Residents Shocked by Soaring Utility Bills in Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg residents have started receiving their first bills of the year. Many were stunned when they saw the figures. Not only did utility fees rise from January 1, but last month had many frosty days, so the charges in the «Heating» line increased several times.
We explain why the amounts on bills have increased so sharply and whether to expect similar figures next month.
«You want to cry from such sums!»
E1.RU readers have shared and shown how much they had to pay for utilities in February.
«10,700 rubles (about $119 at current rates) for 61 square meters, what a delight,» Yekaterinburg resident Ksenia shared not without irony.
«Apartment of 89 square meters — 22,000 rubles (about $244 at current rates),» said Lilia.
«The bill for January arrived. Just shock, a second mortgage! The amount for a three-room apartment in Akadem,» an outraged E1.RU reader said and showed her bill. She will pay 18,529 rubles (about $206 at current rates) for utilities.
«The most dubious expense item is »Housing Maintenance,« almost 2,000 rubles (about $22 at current rates) and for what?!» fumed Daria Cheremushkina.
«December — 4,500 rubles (about $50 at current rates), January — 7,500 rubles (about $83 at current rates) for an apartment of 31 square meters,» shared Elena.
«In November it was 6,500 rubles (about $72 at current rates), in December — 8,000 (about $89 at current rates), in January — 10,000 (about $111 at current rates) for 60 square meters,» wrote E1.RU reader Natalia.
«Plus 1,054 rubles (about $12 at current rates) for major repairs. Total for a two-room apartment — a tenner. Honestly, it»s outrageous. We suffered with heating for a long time, it came to 7,000–8,000 rubles (about $78–$89 at current rates). At a general meeting, we decided that the management company should install a UKUT system (Commercial Heat Metering Unit) — the bills became smaller,« recommended E1.RU reader Svetlana to other Yekaterinburg residents.
«The price tags, of course, are fire, paying 1,400 (about $16 at current rates) for major repairs — that»s harsh. Money to nowhere. A service that most of us will never receive,« believes Vyacheslav Ivanov.
«11,558 rubles (about $128 at current rates) for a three-room apartment of 59 square meters. Mind-blowing,» wrote Yekaterinburg resident Tatiana.
«5,400 rubles (about $60 at current rates) including major repairs for a one-room apartment of 39 square meters. Housing Maintenance — 1,999 rubles (about $22 at current rates). And the management company absolutely earns all this money,» said Ksenia. «It»s consistently clean, snow is cleared, everything is serviced, entrance cleanliness is present, lighting is monitored, breakdowns are fixed in the shortest time.«
«Heating costs a pretty penny, now it»s the most expensive line on the bill by a huge margin. We used to complain about expensive housing maintenance. Now it«s more than two times cheaper than heating,» complained E1.RU reader Daniil.
«17,700 rubles (about $197 at current rates) for 74 square meters,» shared with E1.RU by Victoria.
«They charged 9,000 rubles (about $100 at current rates) just for heating in a three-room apartment,» wrote Svetlana Mugantseva.
And a couple more «more expensive» bills:
Where do such figures come from
The press service of the Unified Settlement Center (ERC) explained to E1.RU why the amount of charges increased in January bills. Previously, utility tariffs were raised in the summer, from July 1, but in 2026 the scheme changed.
Due to an increase in VAT, the Sverdlovsk Regional Energy Commission revised utility tariffs — they grew by 1.7%.
«Other factors also affect the amounts in January bills annually. At the end of the year and in January, water and electricity consumption typically increases — largely due to holidays when people spend more time at home,» explained the ERC. «Low temperatures at the end of the year and in January played their role, since thermal energy for heating is the most expensive component in the bill. These factors are temporary and will not affect charges in February.»
For example, the amount on the bill can be higher if you did not submit readings on time in December: then charges are made based on average monthly consumption or standards. Bills at the end of the year are generated earlier than usual, readings are accepted already in the middle of the month, so part of December«s consumption is actually reflected only in January.
Earlier we tried to calculate how the amount on the bill will change in autumn 2026 when utility fees are raised by another 12.9%. Before that, residents of an apartment building on Uktus complained that they had to pay five times more than usual for electricity.
Separately, we reported how tariffs for electricity, gas, cold water, heating, and major repairs changed from January 1, and explained why utility payments in other cities of Sverdlovsk Region are much lower.
