My clients very often ask to buy housing with gas heating, which is cheaper than heating housing with air conditioning. I am now in Antalya, in the central office of our international real estate agency Expert Property. Therefore, I propose to consider the issue of heating on the example of Antalya – first in the city itself, and then in its suburbs.

Briefly about heating in Antalya

Antalya is at the top of real estate sales for foreigners, so the issue of heating is relevant for many. I note that I will talk about the city of Antalya, and not about the region of the same name. There, in addition to, in fact, the city of Antalya , also includes Alanya, Side, Belek, Kemer and other settlements in southern Turkey. We are now interested specifically in the city of Antalya – the “Southern capital” of Turkey.

This city is officially home to 1 million 350 thousand. residents excluding tourists – in the high tourist season, the population almost doubles. All central districts of the city are gasified and connected to heating. These are the districts of the city such as Muratpaşa-Center, Muratpaşa-Lara and Konyaalti. In other areas, the process of connecting to gas communications is still ongoing.

But the fact that there are communications in the designated areas does not mean that there is heating in every house. The fact is that Antalya is a southern and sultry city, there is no snow even in winter and the temperature rarely drops to zero degrees. Previously, it was believed that heating in the south is an excess, because it began to be systematically introduced only in houses built after 2013.

At the same time, gasification of houses can be both complete and partial. That is, communications are brought to the door of the apartment, or everything is ready already inside. Why is gas only supplied to the door in Turkey? Because many locals consider it superfluous for such a warm climate.

The temperature in December, for example, is usually in the range of 14-20 degrees. However, as soon as the sun disappears behind the clouds, it becomes quite cool in conditions of high humidity. This dampness is very much felt in enclosed spaces, where sunlight does not fall. Housing where there is no heating does not warm up well, and this dampness becomes chilly.

In other words, even if it’s about 15 degrees Celsius outside, even indoors youwill be very cold – especially at night. At high humidity, the temperature is felt a few degrees lower, and the air conditioner heats only locally and only while it is on. In addition, the electricity bill will be high.

Even 10 years ago, the city was not gasified at all. That is, gas heating is a new trend for Antalya and it is still a matter of discussion. I believe that autonomous heating should definitely be put in the apartment. Because although there is no real frosty winter, cold periods are quite long. And the cost of heating with air conditioning will be much higher than in the case of gas heating.

If you intend to live a full life in Turkey, and not just come on vacation, or rent it out, then full heating will be a very useful purchase for you.

Full gasification of housing: why is it not found everywhere?

In Antalya, there is no centralized heating, as in post-Soviet countries, where there are large boiler houses serving entire areas. Here the systems are usually autonomous, designed for only one apartment. This makes you completely independent in matters of saving and regulating the temperature inside the apartment.

In some central neighborhoods (Kyzyltoprak, for example) and in residential areas remote from the sea, such as Kepez, you can find 3 and even 4-room apartments at a price of 40-50 thousand euros. That is, the price is lower than the market average. Such apartments are almost guaranteed not to have gas heating. Most likely, the whole house, and maybe the neighborhood, is not connected to gas communications. Which affects the price.

Now the demand for apartments with autonomous heating is growing, because turnkey apartments are increasingly appearing on the market, where both batteries and speakers are already installed. You just need to arrange a meter for yourself in a gas company. Usually, speakers are installed in a special protective box in the kitchen or on the balcony, hidden from the sun and light.

In this case, you will no longer need to purchase additional equipment for 10 or 20 thousand lira. But this amount will still be included in the cost of housing. But everything will be ready for occupancy. This will become a competitive advantage and will slightly raise prices in the case of renting or selling apartments.

Partial gasification of the apartment: what is it?

Usually, communications are carried out both inside the house and inside the apartment – you can see them yourself when visiting the apartments in the form of a narrow black tube under the ceiling. But in the case of partial gasification, the new housing may not have batteries and a gas water heater – just a gas pipe with a valve that protrudes from the wall. The owner will have to purchase additional equipment and connect it to house communications.

Speakers are very different in power and, accordingly, in cost. It should be selected based on the heated area in your apartment. So, for a one-room apartment, a column worth up to 10 thousand lira will be enough, for a two-room apartment – up to 18-20 thousand lira , etc. Turkish-made speakers are usually cheaper, although German and other manufacturers are also available on the market.

Such mini-boilers are presented in great abundance. You just need to come to the store where they are sold, choose the equipment at your discretion, and the employees of the seller will install everything as soon as possible. Everything is simple and fast. The main point here is that a meter will be attached to the batteries, which you will register for yourself in the gas company.

The partial gasification option has its advantages. In particular, you can choose the equipment yourself, its capacity, control the installation, etc. There is no need to be afraid of this – in Turkey, the process of connecting to communications is simplified as much as possible. The whole process usually takes no more than a week. At the same time, payments are monitored very strictly – if you do not pay the bill within 20 days, then your apartment is simply disconnected from the gas, and the meter is canceled. Then, after paying off the debt, you will have to go through the entire registration process again – for a week you will sit without gas in the battery and in the gas stove.

To avoid the temptation to postpone payment for gas for later, as is often done in the CIS, Turkey has introduced a deposit system. That is, when registering the meter, you leave a deposit of 700 lira. If you violate the contract (do not pay on time, for example), then your debt is deducted from this deposit.

What is the situation in the surrounding province and other cities

In Belek, gas communications are not carried out and there is no heating. All settlements from Antalya to Alanya are also not gasified. Just like Kemer and Fethiye. In Alanya itself, too, there is no gas heating yet, but this issue is being actively discussed and in the coming years, most likely, they will begin to work on it more actively.

In some residential complexes, you can already find your own small gas systems, but in Alanya there are only two or three of them so far. They use tanks with liquefied gas, which is inefficient and very expensive. In new modern houses, underfloor heating is installed, and everyone else is saved from the cold and damp by air conditioners and heaters.

At the same time, local residents are rather skeptical about gas heating. They have lived here without it for centuries and do not want extra costs, which slightly restrains the pace of gasification, although not much. For most, it is enough to try to live with heating for the opinion to change.

Those residents of Side or Belek who want to heat their homes not with air conditioning, but in a cheaper way, install a traditional soba stove, which is heated with wood. A side effect of the mass use of such stoves in the suburbs is that in winter there is a strong smog, which is superimposed on high humidity.

For comparison, it is worth mentioning other regions. But among the leaders in the field of heating, as it is not difficult to guess, the city of Istanbul, which is located much north of Antalya. The city is fully gasified and all communications are not carried out to the door, as in Antalya, but on a turnkey basis.

Of the 18 years that I have been living in Turkey permanently, 8 are in Istanbul, so I can talk about this from personal experience. According to my observations, most residents of Istanbul turn on the heating only at night or on the coldest winter days . Most often, the heating in the apartment is turned off before leaving for work, and upon returning home, it is turned on again. Also, some rooms where no one sleeps are not heated at all. This is done in order to save money.

How Expert Property Can Help

If you buy a home from us, then we provide after-sales service for housing for several years after the transaction. We also monitor utility bills so that you are not suddenly disconnected from communications. We inform you if debts for the same gas begin to threaten your comfort . We can also advise you on the installation of heating equipment and the design of the meter in the gas company.

I also advise you to pay the first bill in person, in cash, in order to understand how it all works. But subsequent regular payments are simply tied to your bank account. Then everything will be written off on time, and you will receive timely notifications.

Dear friends, I sincerely hope that my blog is useful to you. With your questions and suggestions, you can always contact me – and I will definitely answer you!

Me and the entire Expert Property team wish you a good day!