The rules for organizing and regulating public water supply in recent years have undergone a number of changes. One of the innovations was the mandatory implementation of meters in all regions of Russia. Although recommendations for the installation of calculating instruments have been operating for several years, to this day not all owners of residential objects have acquired them. In addition, questions remain about how beneficial the water meter is, whether or not to install this device. In some cases, its economic feasibility is called into question, and not everyone is familiar with the procedure for its registration.
What does the law say?
The development of a draft law affecting the need to install meters was completed back in 2013. At that time, the percentage of owners who provided communications with a settlement device did not exceed 60%. For this reason, no sanctions were imposed on other users of the resource. Since 2014, a project was launched, according to which the mandatory installation of water meters (law 261) was carried out with the support of utilities. Payment rates for those who did not have metering devices were regulated in accordance with the norms established by local authorities. By 2015, the availability of the meter did not just become mandatory - in case of its absence, interest allowances were allowed as a fine.
Sanctions against the "draft evaders"
Since the current year, the amount of utility bills for citizens who have not shown consciousness regarding the installation of the meter has increased by 10%. This increase relates to consumer standards for each quarter. It is noteworthy that the lack of a meter negatively affects not only the water metering system, but also on bona fide citizens. This is due to the support of the law by many private consumers. The fact is that if the calculation is carried out according to the old model, then payment is made, roughly speaking, at average tariffs and does not depend on actual consumption. That is, it is necessary to put water meters in order to optimize the distribution of costs between residents: everyone pays as much as he consumes.
Who should install the counter?
Equipping communication infrastructure with individual meters for hot and cold water applies to all owners of residential properties in Russia. The only discrepancy in the forms of carrying out this operation relates to the category of population represented by tenants of state-owned real estate. If the tenant has a social contract on hand, then municipal utilities should be involved in the implementation of the apparatus, using funds from the budget. In other cases, the installation of water meters is mandatory for property owners. It is important to note that in the first period of the law, assistance programs were provided for in the technical and financial part of the water supply renewal. Today, each owner takes all the costs for himself.
How much will the meter and its installation cost?
Specific figures vary by region and city. In large megacities, which include Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Samara, etc., water consumption metering devices cost 3-6 thousand rubles. Oddly enough, in the provinces and small towns, the cost rises to 8 thousand. Given that it is in these areas that people with the lowest income live, the regional authorities provide for the installment plan for which a water meter is purchased. Whether pensioners and other beneficiaries are obliged to take expenses in this part for themselves is another controversial issue. In some regions, the installation for the owners of this group is paid from the budget, in others, coverage is carried out from the interest collected in the form of fines.
Unfortunately, as measures to combat “deviators” are tightened, rates for plumbing services also increase - high demand, accordingly, creates the conditions for tariff growth in this part. Nevertheless, the question of whether water meters are mandatory is not even a matter of rising equipment prices and unfavorable installation conditions from local utilities.
Installation of meters by housing organizations
Abuses of local utilities are not uncommon in Russia. Almost every innovation in the rules of management and operation of the housing stock is accompanied by a mass of rumors and the appearance of false information. In this case, there are examples when housing associations, partnerships and management companies inform owners that it is necessary to buy water meters, it is imperative to install and register them strictly before a certain date. This is partly a fair recommendation, but organizations do not have the right to impose their services, offering to conclude an agreement with them on the purchase of meters of a particular manufacturer. Moreover, installation through independent companies is cheaper.
How to set the counter?
You can buy a meter yourself or on the basis of an agreement with a specialized company. The second option is more convenient, since the list of services specified in the contract can also include an analysis of the characteristics of the water supply system and installation directly. A modern installation of water meters necessarily includes a whole range of additional components with consumables - you should also prepare for these expenses, otherwise the quality of the installed apparatus will suffer and will not be accepted.
Again, to save money, it is advisable to avoid cooperation with the management company and utilities, since their services are often more expensive and the quality is lower. A third-party organization will perform the same list of works, give a guarantee and make the necessary adjustment of the device. At this stage, when examining house-building engineering, another question may arise: "Are water meters mandatory if there is no common house meter ?" In accordance with the rules, this flaw is not the reason why the counter cannot be installed.
In terms of formal nuances, it is important to note that the management company should still receive an appropriate statement about the installation of the meter. By the way, utilities, partnerships and governing bodies are aware that it is necessary to put water meters in the house, therefore, most likely, there will be no additional obstacles at this stage. Technical documents are issued to the owner, according to which specialists will select the model of the device and connect it. It is also necessary to agree in advance the time for disconnecting and connecting the engineering system at the time of installation.
Counter Registration
All efforts to update the water metering system may be in vain if the water meter is not properly designed. The device must be registered, as the result of its work does not matter if the representative of the house managing company has not issued the relevant documents. The device must be registered within a month from the date of installation. The inspector must record the results of the reception of the counter in a special act. This document is made in triplicate - for the representative of the inspection organization, for the owner of the house and the company that carried out the installation. The acceptance certificate is the basis for the transition to a new procedure for calculating payment for water.
Feasibility of installing a counter
New requirements for the operation of utility systems, and in particular, changes in approaches to the calculation of tariffs, rarely have positive feedback from users. The innovation regarding metering devices was also taken - many to this day do not know whether to install a water meter. Mandatory or not? Unfortunately, citizens have no alternative - sooner or later it will have to be installed. However, its presence will not lead to an increase in water costs. For the authorities, the introduction of this device will optimize the system of calculating the resource consumption, but for the average person this is a very real saving.
According to various research companies, the meter, depending on operating conditions, can provide cost savings of up to 48%. Just for this reason, many water utilities are in no hurry to install meters, since their use will mean a reduction in income. But even despite these shortcomings, the question of whether the installation of water meters is required is not worth it. Federal and local authorities are still interested in the most accurate accounting of water consumption.
When is the counter setting unjustified?
In the usual schemes of calculation and technical organization of water consumption, the operation of meters provides savings. But there are cases when the effectiveness of metering devices is called into question. One of the problems is related to the difference in the actual expense and the nominal one, from which the amount of payment according to the standard is made up. So, according to the old scheme, in an apartment where one person lives, the payment provides for the amount charged to one consumer. If, in fact, 3 people live in the house, then the fee will still be calculated for one.
The meter changes the system, making it necessary to pay for the actual water consumption, that is, the number of people living does not matter - the entire volume will be recorded by the water meter. Is it necessary or not to install the device in this case? Yes, since the actual accounting of the resource is important. Another thing is that problems can arise in communal apartments, where it is impossible to calculate who and how much water has been spent, and the meter will be presented in one figure.
Problems of the old housing stock
There are other problems associated with the operation of dilapidated communication systems. In the houses of the old housing stock, as a rule, pipelines have an unsatisfactory technical condition. Fundamentally, this aspect does not change anything, but the cost of the installation of a metering device increases markedly. And again, many doubt whether it is necessary to install water meters in old buildings, if the pipes themselves and the main infrastructure are in poor condition. There is only one way out - to replace the water supply. Unfortunately, this will have to be done on their own and for their own money. This, of course, is the main minus of installing the meter, but the owner will be sure that the new system will not cause problems at the most unexpected moment. Updating communications is never superfluous, but reduces the risk of accidents.
Conclusion
An interesting fact, but even before the adoption of the law, which obliges water consumers to install meters, the number of adherents of the new accounting system was impressive. Many have already appreciated its benefits, although there are still doubts about the economic benefits that water meters provide. It is imperative that before installation you need to calculate the technical capabilities of the existing water supply, so as not to be disappointed in the transition to the actual calculation of water consumption. As the practice of operating gas and electric meters shows, this approach justifies itself. Of course, there are cases showing low efficiency or the impossibility of such an accounting at all, but the previous system is by no means ideal.