Residents of New Buildings Pay Triple for Electricity: The 17.5 Hryvnia Rate Explained

Residents in Kyiv and Odesa Face High Energy Costs

According to ХВИЛЯ: People living in newly constructed buildings in Kyiv, the Kyiv region, and Odesa are grappling with a significant financial burden: they must pay commercial rates for electricity. This situation arises because developers put the buildings into operation without properly formalizing the electrical infrastructure. Consequently, residents are forced to pay up to 17.5 hryvnias per kilowatt-hour, compared to the standard residential rate of just 4.32 hryvnias. This issue highlights a systemic failure in Ukraine's construction sector regulation, leaving ordinary citizens to cover the costs.

The problem occurs when developers fail to meet technical requirements and do not transfer the electrical networks to municipal management. Energy suppliers then bill entire residential complexes as legal entities, which dramatically increases the financial load on homeowners. Experts note that constructing a substation for a large residential complex can cost tens of millions of hryvnias, a significant expense that further complicates resolution.

Scale of the Problem and Expert Commentary

Currently, there are an estimated 300-400 problematic buildings in Kyiv and about 400 more in the surrounding Kyiv region. Dozens of other affected properties have also been recorded in Odesa.

'We are hostages not just to corruption, but to this mess that surrounds us, where buildings by the hundreds are commissioned without documents, without anything, and nobody cares what happens there.' Expert Oleg Popenko

He further emphasized that developers have no intention of fulfilling their obligations: 'The developer will not do anything. They leave everything in a terrible state and disappear. Around Kyiv, in the Kyiv region, there are about 400 such buildings. Let's be honest, this is a perpetual problem. I am not convinced that anyone will do anything about it.'

Among the residential complexes affected by this situation are:

• Patriotika
• Evrika

The issue with electrical infrastructure is becoming increasingly urgent, and residents of these new buildings continue to search for a way out of this difficult predicament.

The electricity supply situation in these new builds points to serious systemic failures within the construction industry and a lack of proper state oversight. Residents, who have become victims of developer negligence, find themselves in difficult financial straits, forced to accept exorbitant rates. This could lead to widespread protests and demands for government action, as experts warn the problem is growing and requires urgent intervention to protect homeowners from unfair practices.