The problem of centralized heating is that no matter how the tenants try to insulate their apartment, they cannot pay for the actually consumed amount of heat until they put the common house meters for heating in apartment buildings. With the help of various energy-saving resources, it is possible to increase the temperature in the apartment, but this will not help reduce the amount of heat supply. The role of common house heating meters, their varieties and other things will be described below.
House meter: benefits
This mechanism is used to fix the heat entering directly into the apartment building. What are its advantages?
- The main advantage of a common house meter is financial gain - the cost of such a device is quite high for the owner of one apartment, but when installing the device collectively, the price is divided into all tenants, which is undoubtedly profitable.
- Common house metering equipment significantly increases the responsibility of everyone living to keep heat in the building, which helps reduce damage to common property, such as an unlocked access door or a split window.
disadvantages
As elsewhere, meters have their own disadvantages:
- The main disadvantage of the common house meter is the high cost of equipment and installation, which will have to be paid by the apartment owners.
- During use, the meter may fail, and therefore it is necessary to carry out repair work, the cost of which is also paid by the owners.
- If a multi-unit heat meter is installed in the apartment building, then the owner of the apartment will not be able to save on payment by reducing heat consumption. Payment of the used heat energy is carried out depending on the area of the heated room.
Significance of metering heat energy
From the above, it is already clear that any actions aimed at reducing the cost of heating should begin precisely with taking into account energy costs. The norms, according to which heat supply was paid until recently, were the same for everyone and have been in force since the days of the USSR. Their principle is elementary - the supplier company approved the tariff rate per 1 sq. Km. m taking into account all the costs and profits of the enterprise. Calculation of heating by a common-house meter in an apartment building is necessary in order to receive information about real heat consumption and to make payment in accordance with the provided data. Possessing a common house unit, it is possible to begin the modernization of the house, since the improvement of thermal data will certainly affect the consumption of heat, which will be taken into account by the installations. In addition, the introduction of the node will make it possible to remove heating networks, which previously also had to be paid for, since this was included in the tariff.
Important! Installed common house heating meters for apartment buildings give residents the opportunity to save from 25 to 40%.
The need for installation of a heat meter
The fact is that since the summer of 2012 throughout the Russian Federation, the installation of heating meters has become mandatory, however, the amount of payment will become lower only after a series of measures, such as:
- High-quality insulation of the building.
- Full glazing at home.
- Replacing wooden windows with metal-plastic ones.
- Insulation of the facade of the house with a "fur coat" made of mineral wool or polystyrene.
Residents who use the district heating services need to understand that regardless of whether they consider the installation of meters to be profitable or not, this does not affect the need for their installation, since in accordance with federal law No. 261, apartment buildings must be equipped with meters without fail. This law was adopted for several reasons:
- Ensure a more accurate and fair distribution of payment amounts.
- Stimulate the owners of apartments more economically relate to heat supply. Financial leverage is more effective than persuasion. When a person knows that an open front door or glass broken in the entrance will affect the family budget, he will be more careful about the common property of the residents.
Now worries about the condition of the house and the entrances fell on the shoulders of the owners of the apartments, and not on utility services, as before.
Who sets the counter
This question can be answered only after studying the legislative acts in force in a particular state. If we talk about the territory of Russia, then the installation of metering devices is strictly mandatory, and many have a legitimate question about who should put a common house meter for heating. The task is to be performed by the organization that supplies heat to residential buildings, as well as their obligations to maintain and verify heat meters until the residents organize their own association of co-owners.
Important! The organization takes on the bulk of the cost of the equipment and its installation, but in the future these costs will be compensated by collecting additional funds from residents for several years.
Installation of a common house meter for heating
You can get information about the possibility of installing metering devices in your management company or in the design office. But you need to take into account the fact that the installation of such equipment is associated with the decision of organizational issues - the owners of some apartments may refuse additional costs.
Sometimes common house heating meters are installed for general control over the consumption of heat in the presence of their own meters in each apartment. In this case, residents pay on the counters both in the apartment and in common areas (for example, in the entrance).
Installation procedure
First of all, it is required to hold a meeting of residents, where a responsible person is selected who needs to:
- Obtain permission from the heat supply organization.
- Conclude an agreement with a licensed company for design work.
- Based on the project, determine the cost of equipment and its installation.
- Raise funds.
- Coordinate the project with a heat supply company.
- Purchase devices and select a contractor for its installation.
- Hand over the device to work.
Metering device
Regardless of the type of flowmeter nodes, their operating principle is similar and is as follows: an electronic calculator collects information from two sources - a flowmeter, which is built into the supply pipe, and from temperature sensors. Based on the data received, the calculator calculates the heat consumed, after which the readings of the common house heating meter are displayed on the screen. In the presence of more complex nodes, two sources and a pressure sensor are used.
The main types of counters are distinguished, there are three of them:
- Turbine (tachometric). They determine the amount of flowing coolant using the mechanical impeller contained within the flow.
- Ultrasonic Measurements of heat consumption occur based on the speed of passage of the water flow by ultrasound.
- Electromagnetic The consumption of heat energy is determined by changes in the magnetic field, which is formed near the measuring section.
Turbine metering devices are the most economical, but at the same time give the greatest inaccuracy. In addition, they require periodic filter cleaning and frequent maintenance. This type of flow meter is very sensitive to the presence of suspended solids in the coolant, it creates hydraulic resistance to flow, and therefore it is used extremely rarely as common house heat meters.
Ultrasonic meters are more expensive, but more reliable in operation and more accurately determine the flow. The device does not require frequent maintenance, does not create resistance, but it needs a certain space (a straight section of a fixed length in front of and after itself). If not quite pure water flows in the pipeline, the measurement error increases.
Electromagnetic meters also respond to the quality of the supplied water, but very slightly, do not require direct measuring sections. Such metering devices are mainly used in apartment buildings as collective ones.
Connection and verification of metering device
In order to understand whether the installation of a heat meter is beneficial, you need to know the exact cost of the equipment and all associated costs. The price of equipment depends on the type of flowmeter. The final cost includes:
- The device.
- Accessories to it.
- Installation costs.
Only an organization that has all the permissions required for this is allowed to install the meter. After completing all installation activities, an employee of the company seals it. Next, it is necessary to check the device every four years. The service is paid. As a result, the cost of installing a heat meter increases significantly, but over time, the costs pay off due to savings in utility bills.
Who is checking the meter
The new technique has already been tested, this confirms the record on the block, and the information is duplicated in the accompanying documentation. Basic verification is carried out at the factory. Upon the next verification period, the owner of the equipment may contact the following organizations:
- In the company, which puts the house meters for heating. In most cases, an agreement on further maintenance is drawn up immediately, and the company's employees take care of all the verification issues.
- To the local branch of a state institution that carries out certification and verification of measuring equipment.
- To the service center of the manufacturer of the meter.
Calculation of heating in an apartment with a common meter
In this case, the accruals are based on the readings of the meter taken over a specified time period, usually a month.
In the total expenditure of heat energy, the part that falls on your living space is calculated, then it is multiplied by the established tariff. The formula for calculating heating by a common-house meter is as follows:
P = Q total * S / S total * T, where:
- Q total - the amount of heat consumed according to the meter in Gcal.
- S total - the area of all residential, free and office premises in the house in sq. m
- S is the heated area in sq. m. It does not include balconies, loggias, terraces and verandas.
- T - heating tariff set in the region.
It is worth noting that the recalculation of heating according to a common-house meter should be carried out in any case based on the average temperature regime for the heating season. Then, upon its completion, a part of the funds is returned to the residents as an advance payment for future services or an invoice is issued for an additional payment.
Payment for heating in the summer season
In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, it is allowed to charge for heating year-round, that is, for 12 months, both in winter and in summer. Nevertheless, the adoption of these rules depends solely on local authorities, who are entitled by their decision to bring them into effect. For example, on the territory of the Russian Federation two orders operate simultaneously - No. 307 and 354. The first prescribes to make charges constantly, and the second - only during the heating season.
Implementing the first method is very simple - the same formulas are used, but the indicators in them are substituted in accordance with the previous year, distributed over 12 months. After that, the recalculation and adjustment of standards is carried out, which will be applied next year. On the one hand, payment in the summer period reduces the amount of the monthly payment for utilities, and on the other hand, it makes the entire accrual system complex and incomprehensible.
Conclusion
Many residents of apartment buildings are familiar with various errors, or the numbers in utility bills that are not clear from where. Today, when these amounts are very impressive, awareness of this issue is very important, and now you know how the common house heating meter considers. In addition, it is recommended to obtain accurate data on standards and tariffs from heat supply suppliers in order to check the correctness of charges.