Ukraine is actively preparing for the 2026–2027 heating season. In several cities, heat is already being supplied to social institutions, while individual communities have set tentative dates for connecting residential buildings. There is no single nationwide schedule: decisions are made by local authorities taking into account weather conditions, the state of heating networks, and the readiness of boiler houses. The XAB.info editorial team has gathered confirmed data on when and how heating is being turned on in Kyiv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kropyvnytskyi.
No Single Schedule: What Determines the Launch
The main temperature benchmark for starting heat supply to residential buildings is an average daily air temperature of +8 degrees Celsius or lower for three consecutive days. At the same time, hospitals, kindergartens, schools, and other social institutions can be connected to heat earlier based on separate applications from facility heads. This is why launch dates vary across cities: in some places, social facilities have been heated since mid-October, while preparation for the residential sector finishes only by the end of the month.
Kyiv: Season Started October 16, Some Districts Left Without Heat Due to Shelling
In the capital, the heating season officially kicked off on October 16. At the first stage, heat began to be supplied to social sector institutions—hospitals, schools, and kindergartens; connection is carried out upon managers' requests. Residential buildings are being connected gradually: according to city authorities, the full system launch for the entire city can take from seven to ten days. At the same time, parts of the Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi districts temporarily remained without heating due to damage to an energy facility resulting from Russian shelling; repair works were ongoing in these areas.
Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Dnipro: Social Institutions First
In Vinnytsia, heat has been supplied to educational institutions, healthcare facilities, social protection, and culture since October 8, following a decision by the executive committee of the city council. According to KP Vinnytsiamiskteploenergo, the enterprise provides heat to 109 social sector facilities, and the heat carrier is supplied upon written requests from managers; the final date for residential buildings was not mentioned in reports. In Zhytomyr, the heating season began for social institutions on October 26, while heat in hospitals was turned on earlier due to weather conditions. Director of KP Zhytomyrteplokomenergo Dmytro Rozhozhyn reported at a city council meeting that launching heating in residential buildings is planned to start on November 1. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to regional authorities, the region was about 90% technically ready: about a thousand boiler houses were prepared, about 1.5 thousand kilometers of heating networks were updated, and 25 boilers were repaired and installed; over the past eight months, the region received over 120 MW of alternative generation to operate during potential power outages. In Dnipro itself, the launch of heat supply facilities was scheduled for November 1—starting with social institutions, with residential building connections tied to weather conditions.
Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kropyvnytskyi: Readiness and Tentative Dates
In Zaporizhzhia, the exact start date for heating in residential buildings has not been announced in verified reports—the decision depends on weather conditions and the state of thermal infrastructure. According to city authorities, preparations in main areas have been completed: by the end of October, over 4,400 residential buildings, over 50 boiler houses, and over 500 km of heating networks were ready. The stability of heat supply, according to authorities, will depend on the security situation, fuel availability, and potential infrastructure damage; last season, heating in the city began on November 5, but this does not mean the date will coincide this year. In Ivano-Frankivsk, heat is already being supplied to hospitals and the maternity hospital, and kindergartens are being connected gradually; Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv reported that the launch in residential buildings is planned for November 1–2, tentatively taking into account system readiness and weather. In Kropyvnytskyi, utility services are filling heating networks with water, and the economy, according to the city council, is prepared for the start of the season; heat in homes is expected at the end of October or beginning of November.
Season Risks: Power Outages, Security, and Recovery
A common feature of this year's preparation is the emphasis on resilience to power outages: utility and energy facilities are being equipped with generators and cogeneration units, and the share of alternative generation is increasing in a number of regions. At the same time, as data from Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia show, the actual date of heat supply to residential buildings increasingly depends not only on the weather, but also on the state of energy infrastructure after shelling. Local authorities emphasize that tentative dates may shift depending on the pace of restoration work and the actual readiness of heating networks.
