AZE.US
Azerbaijan is moving to limit the use of individual gas heating systems in new residential buildings, a change that could reshape how apartments are designed and marketed in Baku’s construction sector.
Under new rules approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, individual apartment-level heating systems, commonly known as combi boilers, will be permitted only in buildings of up to five floors. In buildings above that height, gas supply for such systems will be restricted during the design stage.
The measure does not appear to target existing apartments where boilers are already installed. The main change concerns new construction projects and the heating infrastructure developers will be allowed to plan from the outset.
Officials and specialists say the restriction is driven by both safety and urban planning concerns. In high-rise buildings, dozens of boiler exhaust pipes running across facades can damage the appearance of residential blocks. More importantly, they can create safety risks in cases involving gas leaks, carbon monoxide or poor ventilation.
The new rules point developers toward other heating models, including centralized systems and local mini-boiler stations. Such systems are expected to play a larger role from 2025 onward as part of a broader shift toward safer and more coordinated heating infrastructure.
Alternative energy sources may also be allowed in certain cases. If a building is designed to use renewable energy, including solar panels, individual or separate heating solutions could still be considered depending on the project.
For apartment buyers, the change adds another practical question to the checklist. In new buildings, buyers will now have to look not only at location, price, floor plan, parking and legal documents, but also at the type of heating system the building will use.
For developers, the message is clear: the era when every apartment in a high-rise could simply rely on its own gas boiler is coming to an end. In new Baku high-rises, heating will increasingly become a building-wide engineering issue, not just a private choice inside each apartment.
AZE.US