How housing and communal services enterprises of the Vitebsk region are preparing for the heating season

The housing and communal services enterprises of the region are striving to do everything possible to ensure warmth and comfort in homes and institutions during the heating period.

“Back in May, we set tasks for preparing enterprises for the upcoming heating period, taking into account last year’s shortcomings,” said Dmitry Gerasimov, First Deputy Head of the Main Department of Housing and Communal Services of the Regional Executive Committee.

Tests of equipment and heating networks have been carried out at heat supply facilities, preventive maintenance of boiler and central heating plant equipment has been performed, all boilers and water heaters have been cleaned, steel boilers have undergone major repairs, and most uneconomical boilers have been replaced.

To ensure the reliability of heat supply and reduce heat loss, scheduled replacement of heating networks is carried out annually, with a predominant use of pre-insulated pipes. Currently, over 42 km of heating networks have been updated against an annual target of 65 km.

As Dmitry Ivanovich noted, the priority direction for the development of heat supply in the region remains the increase in the share of local fuel and energy resources – peat, firewood, wood chips, wood waste, which requires comprehensive reconstruction of boiler houses using boiler units with mechanized fuel feeding and ash removal, and automation of the combustion process. One such unit is installed in the Babinichi boiler house of OrshaTeploSeti Unitary Enterprise, and two are installed at the central boiler houses in Braslav, Verkhnedvinsk, and Shumilino.

The operation of three boiler houses (“Yanki” and “Glinnoye” of Dokshitsy-Kommunalnik Unitary Enterprise of Housing and Communal Services, “Smoliany SSh” of OrshaTeploSeti Unitary Enterprise) has been adjusted and optimised, where there was an increased consumption of fuel and electricity for heat generation.

The housing stock is also being prepared for the upcoming autumn-winter period, with 90% of heating points, 55% of wall panel joints, and 63% of roofs repaired.

The branches of Vitebskoblvodokanal Unitary Enterprise are also preparing for the upcoming autumn-winter period, having carried out preventive maintenance of all water supply facilities, repaired all artesian wells, water dispensing columns, fire hydrants and pumps, as well as relaid over 50 km of dilapidated water supply networks (68%) and 4.5 km of sewage networks and collectors (77.6%).

The utility companies of the region have 73 autonomous mobile power supply units on their balance sheets. Additionally, two mobile boiler houses have been prepared in Glubokoye and Orsha to address emergency situations at heat supply sources and on heating networks.

The dispatch services at the region's utility enterprises are fully staffed.