How to reduce utility bills in winter: effective ways to save on payments
Kyiv • UNN
Practical tips can help save on heating, electricity, gas, and water. Subsidies and benefits can reduce the financial burden.
In winter, Ukrainians are forced to spend a large portion of their salaries and pensions to pay for heating, water heating, and the operation of electrical appliances. For many, paying their "utility bills" during this period becomes an unbearable burden, forcing them either to borrow money or accumulate debts for services. After all, paradoxically, making an apartment or house energy-efficient also requires considerable funds.
However, the problem can be addressed without expensive home renovations or replacing household appliances. All it takes is to slightly adjust your everyday habits and monitor your consumption of utilities. UNN explains how to do this.
What Ukrainians pay the most for in winter
A large portion of funds is traditionally spent on heating during the winter period. In apartments with central heating, residents receive a single bill for the heat consumed. In apartments or private houses with autonomous heating, however, heating requires paying for a number of services at once: gas, electricity, or the purchase of solid fuel.
At present, electricity for households costs UAH 4.32 per kWh — the government has maintained this tariff until April 30, 2027. Residents of homes with electric heating are charged a preferential price of UAH 2.64 per kWh for up to 2,000 kWh per month. Gas for Naftogaz customers under the "Fixed" plan costs UAH 7.96 per cubic meter until April 30, 2027. The cost of heating and water, meanwhile, varies for Ukrainians in different cities and towns, as it depends on the specific provider.
How to save on heating without sacrificing comfort
First, let us look at the temperature considered safe and comfortable for living rooms in winter. For most regions of Ukraine, it ranges from 18 to 21 °C. However, children, elderly people, and those with health conditions may require a warmer room.
In this regard, the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine advises Ukrainians to lower the heating temperature by one degree wherever this is technically possible. This recommendation is based on information that doing so can reduce heat consumption by approximately 5%. However, it should be noted that this result does not guarantee a comparable reduction in the bill. In addition, for apartments with centralized heating, the financial effect depends on how heat is measured and distributed: without individual metering, reducing the heat output of one radiator will not necessarily lower the charge.
Therefore, to genuinely save on heating without freezing in your own home, we suggest following other tips. For example, radiators should not be blocked by furniture or long curtains, and clothes should not be dried on them. This will help warm air circulate as evenly as possible throughout the room, since there will be no obstacles around the radiators.
A foil-backed screen can also help; it should be installed on the wall behind the heating battery or radiator. The foil will act as a reflector, redirecting heat that would otherwise warm the exterior wall into the room.
Incidentally, living rooms are better ventilated briefly and intensively than by keeping a window partially open for hours. During ventilation, the thermostatic regulator can be temporarily turned down, but ventilation ducts must not be blocked.
Insulating an apartment: inexpensive ways to retain heat
Before spending money on a new, expensive energy-efficient boiler, radiators, or heaters, it is worth checking the windows and doors. In particular, replace worn seals, adjust window sashes, and seal gaps near the threshold and door frame. Such measures may seem insignificant, but it is precisely through gaps in windows and doors that a substantial share of heat is lost. In addition, constant drafts move through the rooms, forcing residents to turn on additional heating devices.
Thick curtains also reduce the feeling of cold coming from the glass, and this can be used to advantage. But, as we wrote above, they must not block the radiator.
But what you should not spend money and time on is heavily advertised products such as thin “insulating” film. Distributors promise that, when applied to windows and even walls, it will help retain heat in homes. In practice, however, the result from such a product is — negligible or altogether nonexistent.
In some households, ventilation is sealed off when cold weather arrives in an effort to retain heat. But this only increases humidity and the risk of mold. In addition, non-functioning ventilation can become deadly if a room fills with smoke or carbon monoxide begins to accumulate in it.
Saving electricity: from water heaters to the night-time tariff
Water heaters, heaters, electric stoves and air conditioners operating in heating mode consume a lot of electricity. For example, a 2 kW appliance will use 10 kWh in five hours, which costs UAH 43.20 at the regular tariff.
Therefore, it is advisable to set the water heater to moderate heating and switch it off when the water temperature reaches 55 °C, rather than heating it to 70 °C. The refrigerator should be kept as far as possible from heat sources. In that case, it will not heat up from the outside and will use less energy to cool its compartment.
To save expensive kilowatt-hours, the washing machine should also be loaded sensibly. There should be some free space in the drum, because a machine overloaded with bed linen and clothes will use more electricity and water to wash the items.
You should also take the opportunity to install a meter with a “day-night” electricity metering function in your home if you have not already done so. Under two-zone metering, electricity costs half as much at night, from 23:00 to 07:00: UAH 2.16 per kWh at the current basic tariff. If 50 kWh per month falls within the night period, the saving compared with single-zone metering is UAH 108. Before replacing the meter, however, it is worth comparing this benefit with the cost of installing it.
How to reduce gas and water consumption from December through March
To save on “blue fuel,” the flame of a gas burner should not extend beyond the bottom of the cookware when cooking. You should also not neglect the lid on a pot, as it helps bring food to readiness more quickly.
The efficiency of a gas boiler depends on proper settings and technical maintenance, which must be carried out by a specialist. It is unacceptable to alter the design of gas equipment or block ventilation yourself.
You can use less water by taking showers instead of baths, installing aerators on taps, using water-saving showerheads, and repairing leaking faucets and toilet cisterns.
An important way to save on “utilities,” which is often neglected, is to submit meter readings within the deadlines set by operators and suppliers. Otherwise, bills may be calculated using estimated volumes, followed by a recalculation that will significantly impact the household budget.
Subsidies and benefits: what assistance is available to Ukrainians in winter
Households for which utility costs constitute an unaffordable financial burden on the family budget may be eligible for a housing subsidy. It is calculated individually based on income, family composition, the cost of services within the social standards, and the amount of the mandatory payment.
According to the Pension Fund, for the 2026–2027 heating season, subsidies for most current recipients will be recalculated automatically, including in cases where the payment was zero during the summer. People applying for the subsidy for the first time must contact the relevant institutions, as must households whose family composition or list of services has changed.
If a person manages to submit an application for state assistance by and including November 30, 2026, the law allows the subsidy to be granted from the beginning of the heating season, provided they are eligible for it. For calculating the heating subsidy, the period from October 16 to April 15 is taken into account.
Documents are accepted by the Pension Fund, Administrative Service Centers (CNAPs), and local self-government bodies. They can also be submitted online via the Pension Fund portal or the administrative services portal "Diia."
It is worth noting that subsidies in Ukraine are available to tenants and internally displaced persons. In addition, certain discounts on utility services are provided for combatants — 75%; persons with war-related disabilities — 100%; and family members of fallen defenders — 50%, within the limits of social norms and subject to the relevant conditions.
How much can be saved on utility services in a one-bedroom apartment
Let us take an apartment with central heating and a gas stove as an example. During a month, its resident used 220 kWh of electricity, 8 cubic meters of gas, and 5 cubic meters of cold water. Electricity would cost UAH 950.40, and gas — UAH 63.68. Let us assume that the combined water supply and wastewater tariff is UAH 40 per cubic meter: this adds another UAH 200. Let us add an assumed UAH 1,500 for heating and UAH 300 for other payments. The total is UAH 3,014.08.
After replacing the light bulbs, reducing unnecessary water heating, and eliminating leaks, consumption fell to 180 kWh, 6 cubic meters of gas, and 4 cubic meters of water. The respective payments would amount to UAH 777.60, UAH 47.76, and UAH 160. With heating and other service costs unchanged, the total would decrease to UAH 2,785.36. The difference is UAH 228.72, or about 7.6% per month.
A reminder
Earlier, we wrote about how to save electricity in the summer and reduce expenses. Experts advise Ukrainians to adjust their appliances and change their habits to cut costs.