home Concrete

Is it profitable to have a gas meter in an apartment? Gas meter - is it profitable or not with a gas water heater and stove? Where to go for free installation

Utility costs “eat up” a significant portion family budget, therefore, when thinking about saving, we involuntarily ask ourselves questions - How to reduce utility bills? Are gas meters profitable? Is it necessary to install metering devices in an apartment or private house? How much will all this cost and how much will you save in the end?

You will find answers to these and other questions in our article.

Is it necessary to install a gas meter in an apartment?

Initially, the energy saving law initiated by the Government of the Russian Federation obligated all citizens to install gas meters before January 1, 2015. However, later those who use “blue” fuel only for cooking were relieved of this obligation.

According to the amendments adopted by the State Duma, the requirements of the energy saving law do not apply to facilities whose maximum volume of gas consumption does not exceed 2 cubic meters per hour. Even if you turn on the heater with the oven and all the burners at the same time, the volume of fuel consumption will not exceed the established standard. It turns out that the tenant is not required to install a meter in the apartment.

By the way, consumers themselves and some experts interpret the reason for the appearance of mitigating amendments to the law differently. Some people are confident that metering devices can save money, so resource suppliers, risking less profit, “asked” deputies to postpone mandatory installation until better times.

Are gas meters profitable?

Before deciding to install household gas meters, you should weigh the pros and cons, namely: find out how much the meters will cost and how quickly they will pay off.

A Russian-made gas meter, designed to measure the volume of gas consumed in apartments and private houses equipped with gas stoves and gas water heaters, costs about 2 thousand rubles. However, you will have to pay not only for the meter itself, but also for its installation, since it can only be carried out by special gas services whose employees have passed the appropriate certification. The cost of installation depends on the type of device and the complexity of the work. So, if the apartment has only a stove among gas appliances, then installing a meter without changing the wiring will be about 2000-3000 rubles. A more complex installation with welding costs twice as much. Thus, installing a meter (the device itself + connection + registration) costs an average of 5-6 thousand rubles.

On average, for each person, according to consumption standards, in the presence of a central hot water supply and heating for gas stoves, there is about 10 cubic meters of gas per month. With a gas price of 5 rubles per cubic meter, a family of four without a meter will pay 200 rubles per month. Actual consumption, as surveys show, is no more than 3 cubic meters of fuel (about 60 rubles per month).

In this case, the savings will be 140 rubles per month. We divide 5,000 rubles (the cost of installing the meter) by 140 rubles - we get 35.7 months. This means that the meter will pay for itself in exactly 3 years. In a room with a gas water heater, consumption standards increase to 25 cubic meters per person per month, but in fact they do not exceed 10 cubic meters. In this case, the metering device can pay for itself within a year.

Pros and cons of installing a gas meter

Having a meter has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include:

no payment for unconsumed gas (payment is made only for the resource actually used)
the presence of a seasonal factor (if there is a gas water heater in summer, gas consumption is much less)

Minuses:

the cost of the device itself and installation can be quite high
the need to carry out routine checks of the device’s serviceability
if 2 people are registered in the room, but 5 actually live, then the benefit from installing the device is lost

How to choose a gas meter for an apartment?

When choosing a gas meter, you should take into account the number of devices, since different models different counters throughput. Simple gas meters without a thermal corrector are suitable for installation in apartments. It is also necessary to take into account the installation location of the meter (right or left connection), the compactness of the meter and the noise level. If the apartment is equipped with a gas stove and water heater, then experts recommend installing an electronic or rotary meter.

Another important indicator is the frequency of verification and the warranty period of the meter.

Today, utility bills “eat up” a significant part. Total installation of meters on everything possible will help solve this issue. But if everything is more or less clear with light and water, then with the installation of gas meters a lot of problems arise. Are gas meters required? Is it worth installing them? How much will all this cost and what savings will result? All of these issues are controversial and are worth discussing in more detail.

Who will be “put on the counter”

For some time now, the installation of the mentioned equipment has not become mandatory for all consumers. Whether you need to install gas meters depends on how exactly you use it. It is this criterion that determines the volumes of blue fuel consumption. If you use gas exclusively for cooking, and the only gas appliance in your apartment is a stove, then installing a meter or not depends only on your desire. But if, in addition to a gas stove, you have a heating boiler or water heater that runs on gas, you will have to install a meter, and it doesn’t matter whether you want it or not. Installing gas meters for such consumers (Law “On Energy Saving”, as amended on December 29, 2014) will not work; the only question is whether they will install them voluntarily or forcefully.

Standards

Residents of apartments where the gas is not installed pay for used gas according to the following standards:

12 m 3 per person for those households where only a stove is installed; in terms of money, this amounts to slightly less than 60 rubles per person. per month;
24.5 m 3 for owners of a gas boiler or water heater, which in money amounts to about 120 rubles per person.

Who should install gas meters? We do everything according to the rules

Those who have decided to install a gas meter should understand that this equipment is a high-risk device. That is why only a specialist who has received the appropriate certification can install a gas meter in an apartment. Under no circumstances should you trust this matter to neighbors or relatives, even if they have “golden hands.” You also need to pay attention to the fact that the invited master must be an employee of the exact company that supplies you with blue fuel. If this is not the case, then even a correctly installed device will not be subsequently registered for you. So in this case it is best to adhere to certain rules.

Setting up the counter: procedure step by step

Since we have already found out that the installation of gas meters must be carried out by a gas specialist, the first thing you need to do is contact the help desk of this organization. If you don’t know the phone number, look on the back of the payment receipt you receive monthly. The dispatcher will explain to you where exactly you need to go to submit your application, specify the address, office number and reception hours.

The next step will be a personal visit to the gas service - there you will need to write a statement. In addition, you will be asked for a passport, a document certifying ownership of the residential premises (or a lease agreement), as well as a receipt for payment for gas use for the past month (or several months), and they will check the presence/absence of debts. After this, the specialist will set a day when you should expect the arrival of the master, who will take the necessary measurements.

Before the gas service employee arrives, think about where the meter will be located; several parameters must be taken into account:

height from the floor cannot be less than 120 cm;
the distance from the meter to appliances (gas) cannot be less than 80 cm.

Taking this data into account, you can independently determine the location of the meter and express your wishes to the master. Sometimes the meter can be placed in a hanging cabinet or behind a decorative shelf. If, after taking measurements and calculations, the master says that additional pipes will be required and the cost of the work will increase, agree. The overall costs will increase slightly, but a device that is not very aesthetically pleasing will not be an eyesore for many years.

After discussing all the details, we go back to the gas industry. Now you need to pay the cost of the project and installation work, and also discuss with the technician the installation date of the meter.

Pros and cons of installing the device

Before deciding whether to install gas meters, you should also try to weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of this process. Perhaps this will help you make the right decision.

payment only for actually used blue fuel;
seasonal factor - as a rule, in the summer it is much less, especially for those who use it for heating, so “summer” utility costs will become scanty;
it doesn’t matter how many people are registered in your apartment and how many of them actually live - you will only pay for what is “accumulating” on the meter.

if there are 2 people registered in the room, but there are 8 people living in it, then you should think about the rationality of installing the device;
if you install a meter, then turn on the gas winter time in order to additionally warm the room, it will become an expensive pleasure;
the cost of the device itself can be quite high.

Selecting a gas meter

Having answered positively to the question of whether it is necessary to install gas meters, the consumer is often faced with another difficult task: how to choose the right meter?

First of all, the meter must have a quality certificate, and its sale can only be carried out by those companies that have a special permit. Do not hesitate to ask the seller about the availability of such documents and study them carefully.
All meters are divided into membrane and rotary. The latter are a little cheaper, but it is still better to give preference to the former - they are more reliable, do not leak gas and keep more accurate records.
When choosing a meter, pay attention to the direction of the gas flow - from right to left or vice versa - it depends on the location gas pipe in your house.
You need to choose a meter based on what gas appliances you have in your home: if you only have a stove, one appliance will suit you, but for the water heater and boiler you need another.
Since it is very important to choose a good and high-quality device, before purchasing it is best to consult with several specialists and choose the most suitable option.

How much does it cost

So, the choice is made. We buy a gas meter. Its price can range from 1,500 to 15,000 rubles. It all depends on the quality, country of origin, model and calibration interval. The device is also important - the larger it is, the more expensive the device.

The cost of installing a gas meter can vary significantly depending on the region of residence. On average, the following indicators can be given:

2800 rub. — installation of a meter in an apartment without changing the pipeline layout and using welding;
4500 rub. - the same, but using welding and changing the existing gas connection;
6000 rub. — installation of the device in households/apartments equipped with speakers and gas boilers, with a change in decoupling and the use of welding;

In addition, you may additionally need some components - taps, gaskets, fittings, etc. - and this will cost another 100-2000 rubles. And, of course, you should separately “thank” the installer, otherwise after finishing the work you risk getting cracked tiles and walls charred from welding - the amount of “thank you” is usually 300-500 rubles. Having made some simple calculations, we can say that installing a meter can cost from 3 to 10 thousand rubles. Pleasure, frankly speaking, is not cheap, but let’s also estimate how quickly the gas meter, the price of which, by the way, is not the biggest expense, will pay for itself.

Economic expediency

For example, consider two options:

1. Apartments with only a gas stove.

As already mentioned, installing meters at No. 261) is not necessary in this case, but maybe it’s really beneficial? We count.

The average family of 3 people lives in an apartment with centralized hot water supply, heating and no gas meter. The consumption rate in this case is 10 m 3 /person. At a tariff of 4.50 per m 3, the family will pay 135 rubles per month. If you install a meter, it turns out that residents on average consume no more than 5-6 cubic meters of gas per month, which means they will have to pay about half as much, that is, about 70 rubles, and this is in the most extreme case, but in practice it usually works out far less. However, if you calculate all the costs of purchasing and installing a meter, you can see that it will pay off in eight to ten years. But there is one more nuance: if 3 people live in your apartment, and, for example, seven are registered, then the savings can be very significant.

2. Apartment equipped with a stove and water heater.

To make the comparison more accurate, let's take the same family of three. The rate of gas use in such a situation is 24.5 m 3 / person. With the same conditional cost of a cubic meter of blue fuel, we have:

24.5 x 4.50 x 3 = 330.75 rubles.

Based on practice, we can say that in fact in such houses the meter “runs up” significantly more than the standard, especially in winter period. So many consumers who installed meters were unhappy with this situation: with the installation of a meter, they have to pay more - about 400-450 rubles. But there is also a peculiarity here: the fact is that the water heater and boiler are used only a few months a year, and in the summer the payment for gas using a meter becomes meager. Thus, the total amount for the year will still be much less than the standard amount.

Conclusion

In general, whether it is necessary to install gas meters is up to everyone to decide for themselves. To date, there are no penalties for their absence, but who knows what will happen in a year. There is a real possibility that after 2019, consumers who have not installed meters will be forced to do so, and then the cost of installing a meter could increase many times over.

Is it necessary to install a gas meter in an apartment - let's figure out what the law says.

Currently, the issue of mandatory and necessary installation of gas meters in homes remains a pressing issue. Let us remind you that according to the Federal Law of November 23, 2009 No. 261-FZ “On Energy Saving and on Increasing Energy Efficiency and on Amendments to Certain legislative acts Russian Federation“It was necessary to install utility metering devices before 2015. However, if you remember the history of the implementation of the law, it becomes clear that the deadline for the mandatory installation of meters was constantly being pushed back. As a result, changes were made to the law to abolish the mandatory installation of metering meters.

In the legislative act abolishing the mandatory installation of gas meters, there is a clause according to which the mandatory installation of a meter is provided only if the volume of gas consumed reaches or exceeds two cubic meters at one o'clock. In domestic use, such a volume of consumption is possible only if gas heating is available.

Read about the obligation to install a water meter and liability for its absence.

Is it profitable to install a gas meter in an apartment?

And yet, if you are still thinking about installing a gas meter or not, then you should weigh everything “pro et contra” (that is, all the pros and cons), namely: find out the prices of the meters themselves, how much they will cost installation, as well as how quickly they will pay off and how much you will ultimately save per year on utility bills.

Let's start with prices. At the height of the excitement about the mandatory installation of meters, prices for the meters themselves and their installation reached a maximum. So, if the living space was large, then installing a meter could cost ten thousand rubles. In houses old building There were some difficulties with installing the equipment. Therefore, the complexity of execution was a plus for the final price. The price of the meters themselves is determined not only by their technical qualities, but also by the period without mandatory supervision of specialists over their work, the so-called inter-check interval.

After it became known about the abolition of the mandatory installation of accounting equipment, prices for it and its installation fell sharply. But this circumstance did not prompt the population to actively think about accounting for consumed energy, water, gas and electricity.

For example, in Europe, say in the UK, absolutely everything is counted, even TV watching time. Therefore, the windows are open wide in winter, when the pipes central heating warming with all their might, the British would consider it the height of squandering.

But for Russian people, any initiative from above always responds with “what’s the catch?” and this despite total naivety in all other areas of life. So, one of the main arguments against installing a meter is its high cost and low return on investment. Indeed, currently the meter itself costs on average about three to four thousand rubles, including installation and registration necessary documents. If the apartment has a gas water heater, installing a meter will cost more.

Economic expediency

On average, for each person, according to consumption standards, in the presence of a centralized hot water supply for gas stoves, there is 10 cubic meters of gas per month. In a room with a gas water heater, consumption increases to 24.5 cubic meters. In Russia, a cubic meter of gas in 2019 costs about 6.5 rubles. This means, based on accepted standards, one family of four people consumes gas for an approximate amount of 380 rubles per month.

Families who have installed gas meters pay on average 50-60 rubles per month for gas. If you take the amount it cost to purchase and install the meter and divide it by the monthly amount saved when paying for household gas (60 rubles versus 380), it turns out that the meter will pay for itself in just 2 years.

This is especially true during the spring-summer vacation period, when people do not live in their city apartments for about a month, and in some cases longer. In this case, marking zero in the amount to be paid column instead of four hundred will be more than a pleasant surprise.

Problems when installing a gas meter

Now about the disadvantages and feasibility of installation. Everything seems to be simple here; the high cost has already been mentioned above. But everything turned out to be difficult with the installation. A person who decides to install a meter will have to thoroughly run through the authorities. According to reviews from meter owners, it all starts with a trip to Gorgaz and concluding a contract for servicing the stove. Next, you should set aside time for the master to come and assess the upcoming work. Then there is another trip to Gorgaz to discuss in detail which meter, in what location and at what price to install it. Next comes the wait for day X, when the meter will be installed. And finally, you need to go to the gas company that services the house and notify that you are now the happy owner of a meter.

Such manipulations may not scare off pensioners, but if you take the average family of four, mom, dad, children, then installation costs will be greatly inflated, including by the need to take time off during installation and paperwork. This is perhaps the main reason for the unpopularity of installing meters among the population.

Responsibility for failure to install gas meters

Among the fair critics of this idea were those who drew the attention of management companies to the overly active activity of commercial organizations in installing meters. The latter, in addition to artificially increasing installation prices, often intimidated residents with fines for refusing to install control devices. Yielding to intimidation, residents installed meters, although this was not initially part of their plans. Of course, such behavior will remain on the conscience of unscrupulous companies, however, the incompletely organized procedure for installing meters and the lack of proper control over the process by the authorities local government and utility services again played into the hands of corrupt organizations, discrediting the very idea of accurately counting their expenses in order to save money. Current legislation does not provide for any administrative liability for the absence of a gas meter in an apartment.

Procedure for installing a gas meter

Now that the hype around meters has subsided and prices for their installation have fallen, perhaps someone will decide to install the device at home. In the end, even if the payback period will be extended for a year or two, it is still planned to live in this apartment for many more years, if not for the owner himself, then for his children and relatives. Taking into account the fact that housing and communal services tariffs increase every year, installing a meter against this background does not look like such a bad idea.

The first thing to do is contact the gas company that services your home. This is followed by a personal visit there in order to submit an application for installation of a meter. You must have a passport, a document confirming the ownership of housing or a rental agreement, and a receipt for payment for gas services for the last month.

After the technician has come to you and made all the necessary measurements, you need to come back to the gas company and pay for the installation of the meter and the device itself. And only after this you must again wait for the technician to arrive to directly install the meter.

At whose expense is the gas meter installed and is it possible to install the meter at the expense of the management company

As you can see, the installation of meters in houses occurs at the expense of citizens, namely the legal owners of the apartment. According to Article 158 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, “the owner of a home is obliged to bear the costs of maintaining the premises belonging to him.” Therefore, in the end, only the owner can take into account all the negative and positive aspects of installing a meter specifically in his apartment, taking into account the living conditions of his family and its composition.

Despite the fact that 261-FZ “On Energy Saving” obliges homeowners to install a gas meter before January 1, 2019 (if the apartment has a gas water heater), many are still interested in the question: is it profitable at all? We decided on specific examples demonstrate to you real savings when paying for gas consumed according to meter readings, and not according to fixed standards.

The apartment only has a gas stove

By law, you are not required to install a meter if you only have gas stove. However, many residents of St. Petersburg turn to us for this service, because... want to save on expenses. If several people are registered in your apartment, then this is quite justified.

For example, 3 people are registered in your apartment and the same number live there. At the same time, you use the gas stove only when necessary - to cook food or boil the kettle. Our statistics show that the volume of gas consumed per month in this case is about 15-20 cubic meters. m. The consumption standard is considered to be 10.4 cubic meters. m for each registered person, i.e. 31.2 cu. m in total. According to the standard, you would have to pay 192 rubles (6.17 rubles per cubic meter), and after installing the meter, the amount in the gas receipt per month will not exceed 120 rubles! In the end it turns out saving 70 rubles or more per month, 1000 rubles per year. Thus, installing a gas meter will pay for itself in 3-4 years (maybe earlier if you use the stove less often or periodically leave for a while). Considering that the meter will serve you for 12 years, you will save more than 8 of them!

The situation is the opposite if one person is registered in the apartment, but in fact there are more people living there, and the gas stove is used to its fullest. In this situation, installing a meter will most likely not be economically feasible.

The apartment has a stove and gas water heater

There is no choice here - the law obliges you to install a gas meter. However, this is only to your benefit, because... The gas consumption standard in this case is already 32.0 cubic meters. m per person, which greatly exceeds actual consumption!

To calculate, let’s again take an apartment where 3 people are registered. The standard for everyone is 96 cubic meters. m, the monthly amount is 592 rubles. Real expenses, according to statistics, do not exceed 30-40 cubic meters. m, i.e. According to the meter, the amount per month will be 200-300 rubles. Monthly saving 300 rubles, 3600 rubles per year- this is already a tangible amount to feel the benefits of installing a gas meter.

As you can see, installing a gas meter brings real savings and in most cases is economically beneficial for you. Considering that gas tariffs are increasing every year, it is better to install a meter now and not put this issue off until later.

In law Federal Law “On energy saving and increasing energy efficiency and on introducing amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation” dated November 23, 2009 No. 261-FZ, metering devices should have appeared in apartments and private houses that are heated with gas before January 1, 2015. For residents of Crimea and Sevastopol, a delay has been introduced until January 1, 2021.

It is not necessary to install a meter if the gas consumption is less than 2 cubic meters. m per hour.

Apartments where only a stove is the only gas appliance that fits this definition. It is better for owners to check the fuel consumption in the characteristics of a particular device. Those whose house was declared dilapidated or in disrepair before January 1, 2013 can also do without a meter.

From 2019, and for Crimea and Sevastopol - from 2021, metering devices will be forced to be installed by gas companies. The owner of the house or apartment is obliged to allow employees to the installation site of the device and pay the costs.

If he refuses to do this voluntarily, court costs and forced collection of money will be added to the costs. By default, the amount will be divided into equal payments that will need to be made over five years - with interest not exceeding the key refinancing rate of the Central Bank. The payment period can be changed if desired.

Is it profitable to install a gas meter?

Let's figure out how installing a meter will affect the family budget if installation is mandatory, and whether those who are not covered by the law should think about it.

Due to the difference in the cost of metering devices and the services of the organizations that install them, the volume of gas consumed, and other characteristics, the calculations will not be universal. But based on them, you can find out for yourself exactly how the installation of a device that records gas consumption will affect your budget.

The cheapest counter on Yandex.Market costs 1,079 rubles. For greater versatility of calculations, we’ll take a slightly more expensive option - for 1,980 rubles.

Only a specialized company can install the device Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated July 21, 2008 No. 549 (as amended on September 9, 2017) “On the procedure for supplying gas to meet the household needs of citizens”, having a certificate from a self-regulatory organization regarding admission to this type of work. Often such organizations provide meters and their price is included in the cost of services. But there are also those who are ready to use the customer’s device.

The cost will depend on how much you have, whether you need to install additional sections of pipes, gas taps, and so on. Sealing of a new meter is free of charge.

As a rule, the service life of such equipment is not 5 years. Therefore, we will take this period as universal for all metering devices and long enough to draw conclusions, and also apply the tariffs and standards of St. Petersburg.

If you only have a gas stove

Standard Consumption standards for utility services for gas supply with natural gas in residential premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings in St. Petersburg per person for an apartment with a gas stove is 10.4 cubic meters. m per month. For a family of two people, gas costs per month will be 130.6 rubles (20.8 m³ × 6.27983 Retail prices for natural gas sold by the closed joint stock company Gazprom Mezhregiongaz St. Petersburg to the public). If tariffs increase annually by an average of 5%, over five years it will be 8,661 rubles.

Let's say they actually consume only 5 cubic meters of gas per month. Then, under the same conditions, over 5 years they will spend 2,082 rubles. Add here the cost of the meter - 1,980 rubles - and its installation. For example, St. Petersburg Gas Service agrees to install the customer’s device for 1,970 Prices rubles

As a result, it comes out to 6,032 thousand - and this is provided that the installation of the meter cost a minimal amount and the gas consumption is really small. If a family spends 10 cubic meters of blue fuel per month, then there will be no savings.

How more people written down, the more profitable it is to install a meter.

The actual gas consumption with each new family member increases uncritically, but according to the standards it increases significantly. For example, if four people were registered in the apartment, then it would cost more than 17,000 rubles a year to pay for gas. Moreover, the standard for an infant is the same as for an adult.

If you have a gas stove and water heater

The standard in this case is 32 cubic meters per person, and the tariff is the same. This means that a family of two people will already pay 402 rubles per month. Over 5 years this will result in 26,656 rubles.

Installing a meter on a stove and a column already costs 2,970 rubles. And the benefit depends on the actual gas consumption and the efforts made to achieve it. As a rule, than older column, the greater the consumption. Some units can produce more than 10 cubic meters per month just by burning the wick.

But even in this case, “catching up” with the standard will not be easy. Especially if there are more than two people registered in the apartment. 10 cubes for the wick, 5 for the stove, and there are still 49 cubes left in stock.

If you have gas heating

There are no options here, whether to install a meter or not, so we’ll just figure out the standards and tariffs.

In St. Petersburg the standard is 8.2 cubic meters per month per square meter premises. As a result, even to heat a modest Khrushchev apartment of 33 square meters. m will need 270.6 cubic meters of fuel and 1,700 rubles per month. House of 100 sq. m will already require 5,150 rubles. Gas used for cooking will have to be paid separately.

The counter is definitely a beneficial device here, and here’s why:

According to the standard, you would have to pay the same in January, when the boiler is constantly running, and in April, when you only need to periodically heat the house in anticipation of a full spring.
In most months, and even always, less gas will be spent than indicated in the standard, since average parameters are used to determine it.
Without a meter, standard fees may be charged in the summer On imposing the obligation to recalculate payments for natural gas, excluding from the amount of debt payment according to the standard for heating. A device that records actual consumption, in this case, reliably insures you against overpayments, but only if you have not missed it.

What's the result?

The more people are registered in an apartment with a stove and/or water heater, the more profitable it is to install a meter.
If you only have a gas stove and 1-2 people are registered, the savings, even in the long term, are not very impressive.
The less you use gas, the more profitable it is to install a meter. If you heat water in electric kettle, cook in a slow cooker and sometimes simply forget why you need a stove, the difference between the standard and actual consumption will be significant.
For gas, installing a meter is beneficial in the vast majority of cases. But according to the law, you don’t have much choice.