advantages and the fact that the ErP directives are a natural step towards the way to streamline the local market. Moreover, the condensing models require power and energy labeling similar to home appliances items, in order to ease the purchasing process.
“In order to meet the requirements of those seeking the best solution of house heating equipment, Ariston offers a wide range of class A condensing boilers that meet European norms. Moreover, we are currently running a warranty – extension campaign from 3 to 5 years, for those who acquire our products until the end of October”, said the company’s representative.
*The ErP directives represent the results of the European Union objectives, also known as “20-20-20 objectives”, regarding the protection and respect towards the environment. They require a 20% cut in gas emissions until the year 2020, a 20% increase in the use of renewable resources and 20% less energy consumption in the world, through more efficient products.
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About Ariston Thermo Romania
Ariston Thermo Romania represents the local branch of the Italian company Ariston Thermo Group, one of the worldwide leading companies in heating and water heating, with a complete offer of products, systems, and services.
Ariston Thermo’s commitment to energy efficiency is expressed through its constant stream of new solutions based on renewable energy sources such as solar thermal systems and heat pumps as well as improvement of the efficiency of traditional products (such as boilers and water heaters) and investment in new projects for the future.
Ariston Thermo Romania’s portfolio includes Ariston, Chaffoteaux and Rendamax wall hung and floor standing boilers -both conventional and condensing models - and also electric water heaters, instant gas water heater air conditioners and solar systems.