A heating meter is a special device that allows you to record the actual consumption of thermal energy. Theoretically, such a device will reduce the amount of utility bills. Let's try to find out how true this is.
In our country, the problem of rising utility bills has appeared relatively recently. Even 30 years ago, the receipts for water, heat and electricity were ridiculously low amounts, and it never occurred to anyone to deal with accurate accounting. Everyone was satisfied with a single tariff rate, which depended on the footage of the living space and the number of residents. At present, when energy carriers are becoming more expensive every year, utility bills have become a significant part of the family budget. Therefore, heating meters seem to be a very reasonable way to save money. It should be noted that such devices have long been used in European countries, where initially there was no cheap oil or gas, therefore, special attention was paid to the problem of accurate accounting of consumed heat.
Heating meter: issue price
How much does it cost to installsuch a device? There is no single answer, since the total amount is made up of several components. Firstly, the heating meter itself costs about 10-15 thousand rubles. Agree, this is quite a lot. Secondly, one meter may not be enough - one device is installed only in apartments with horizontal wiring. If the house has vertical risers, then the device will have to be installed on each, and the price will skyrocket. However, these are not the only costs: you will have to pay about 200-250 rubles for an installation permit, then order a project, which will cost another 3 thousand rubles, pay for installation (500-1000 rubles) and, finally, check the heating meter. The latter service is by no means free, and it will have to be carried out every four years. After all the indicated stages have been successfully overcome, it is necessary to sign an agreement that you will pay for heat by the meter.
Result
The most important question remains: what will be the economic effect? Theoretically, a heating meter allows you to reduce utility bills by about half, and therefore, despite the high price of the device itself and additional costs, it pays off in about a year. But that's in theory. Sometimes payers find themselves in an ambiguous situation: having installed a meter, they cannot conclude an agreement, sometimes for quite objective reasons, and sometimes for far-fetched reasons. And then you have to either accept and pay as before, or go to court.
But here's what's interesting. Some HOAs establish a common househeating meter and are calculated with GorEnergo solely according to the readings of the device. But residents are provided with completely different amounts for payment, calculated according to the tariff. So it is obvious that the meters allow you to save, but in order for the money saved to remain in your family budget, and not settle on the side, you will have to do a lot of work: review your agreement with the HOA, organize a general meeting of tenants and achieve a revision of the amount of utility bills.
