Although an increase in the price of electricity has been announced, it will still be the main source of heating for the majority of Mostar citizens, as many do not have an alternative, and many who used to heat with wood are also switching to this method of heating, as the prices of wood have risen significantly.
One Mostar woman, who only heats with wood on special occasions, says that the air conditioner allows her to turn on the heating an hour before she comes home from work so that her apartment is warm upon arrival, which is invaluable on cold winter days.
Residents of suburban settlements who live in family houses mostly heat with wood, but due to the unbearable heat that is recorded during the summer days in that city, most of the residents also have air conditioners, which could be their main choice of heating this season because it could be an economically more profitable option for them due to the increase in the price and shortage of wood.
A resident of Rastani, a village in Mostar, says that this year he bought much less wood than in previous years, precisely because of the high prices, and that this season he will combine heating with wood and heating with electricity.
”Last year, a meter of wood was around 80 BAM, and this year it is 180 BAM, which for our needs cannot last even a month, so it will be cheaper for us to heat with electricity,” he explained.
Moreover, he added that he bought wood for special occasions when the family gathers both for the atmosphere itself and the preparation of food because then it will be more economical to burn wood.
Wood sellers, aware of rising prices and limited purchase power, sell the wood to pensioners with the option of paying in installments, so those who have no alternative buy firewood on credit.
The increase in heating prices has caused headaches for the people of Mostar and all the inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and when you add to that all the price increases that do not follow the growth of their incomes in the household budgets, it leads to fear for existence, Klix.ba reports.