Dorin Junghietu
This was announced by Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu at a hearing in Parliament.
He noted that the historical daily maximum of gas consumption was set on January 15 – about 1.6 million cubic meters.
January this year turned out to be the third coldest in the last 16 years, with an average temperature of -5°C against -0.6°C in December. This had a direct impact on gas and heating bills. In addition, half of the heat is wasted due to the problem of old windows and uninsulated walls, “inherited from the Soviet Union, when there were no adequate building standards,” the minister said.
Dorin Junghietu admitted that he himself paid 700-800 lei more for electricity in January. However, he did not specify whether the “Soviet system” was to blame.
Grads love the bill
The Energy Minister said that the structure of gas consumption in the country has noticeably changed. The number of households consuming less than 50 cubic meters per month has decreased by 34 thousand – from 518 thousand in January last year to 484 thousand in January 2026. At the same time, the number of those who consume more than 200 cubic meters almost doubled, reaching 147 thousand families.
“An apartment of 60 square meters at a temperature of +5 degrees, for example, will consume about 100 cubic meters of gas to ensure a relatively comfortable temperature. And when it’s -5 outside, consumption increases significantly to maintain the same temperature. Each additional degree of cold increases energy consumption by about 5% to heat the room,” the minister explained.
“Heavy Soviet legacy”
He also reminded that bills are rising due to losses: audits conducted during 2025 showed that 50% of thermal energy is lost through windows and uninsulated walls.
“We have energy efficiency projects to address this problem, which has been inherited since the Soviet Union, when there were no adequate construction norms for the erection of buildings,” the minister said.
Also today, the parliament rejected the draft law of “Our Party” on the annulment of the 8-percent VAT on gas for households. According to calculations, at the current tariff of 13.35 lei per cubic meter, the savings would amount to 1.07 lei per cubic meter. The authors argue that other energy resources, such as electricity, are not subject to VAT. The project was rejected by PAS votes.
