If you live in an apartment building in Slovakia, this news is directly for you. The Ministry of Economy, led by Denisa Saková, is promoting an amendment to the Energy Act that could make it easier for apartment owners to disconnect from central heating. Heat producers are sounding the alarm: according to their calculations, this could destabilize the system, which about 2.3 million residents of the country depend on, and disrupt heat prices for those who remain.
What is the conflict about
The Slovak Association of Heat Producers (SZVT) has sharply criticized the new version of the law. According to them, the ministry rejected all key industry comments and did not provide proper justification.
The main complaint is that the amendment allows apartment owners in multi-story buildings to leave the CZT (centralizované zásobovanie teplom, centralized heat supply) system without clear rules or impact assessment. In practice, this means that some residents install individual boilers, and the fixed costs for maintaining the heat network—pipes, boiler rooms, staff—are distributed among fewer households. This means those who stay pay more.
The head of SZVT, Stanislav Jurík, calls this a condition for "unregulated and uncontrolled disconnection," which will inevitably lead to increased heat prices for other consumers. Hospodárske noviny describes the positions of both sides in detail: Hospodárske noviny.
Who will be hit the hardest
The paradox of the situation is that disconnecting neighbors will cost the most to those who cannot disconnect themselves.
Switching to individual heating involves costs for a boiler, redesign, and approvals. Not everyone can afford this. As a result, socially vulnerable households—pensioners, tenants, families with lower incomes—will primarily remain in the centralized system. Their bills for heating and hot water will increase because the network must be maintained regardless of the number of connected apartments.
For Ukrainians, who mostly rent apartments in panel buildings in Bratislava, Košice, or Prešov, this means one thing: you do not influence the decision to disconnect (it is made by the owners), but you pay the consequences through bills or increased rent.
Ecology and energy security are also in question
Centralized heat supply is considered a more efficient and cleaner way to heat cities than thousands of individual boilers. A mass switch to individual, often gas, boilers could increase atmospheric emissions and reduce the country's energy security.
Critics of the bill point out that the Ministry of Economy has not provided an environmental impact assessment of the changes. There is also an investment dimension: legal uncertainty deters companies from modernizing heat networks. Why invest money in updating the system if it is unclear how many consumers will remain in it in five years?
What the ministry answers
Denisa Saková and her department reject the accusations. The official position is that the amendment aims to liberalize the heat market and provide more freedom of choice for consumers. The logic is understandable—why shouldn't a person decide how to heat their own apartment?
The problem that heat producers insist on is that an apartment in a multi-story building is not a separate house. The decision of one owner affects the economics of the entire system, and the proposed changes do not take this specificity into account.
What's next and what you should do
Currently, the bill has passed the interdepartmental approval stage and is being prepared for government review. It has not yet reached parliament, so its final form may change—heat producers are calling for open dialogue and a review of the controversial provisions.
Practical steps for you now are simple:
If you rent an apartment, ask the owner or at the zbory (meetings of co-owners) if disconnecting from CZT is being discussed in your building.
Monitor your heat bills—a sharp increase in the fixed component of the payment could be the first sign that someone is leaving the system.
If you are an apartment owner, keep in mind: the decision to disconnect is made by the community of owners, and your vote at the meeting matters.
We will continue to follow the fate of the bill—as soon as the government reviews the amendment, we will report what has changed and whether the heat producers have managed to advance their comments.
