The key facts

  • Disconnection from central heating in apartment buildings is prohibited by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 194 of July 5, 2014
  • The ministry proposes raising heating and hot water tariffs by an average of 30% from November 1, 2026
  • From 2028, tariffs are proposed to be indexed annually for inflation, but by no more than 10%

Ban on disconnecting from central heating

Residents of apartment buildings connected to centralized heat supply cannot disconnect from the common heating system on their own and switch to individual boilers. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Uzbekistan Ozoda Zhurayeva. She explained the ban by the need to maintain reliable operation of the heating system of the entire building.

Context of the question

The question was raised on October 14 at a press conference. Kun.uz journalist Sevara Jabborova asked whether consumers could opt out of centralized heat supply against the backdrop of a proposed tariff increase. According to her calculation, for an apartment in Tashkent with a total area of 80 sq. m (heated area — 60 sq. m), after the increase the monthly heating payment could be about 600 thousand soums, and with hot water included — almost 700 thousand soums. She noted that this is noticeably higher than the expenses of households with individual dual-circuit boilers. 'Disconnection of apartment buildings provided with centralized heat supply from the central heating system is prohibited,' Zhurayeva replied.

Legal basis and the ministry's arguments

The deputy minister cited Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 194 of July 5, 2014, which approved the rules for providing utility services. According to the document, consumers are prohibited from disconnecting the heating of individual premises from the building-wide system, dismantling heating equipment, arbitrarily altering the in-building heat supply system, and installing additional equipment in violation of established requirements. Zhurayeva explained that interference with the common system can degrade the quality of heat supply to other apartments. According to her, inspections reveal illegal tie-ins, reworking of pipes for underfloor heating, and dismantling of pipes with outlets to balconies — this affects neighbors and disrupts the system's operation.

Restrictions on connecting new buildings to gas

Zhurayeva also recalled the restrictions on connecting new apartment buildings to natural gas: the government is gradually moving to the use of electricity, centralized or local heat supply instead of individual boilers. Earlier, in October 2025, former Minister of Energy Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov reported that the issuance of technical conditions for connecting new residential facilities to gas networks has been suspended — gas is planned to be used only for heating and cooking.

Proposed tariff increase

The Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services proposed raising heating and hot water tariffs for the population by an average of 30% from November 1, 2026. For users of Veolia Energy Tashkent in Tashkent, the following is proposed (VAT included): heating — 314 soums per day per 1 sq. m of heated area instead of 241.44 soums; hot water by meter — 11,607 soums per cubic meter instead of 8,928.67 soums; without a meter — 45,330 soums per month per person (excluding the increasing coefficient). At these tariffs, 30 days of heating for an apartment with a heated area of 60 sq. m would cost approximately 565 thousand soums, compared with about 435 thousand soums under current tariffs. A tariff revision is envisaged in all regions of the country. It is also proposed, from 2028, to index tariffs annually for inflation, but by no more than 10%; previously, the task was set of gradually bringing tariffs for the population closer to the cost of services by 2030.