Romanians To Pay At Least 20% More On Jan '10 Utility Bills - Homeowners Assoc Head

Opaina said capital Bucharest will see the lowest increase in utility bills, of only 20%, compared with other regions countrywide.

According to Opaina, estimates are based on price hikes in 2009, which will affect households in 2010, as well as on many days of frosty weather and extremely low temperatures.

In turn, Mihai Becheanu, manager of Bucharest's municipally-owned heating company RADET, said Friday it is impossible that January's utility bills might be 20% higher than those of December 2009, stressing that the quantity of heat supplies charged on households is 1.5% lower than in January 2009.

Becheanu said there could be several households with higher heat consumption prompted by low temperatures in January, but the quantity of heat supplies charged on households in January is lower than that in the same period last year.

On January 27, the Bucharest General Council approved a draft decision whereby the municipality will cover heating price hikes with subsidies, so that Bucharest citizens will pay the same heating prices as in 2009.

Bechean said late January he would present his resignation, should heating bills go up by more than 2%. He also said at the time that January's bills would not be higher than those in January 2009.

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