A significant part of the family budget can be spent on electricity bills. To save at least a little money, many enterprising homeowners listen to the advice of management companies and decide to install a three-tariff meter in their home.
Such a device, unlike a conventional electricity meter, registers energy consumption differentially, that is, at different time intervals. Why can this be economically advantageous, and how can one reduce the costs of utility bills? We’ll try to figure it out.
Who needs this?
Obviously, power consumption is uneven. In order to somehow reduce the costs associated with maintaining the equipment and push users to create an even load throughout the day, experts suggested residents install a three-tariff electricity meter.
The thing is that at night, when most of the residents of cities and towns sleep, the load on the service substation is minimal. In the morning, around 7 a.m., when people begin to wake up, the so-called morning peak sets in. It lasts until 10-11 hours of the day. Then, energy consumption is reduced to an average value and remains almost unchanged until the evening peak - the moment when people begin to come from work. The evening peak lasts from 17-18 to 23 hours.
The wave-like nature of electricity consumption is reflected in the operation of the electrical substation: in the morning and in the evening it operates at full capacity, in the afternoon - at the optimal level, and at night it is practically inactive. As a result of an unevenly distributed load, the wear of the mechanisms accelerates, and therefore, operating costs increase.
Differentiated accounting
To minimize operating costs, it was proposed to use a three-tariff meter. The essence of its use is that energy consumption is recorded differentially, that is, the amount of resources consumed day, night, in the morning and evening peaks is separately recorded.
The cost of "day", "night" and "peak" kW of energy is different. The daily rate usually corresponds to the cost of one kW of electricity in conventional metering. The cost of the nighttime is 50-70% lower, but during the morning and evening highs, the price of electricity is usually the highest and can even be 70% higher than the daytime.
You, by reducing consumption in the morning and evening, but increasing the load on the power grid at night, can save a lot. This is the main advantage of using a three-tariff meter, which will record not only the amount of energy used, but also the time of consumption.
When is a multi-tariff meter beneficial?
Calculation using a three-tariff electricity meter will be beneficial only if the inequality is satisfied:
Here P
n , P
d , P
p - respectively, the consumption at night, day and during peak load (morning and evening), P
to - the total energy consumption per day, C
n , C
d and C
p - the cost of electricity at the appropriate time of day, C
o - the price of one kW of electricity in a single tariff calculation.
To obtain significant savings, you will have to change your daily routine. For example, run a washing machine and dishwasher at night, and in the morning and evening, if possible, refuse to turn on some household appliances.
We must not forget that the three-tariff counter must still pay off. Calculating the payback period (excluding inflation) is easy. To do this, you must divide the cost of the device by the amount that it allows you to save per month. According to average estimates, this period is up to 12-16 months.
Pros and cons
We can talk about the advantages and disadvantages of multi-tariff electricity metering only if we compare it with a two- and single-tariff calculation system. In the first case, it is possible to achieve significant savings in money and reduce the payback period. In the second, the difference may not be so noticeable due to the fact that the three-tariff meter costs 3-4 times more expensive than usual.
It is important to remember that the cost of one kW of electricity in different regions is different. So, in the city the difference between the “day” and “night” prices can be 50-70%, but outside the city limits, in summer cottages or in the countryside, this indicator is at the level of 5-10%.
Multi-tariff meter service
Speaking of costs, one can not touch on the topic of maintenance of devices. All three-tariff meters are complex electronic devices that, before commissioning, are not only connected to the power system, but also programmed - for each dial, the time range is entered during which it must record readings.
Obviously, only employees of a specialized company, for example, Mosenergo, can perform such procedures. A three-tariff meter, like a standard recording device, needs to be checked every 16 years.
The design of these devices has lithium batteries, which save the set settings in the event of a power outage. Their performance is hardly enough for the time interval between checks. Therefore, be prepared that in the middle of the term you will have to call specialists to replace the batteries.
Ways to increase savings
The main way to increase savings with a multi-tariff calculation system is to change your daily routine. If possible, try to wash, charge cell phones, turn on air conditioners and use other household appliances exclusively at night.
Converting your home is another way to save money if you intend to install a three-tariff meter. Tariffs for electricity consumption in apartments in which an electric stove is installed are 50-60% lower than in houses with gas burners. At the same time, you can save not only on electricity, but also on gas.
Remember that on a three-tariff meter, the time of tariffs is set by the legislature separately in each region for one year in advance, and it differs from the time intervals established for two-tariff instruments. Remember to take this into account when calculating money savings.