Many of those who come to Bulgaria only for the summer are not even aware of the cold that comes during the off-season and winter. If September and October can be called a continuation of summer, then at the end of November the daytime temperature begins to drop to +10, and frosts already occur at night. In mountainous areas, the air temperature drops faster than on the sea coast. Already in early December, snow caps appear on the peaks, where snow remains until the end of April. The winter sun in Bulgaria is very warm, you can tan even in January. However, heating residential premises is a significant part of the cost during the cold season.
Heating
Central heating at the state level, as in the Russian Federation, is completely absent here. Apartment buildings heated by a common boiler are most often found in large cities. In connection with this, the consumer electronics market offers a large number of heating devices. The main types of heaters are: electric batteries, spiral radiators, heat fans, infrared heaters, air conditioners, fireplaces, pellet and metal stoves (stoves). Large chain stores of household appliances with a year-round assortment of heating devices are Technopolis, Technomarket and Zora. Closer to the cold season, devices appear in Leroy Merlin and Mr. Bricolage. Small retail stores also sell equipment, but the quality there is usually lower, and they may refuse to understand you when you bring the goods under warranty.
Spiral heater
Metal oven
Heat fan
Cost
The main and most economical heating option is electric batteries. There are two types: wall-mounted and portable, the latter are the most economical, as they require local use. Using this type of heating will cost approximately 50-100 € in the coldest month (for a one-bedroom apartment) in a house with neighbors. In a building where you spend the winter alone (which is not uncommon in the resort area of Bulgaria), the average bill will be from 150-300 €, since the heat will constantly be lost.
Spiral heaters quickly heat the room, but burn out oxygen, which requires frequent ventilation, which cools the room down again. If you constantly use such heaters, you can end up with a bill of 500 € or more at the end of the month. Infrared heaters, heat fans and air conditioners are usually used in addition to the main types of heating.
Important details
The cost of heating largely depends on the location of the premises relative to the cardinal directions. If the windows face south, then the warm Bulgarian sun will warm the apartment even through the glass and walls, which will greatly help you save money. Premises located on the north side will have to be heated much more. It is worth paying attention to this if you are planning to buy a home in Bulgaria.
Another important aspect is large panoramic windows, which have become popular thanks to sea and mountain landscapes. Be prepared for the fact that such windows cause heat loss, and cracks in the frames, as a rule, allow strong winds to pass through.
Among other things, a significant part of the real estate for rent and sale is located in hotel buildings that are closed during the off-season. It may turn out that in the spring and fall you will be heating the only apartment in the entire building. Thus, no matter how you heat your rooms, the heat will escape, but the floor and walls will remain cold. In this case, an electric blanket will help you out, which will warm you locally.
Thermal panel
Heated blanket
Pellets
How Bulgarians warm themselves
In Bulgaria, the cost of electricity is quite high compared to the Russian Federation. The size of the bill in the winter period exceeds the bill “at home” by 3-4 times. While the average monthly bill is about 150-200 levs, the minimum wage in Bulgaria does not exceed 400 levs, which means that local residents are forced to actively save on electricity consumption.
Heating with a metal stove is one way to cut costs. The cost of fuel for such a device directly depends on the owner’s budget. Usually they heat with pellets (fuel granules), wood or coal, but there are cases when, in order to save money, local citizens used old car tires and even second-hand clothes. Such stoves produce large amounts of smoke, sometimes even harmful to health. Throughout the winter, smoke is a problem in small towns in Bulgaria. However, many tourists (who come for just a few days) think that the smell of burning adds a special charm to their winter holiday.
Firewood
Bulgarians begin storing firewood in the spring in order to dry it in the sun during the summer. Typically, firewood is stored near the house, laid out along one of the external walls. Local residents are allowed to cut down trees to heat their homes, even within the Pirin National Park. Of course, the number of trees for harvesting is limited by the norm, but law enforcement agencies pay little attention to this. Local residents cut down as much as they can, and sell the excess to tourists.
Firewood is sold in cubic meters (cubes), one cube of pine firewood costs on average 50 levs, beech firewood costs 80 levs. If you buy 5 cubic meters at once (and share with a friend or neighbor, for example), it will be even cheaper. As winter approaches, prices rise, and there is almost no free firewood left for sale. Sometimes you can find firewood packaged in 8-10 pieces in a net, for tourists who want to light the fireplace 1-2 times; during the season, this amount is sold for almost the price of a cubic meter. It is worth noting that fireplaces in Bulgaria are mainly decorative and are not intended for heating all areas of the apartment during the cold season.
Total
- Electric battery (convector). ~ 150 BGN
- Spiral heater. ~ 300 BGN
- Heat fan (fan stove). ~ 100 lev
- Infrared heater (infrared heater). ~250 lev
- Air conditioner (climate). ~ 1000 BGN
- Metal stove (stove on the darva). ~ 500 BGN
- Pellet stove. ~ 2500 BGN
- Firewood (durva). Pine ~ 50 levs, beech ~ 80 levs per cubic meter
- Heated blanket (floodable backing). ~ 150 BGN