Heating is turned on in the autumn, just before you freeze to death. Then, it is turned off in the spring when you are struggling because of the heat. Having given smart excuses such as the multi-year average temperature, the government decides when you should feel cold or hot. You do not have the choice to adjust the heat. This scene, which was existent during the socialist era, is still around in our market economy today.
In winter, hot water is constantly cut off while the heating does not keep you warm. It forces people to wear their coats and jackets in their homes despite living in an urban area. Although letters and complaints are sent by residents, they are juggled between the offices of central heating, maintenance, and heat distribution. Some people send their complaints to the media. However, nothing gets done after some attention to the issue. We forget about these problems in the summer, get reminded in the autumn, and become frustrated over the winter. This is the cycle we live in.
Nevertheless, customers fully pay for heating and hot water. The payment is still made when the supply has been cut off or has not been to the standard. If one fails to pay on time, heating and hot water are cut off. The rates set by the supplier must be paid fully regardless of how much heat and water you, your home, or your organisation saves.
YOU ARE IN THE WRONG IF YOU INSTALL METERS
Khovd University installed a heat meter and started paying for heat based on their use. It allowed them to cut their spending by 50 percent and use the money to renovate their sports field, which included covering their basketball court with designated turf. It greatly improved the environment where students spent their leisure time.
The university had to spend half of its annual budget on heating prior to installing the meter. However, J.Yanjmaa, the director of Khovd University, was sued by Badamlakh Dul LLC, which privatised the entire heat production and distribution network of Uvs and Khovd aimags. It is the government’s policy to privatise the infrastructure for producing heat, and leave the infrastructure required for distribution under public ownership. It seems that this principle is not upheld in the countryside.
The Aimag government stated that it was wrong of Khovd University to make such an ‘irresponsible’ move, demanded that the payment must be made on the basis of building volume, and banned installing heat meters anywhere in the province. They claim that, if every organisation can freely install a heat meter, the heating plant will go bankrupt, which will lead the Aimag center to freeze.
With the purpose of protecting the rights of customers, the government has been setting the prices of hot water, electric power, and heating at the lowest possible rates since the socialist period. The deficits, which came from lower rates, have been made up by the government. As a result, 15-30 percent of the annual budgets of Mongolia’s education and health sectors are still dedicated to heating buildings only. The causes of heat loss in buildings that belong to these two areas can be determined, and relevant certificates can be given, so that every organisation pays for heating based on their use. If that happens, the deficit in Mongolia’s power sector will be significantly reduced.
Aid agencies from Switzerland and Germany studied why Mongolia’s apartments and buildings are cold inside. It is assessed that 40 percent of the causes relate to the quality of the building, 25 percent to heat loss, 17 percent to faults in heating systems, and 16 percent to erosion.
IF HEAT LOSS AT LEAST IS STOPPED…
The fifth kindergarten building in the centre of the Khovd aimag was renovated in the framework of an aid project carried out by German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). After assessing the heat loss of the building from every aspect, they thickened the outer walls using special materials, replaced all 58 windows with double-pane, vacuum-insulated windows, reinforced its doors, floor and roof, and cleaned all pipes and heaters. As a result, the heat loss of the building was almost reduced to zero. Also, they installed a metering device that makes hourly measurements of changes in water temperature as well as air temperature inside the building.
This work resulted in an improved environment for teachers to work, and allowed children to learn more as they were no longer suffering from the same level of cold and sickness. It was an improvement in quality. In the past, the kindergarten building had an air temperature of –8oC. In such circumstances, it was a question of surviving rather than learning.
It is said that a total of 260 million MNT was spent to improve the heating of this kindergarten building, which was constructed in 1975. The annual budget of the kindergarten is 300 million MNT, half of which is spent on salaries. They used to pay 20 percent (60 million MNT) for heat. Even though the heat loss was reduced by 50 percent, which allows a saving of 30 million MNT, they are still paying 60 million MNT just as before.
The project team did a similar job at a kindergarten in the Zavkhan aimag as well. This year they are planning to do the same work in several locations: 450 million MNT on a dormitory building in Tes soum, 240 million MNT on the school building of Erdenekhairkhan soum, 180 million MNT on the health centre of Duut soum, and 800 million MNT on the school building of Jargalant soum. Besides employing local resources and workforce, training them, and introducing new technology, the primary objective of the project is to raise issues related to heating and improve the governance surrounding it in Mongolia. I was advised of this by Bjoern Wahlstedt, the project director, during our meeting in Khovd city.
If heat loss is removed and room temperature can be changed at will, it will be beneficial to customers and, ultimately, to producers. It shall allow us to stop this monkey business where heat is lost while customers pay more and producers run unnecessary costs.
If we can manage it wisely, it will not only bring about commercial benefits, but also improve living conditions and prevent sicknesses caused by the cold. Isn’t it time for all levels of government to pay attention to this issue, which is greatly critical to our social well-being?
2015.05.06