Autumn weather in Sofia is notoriously unpredictable. Nightly temperatures drop into single digits by October. Daily temperatures vary wildly. In a matter of couple days, weather can change from summer-like and balmy to freezing rain. Thus, subject of heating is something that should not be overlooked. Indeed, heating in Sofia might catch some visitors by surprise.
Bulgaria’s capital utilizes central heating system where houses and apartments are heated by hot water pumped by the district heating company called Toplofikacia Sofia EAD.
The heating season varies each year depending on weather conditions. The heating company should be ready to provide heating between October 1st and April 30th. In order for the heating to be activated, two requirements must be met: 1)the average daily temperature must be lower than 12C for 3 consecutive days and 2) the long-term forecast for permanent cold weather.
How does it work in real life? From first-hand experience, not very good. Our apartment was located in a 50 years old building. As we quickly discovered, windows’ insulation hasn’t been updated since the time it was built. It was… ahem… drafty. In reality, the average temperature rule means that a day-time temperature could be bearable, but at night it could be close to 0C, which is freezing. Out of desperation, we bought a heater, but without proper insulation it was not very effective. Long story short, for a couple weeks it was quite a miserable existence. Incidentally, I found some articles about benefits of sleeping in a cold, so we got a chance to put it in practice.