The Government freezes thermal energy prices until March 31…

The Government of the Republic of Croatia has decided that the final price of delivered thermal energy for households shall remain unchanged from October 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027. The decision on subsidizing part of the final price of delivered thermal energy was published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) no. 128 of November 6, 2026, under official document designation 1520, and was signed by the Prime Minister mr. sc. Andrej Plenković.

Legal Basis and Validity Period

The decision was made at the Government session held on November 5, 2026, based on Article 1 and Article 31 paragraph 2 of the Act on the Government of the Republic of Croatia and Article 8 paragraph 2 of the Regulation on Measures for the Stability of the Domestic Energy Market (Official Gazette no. 101/26). It determines the amount of the subsidy, the method of calculation and reporting of the subsidy on bills, the method of submitting and verifying reimbursement requests, and the method of reimbursement payment.

The measure is time-limited to the six-month heating period, from October 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, and enters into force on the first day following the date of publication, i.e., November 7, 2026. It was signed by the Prime Minister under the designations Class: 022-03/26-04/472 and Registry Number: 50301-05/14-26-4.

Price Remains Unchanged, Difference Borne by Subsidy

The final price of delivered thermal energy, which includes fees and value added tax, remains unchanged compared to the prices valid on September 30, 2026. This means that households will not feel price increases resulting from new energy source prices during the heating period.

In central heating systems, the difference between the final price valid on October 1, 2026, and the final price valid on September 30, 2026, is subsidized.
In closed and independent heating systems, the positive difference in the cost of energy source procurement between the period of October 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027, and the period of October 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026, calculated based on the quantity of thermal energy delivered in the previous season, is subsidized.

Final customers who use thermal energy predominantly for business purposes are excluded from the subsidy.

Unit Amounts per Energy Entity

The amounts are determined in the annexes of the Decision as unit subsidies in euros per kilowatt-hour, excluding value added tax. For central systems, for example:

ENERGO d.o.o., East system: 0.0224 EUR/kWh for tariff models TM1 and TM2
ENERGO d.o.o., West system: 0.0254 EUR/kWh (TM1) and 0.0228 EUR/kWh (TM2)
GRADSKA TOPLANA KARLOVAC d.o.o.: 0.0472 EUR/kWh (TM1) and 0.0595 EUR/kWh (TM2)
Brod-plin d.o.o., Slavonija system: 0.0078 EUR/kWh (TM1) and 0.0102 EUR/kWh (TM2)

In closed systems, the amounts are significantly lower and range from 0.0024 EUR/kWh, for example for the business park »P+7«, Virovitica d.o.o., to 0.0831 EUR/kWh for the residential building Vijenac I. Marinkovića 13 within STAMBENO KOMUNALNO GOSPODARSTVO d.o.o. In independent systems, the subsidy for households amounts to, for example, 0.0047 EUR/kWh for GTG VINKOVCI d.o.o. (D-1) and 0.0043 EUR/kWh for the customer ENERGO d.o.o. (PO-18).

Invoices, reimbursement requests, and payment

Energy entities and thermal energy customers are obliged to issue invoices on a monthly basis, stating the unit subsidy and reducing the invoice amount by the product of the unit subsidy, increased by value added tax, and the delivered thermal energy in kWh.

After the end of the billing month, the reimbursement request is submitted to the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (HERA) via email to hera@hera.hr or by delivering a portable medium to the address Ulica grada Vukovara 14 in Zagreb. The Agency makes the decision on the reimbursement amount within 30 days of receiving a proper request, and the decision is executed by the Ministry of Economy. An appeal is not permitted, but an administrative dispute may be initiated.

What this means for households

For consumers in thermal systems, the decision means that heating bills throughout the entire season will remain at the price levels from the end of September 2026, regardless of the movement of energy source prices. The state assumes the cost of the difference through a reimbursement system implemented by HERA and paid by the Ministry of Economy, while energy entities are obliged to clearly state the subsidy on every invoice.

Source: Official Gazette (Narodne novine) of the Republic of Croatia, no. 128 of November 6, 2026, document 1520 – Decision on subsidizing part of the final price of delivered thermal energy for all final customers except for final customers who use thermal energy predominantly for business purposes; Class: 022-03/26-04/472, Registry Number: 50301-05/14-26-4, Zagreb, November 5, 2026, signed by the Prime Minister mr. sc. Andrej Plenković.