Heating a 60-square-meter apartment for 180 days of the heating season requires about 9,000 kWh of energy. According to the Energy Agency, households using firewood will face the lowest costs, while those heating with electricity will pay the most.
- Firewood costs range from 53,000 to 87,600 dinars per year, depending on type and region.
- Pellet heating will cost around 76,000 dinars, up 17% from last year.
- Natural gas heating remains relatively affordable at 59,500 dinars annually.
- Coal heating costs about 77,700 dinars, similar to last year.
- Propane-butane users will pay around 172,000 dinars, a 4% increase.
- Electric heating is the most expensive: daytime tariffs can lead to annual costs exceeding 250,000 dinars, while cheaper night tariffs reduce costs to about 102,700 dinars. Using electricity outside cheap hours can increase costs by 40%.
Professor Miloš Banjac of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering warns that most electricity users will enter the “red zone,” where energy costs are 12 times higher than the cheapest periods. He recommends maximizing use of cheap night-time electricity, minimizing other electric consumption, and using heat pumps or air conditioning in transitional seasons for efficiency.
District heating costs vary, with some Belgrade households paying around 105,000 dinars for a 60-square-meter apartment. Banjac notes that although district heating mostly uses natural gas, households relying on individual electric or coal heating often pay more despite using the same energy source.
Firewood prices differ by region due to availability, transport, and labor costs—cheaper in southern and western Serbia, higher in Vojvodina, Belgrade, and Novi Sad. About 50% of Serbian households use firewood, which is renewable but often inefficient. Coal heating is environmentally harmful, and programs exist to phase it out.
Overall, winter heating costs in Serbia are rising, with electricity and certain fuels creating financial strain for households.
