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DHC Sliven increased drastic its subscribers

The steam heating will be measured without home visits

Only DHC Toplofikaciya Sliven (district heating company, the company taking care of the centralized heating system in Sliven) increased progressively its subscribers in the last 2 years. The new heating season began with about 1,000 subscribers more. Previously stopped substations are being switched on and until the end of the current year their total number will exceed 280. At the end of 2011 more than 10,000 households in Sliven will be local heated. The company, that two years ago was at the edge of a bankrupt, succeeded in becoming profitable, regained people's trust and is now approaching its maximum capacity as it was 25 years ago, when there were 15,000 subscribers.

The reason for the increasing number of users of this type of service in Sliven is that the TPP (thermo power plant) fundamentally changed its marketing policy. The prices of the heating permanently established themselves as the lowest in the country. The company signed individual contracts with all its clients under which the unwanted "building fee" is eliminated and the predictable consumption is measured on the basis of the volume of the heated living space. The customers pay after a pre-set price caps for heating as all actually spend over this amount is on DHC’s expense. Such a radical change in the approach to the citizens caused a real "revolution" and repeatedly increased the heating consumption in Sliven, because of the availability of the service, even to the weakest social strata.

DHC Sliven announced October 17 as a start date of the heating season and this is when the local heating was switched on in kindergartens, schools and hospitals as well as in domestic households, by request. By the end of the week, because of the cooling expected, heat supply will be provided to all other subscribers. 90% of the customers of TPP Sliven pay their bills regularly and are considered loyal clients. This enables them to enjoy even cheaper promotions.

DHC Sliven began a mass introduction of remote controlled measuring gauges. This is a big convenience for the people, because now the collectors do not have to enter the homes in order to measure the consumption. This is done by a radio method using electronic modules. Following its policy of easing the financial burden on customers, DHC Sliven will take part of the cost of the installation of the new gauges. If customers have doubts about the radio report accounting, there is an opportunity for visual reading of the display. The subscribers are aware at any time what amount of energy is being consumed and this allows them to decide how much to save. The reporting is done simultaneously in the entire substation and will no longer require additional redistribution of the incoming heat.

Due to the expiration time of the battery life of the old heat measuring devices, nearly 1,300 of them will be replaced. TPP Sliven will offer to its customers to install the new modern remote gauges under special conditions. The customers will pay only the price of the plain measuring devices as the radio service and its activation are at DHC’s expenses. About 10% of the customers will now experience the conveniences of a completely different quality of service on a world level, but at prices attractive for every citizen in the current circumstances of severe crisis.

11/14/2011