Utilities in Bulgaria - how to get your Bulgarian property connected
Most Bulgarian property offered for sale is already connected to electricity and water supplies. Only if you are buying older property in Bulgaria´s rural areas are you likely to have to arrange for connection. Gas, however, is a relatively new option, and is currently available only to Bulgarian homes in urban centres - principally in Sofia and Varna.
Electricity supply to Bulgarian property
Nearly all Bulgarian property is heated by electricity. If you are buying a brand new Bulgarian home, the developer will usually have arranged connection to the electricity supply, but if you are purchasing an older property in Bulgaria, you will need to visit the local supply company with the previous owner in order to transfer the account into your name.
Some older Bulgarian property in the countryside may not be connected to an electrical supply. This can be arranged via the nearest municipal offices but many owners of property in Bulgaria´s rural interior find it is considerably cheaper to heat their homes with wood burning stoves.
All electricity supplied to Bulgarian property is metered (there is no standing charge) and the monthly bill is payable at the post office, by direct debit, online or at the supply company´s offices. Day and night tariffs operate. A typical winter bill for a three-bedroomed Bulgarian home using electricity for heating, cooking and lighting would be about 20 GBP in summer and 45 GBP during the winter.
Voltage is 220 volts AC, 50hz. Plugs are round, two-pin types, and lightbulbs have screw fittings.
Gas supply to Bulgarian property
A Bulgarian property with a gas connection is quite a novelty. Supply is slowly being rolled out across the country but is currently available only to a small proportion of property in Bulgaria´s larger towns and cities including Sofia, Rousse, Varna and Veliko Tarnovo The supplier, Overgas, has over 20 regional offices and you should contact the local one to find out if a connection to your Bulgarian home is yet possible.
Assuming it is, you should expect to pay a connection fee of about 120 GBP. All supply to Bulgarian property is metered and charged monthly. The cost of gas is typically 40% cheaper than electricity.
Water supply to Bulgarian property
Apart from some villas in rural areas, all Bulgarian property is connected to a mains water supply. If it has not already been organised on your behalf by the developer of your new property in Bulgaria, or by your estate agent, you can set up an account at the local municipal offices. There is no standing charge, and consumption is metered and billed on a monthly basis.
Some Bulgarian property in the countryside is supplied with water from a well or spring. This supply may be on land neighbouring your new Bulgarian home and your lawyer should resolve any ownership issues before you complete the purchase of such a property. In Bulgaria´s more isolated areas, connectin to the mains supply can be expensive.
