You are surprised at the monthly heating bill presented by management companies: are the numbers in the receipts not the first time seems overstated? It’s not pleasant that in autumn, winter and spring, in spite of the air temperature outside the window, you have to pay a considerable amount, calculated unclear by whom. Do you agree?
The calculation of heating in an apartment of an apartment building depends on the established heat standards, which, it would seem, should be standard. However, heating tariffs are rising annually. In order not to be deceived, consumers prefer to control the correctness of the calculations of the management company. But how to do it right and what might be required?
It is precisely these issues that our material is devoted to - here we will tell you how to correctly calculate the amount for the supplied heating in a high-rise apartment. The article will examine in detail the latest legislative standards for heat consumption and provide various formulas for calculations that take into account the availability of a common house, individual meter, as well as their absence. Supplemented material supplemented by thematic videos and visual photos.
Legislative regulation of payments
Currently, four Government Decisions are considered effective documents regulating the rules for charging utility bills to residents of apartment buildings:
- N306 dated May 23, 2006 (the procedure for establishing standards for the consumption of services for apartment buildings is considered);
- N354 dated May 6, 2011 (the procedure for the provision of services for residents is determined);
- N258 dated March 28, 2012 and N344 dated April 16, 2013 amending the previous document (in PP N306);
- N1708 dated December 28, 2018 (changes to the software N354).
The first and second documents are systematically undergoing changes, the last of which took place on April 4, 2020.
Based on these documents, each individual region of the country independently decides on the choice of form of payment:
- option 1 - the payment is calculated only for the heating season (usually this is October-May);
- option 2 - the board is evenly scattered throughout the year.
This form affects to a greater extent those who do not have heat meters installed.
And consumers with installed meters are concerned with one of the main changes in the Decree - the correction of calculation formulas, which now take into account meter readings without taking into account installed appliances in the house.
Installation of a common heating meter is based on a decision of residents of an apartment building. Checking the meter and the necessary routine maintenance are also organized by the residents of the house
However, in apartment buildings with meters, the difference in readings between the total and apartment metering devices is recounted and evenly added to the payment of each consumer.
Thus, the payment for heating consists of the following components: heating in the apartment + heating in the staircase.
Installation of individual heating meters in the apartment is not currently required. However, taking into account the experience of a number of users, it can be argued that the payment for the consumption of thermal energy by the meter is lower than the payment according to the established standard and tariff
In general, there are several formulas for calculating heating for each of the possible options:
- if there is a common house meter;
- there are or are no individual appliances in the apartment / non-residential premises;
- when using equipment for heating, if this equipment is considered part of the common property of the house.
Each specific case will be more readily considered in the following parts of the article.
Formulas for performing calculations
Formulas for calculations in the presence of a house-building, individual heat meter, as well as in their absence, differ. Next, we consider the order of charges in various situations.
Option # 1 - without a common house counter
If the residents of the apartment building have not installed a common house meter, then payment will be made on the basis of three conditions:
- established standard;
- heating tariff;
- heated area.
The heating standard is set in each region by local authorities independently and depends on the climatic conditions of the region. The tariff is also set in each region in its own way. The concept of “heated area” includes the entire area of the apartment, with the exception of the balcony and loggia.
Thus, the formula for calculating the cost of heating is presented in the following photo:
The final cost of heat, based on the formula, does not depend on the actual thermal energy needed to heat the room. In order to increase energy efficiency of heat supply, an active company is being held to install meters for heating everywhere.
This is a general formula for calculating electricity consumption for homes without common house meters.
When calculating, it is necessary to take into account the form of payment: for the heating period or for the whole year. Based on the forms of payment, the calculations are made according to the formulas below.
Payment for the heating period
In accordance with the rules, payment for the heating period is made according to the following formula:
Pi = (Vi + (Si x soi x Nt x (Sabout - sind)) / (Sabout x (Sabout - sind + Soi)) x TT ,
Where:
Pi - The final amount of payment for the heating used.
Si - area of the room for which the calculation is carried out (m2).
Sabout - total area of all premises of the house (m2).
Soi - total area of common property premises (common areas) (m2).
Nt - established standard for heating (Gcal).
Sind- the area of all apartments / non-residential premises in which there are no heating appliances, (m2).
TT - the established tariff for heating (rubles / Gcal).
Vi- the amount of energy consumed from heating for a particular room.
The concept of “common areas” includes the following:
- landings;
- vestibules and halls;
- corridors;
- other premises not owned by individual owners.
The amount of energy consumed from heating for a particular room (Vi) is calculated by this formula:
Vi = Si x ((Nt x (Sabout - sind)) / (Sabout - sind + Soi)),
Where Si, Sabout, Soi, Sind, Nt - the values are the same as in the previous formula.
The installed electronic temperature sensors on the battery do not have any value for calculating the payment for the consumption of thermal energy. They can only control the temperature of the heat
Payment for the whole year
In some regions, in order to alleviate the monetary burden for utility bills, the cost of heating is spread over the entire calendar year.
The formula for calculating this value is as follows:
Pi = (Vi + (Si x soi x Nt x K x (Sabout - sind)) / (Sabout x (Sabout - sind + Soi)) x TT .
This differs from the previous formula by the appearance of the coefficient TO, which is determined by dividing the number of months of the heating season by 12.
In the formula for calculating the amount of thermal energy per specific room, the coefficient K is also added:
Vi= Si x ((Nt x K x (Sabout - sind)) / (Sabout - sind + Soi)).
Calculation of complex, at first glance, formulas in the presence of all values can be done independently.
Option # 2 - with a home counter installed
It is believed that the situation when a common meter for accounting for heating supply is installed is the most common.The use of a common metering device is due to the lack of the ability to implement individual meters in the design of utilities.
Ultimately, each consumer cannot independently control the required amount of thermal energy for his apartment.
Therefore, the calculation of the cost of heating will take into account the following main parameters:
- total amount of consumed thermal energy;
- area of the room;
- building area (including all rooms)
- tariff for heat.
The general formula for this calculation will look like this:
The use of a common house meter does not make it possible to ideally control the energy consumption, since there is no way to regulate the heat supplied to each apartment individually
When calculating heating, a certain form of payment is also taken into account.
Payment for the heating period
Based on the general calculation formula, a specific formula is determined for each consumer:
Pi = (Vi + (Si x (Vd - ∑Vi )) / Sabout) x TT,
Where:
Pi - The final amount of payment for the heating used.
Si - area of the room for which the calculation is carried out (m2).
Sabout - total area of all premises of the house (m2).
Vd - the amount of heating supplied according to the meter, if payment is calculated for the heating season, (Gcal).
TT - the established tariff for heating, (rubles / Gcal).
∑Vi - total energy consumption from heating in all areas of the house. You can calculate by multiplying the area of residential premises by the result of dividing the amount of thermal energy according to the readings of the house counter Vd in the amount of all apartments and premises not included in the property.
Vi - the amount of energy consumed from heating for a particular room.
Calculated Vi according to the following formula:
Vi = Si x (Vd / (Sabout - soi + Sind)),
Where:
Sabout - total area of apartments / non-residential premises of the house (m2).
Sind- the area of all apartments / non-residential premises in which there are no heating appliances, (m2).
Soi - the total area of all common property premises in the house (common areas) (m2).
It is according to this formula that utility services are calculated to determine the amount of payment for heating.
The readings of the heat meter must be reported monthly to your management company so that they make calculations based on the actual consumption of thermal energy
Features of calculations for the year
The calculation is made according to the same formulas as for payment for the heating period.
However, there are features in the calculations:
- The amount for the consumed heating in the previous year is calculated.
- Calculation of the amount of payment for heating this year.
- Correction of the final amount of payment.
Correction is made according to the formula:
Pi = Pkpi - Pnpi,
Where:
Pkpi- the amount of the heating charge calculated on the basis of consumption for the last year.
Pnpi - the size of the heating charge charged to the consumer for this year.
For the calculation according to the form of payment for heating last year, the parameter is used Vdfor the previous year. To calculate the monthly amount of payment, it is necessary to divide the parameter of the annual volume of thermal energy according to the testimony of a common house meter 12.
To calculate the payment this year, use the parameter Vd for this year.
In more detail, the issue of calculating common house heating meters we examined in our other article.
Option # 3 - with individual meters
The solution that allows you to pay for the actually used thermal energy is the installation of an individual meter.
However, the calculation of payment by an individual meter becomes more complicated and includes the following parameters:
- amount of heat consumed;
- the amount of heat consumed by the house;
- area of the room;
- area of the house, which is heated;
- established tariff for heat energy.
The general formula for the calculation is presented in the photo:
To use this formula for calculation, it is necessary that 95% of all rooms in the building are equipped with individual meters. Naturally, a house-wide meter should also be installed in the house
Payment for heating the entrance and other general premises is made by the residents of the house on their own. The size of the payment is determined by subtracting from the readings of the common house meter the sum of the readings of all individual meters and dividing the result by the number of people living in the house.
The cost of an individual apartment heat meter starts at 6,000 rubles. This amount can pay off already in the first year of using the meter.
The calculation is carried out according to the formula:
Pi = (Vin + Vione x (Si / Sabout)) x TT,
Where:
Pi- The final amount of payment for the heating used.
Si - the area of the room for which the calculation is made (m2).
Sabout - the total area of all the premises of the house (m2).
TT - the established tariff for heating, (rubles / Gcal).
Vin - reading of the heat consumption meter for the calculated room.
Vione - readings of a common house meter for the provision of thermal energy, minus the amount of energy supplied to each room.
However, if not all residents of the house have installed individual meters, for each particular apartment the calculation of thermal energy consumption can still be made in accordance with the meter.
The calculation formulas are similar to those used to determine the amount for heating in apartment buildings with a common house meter:
Pi = (Vi + (Si x (Vd - ∑Vi )) / Sabout) x TT
The difference is in the calculation of the element. Vi.
Vi- the amount of energy consumed from heating for a particular room:
- for rooms with counters - according to the readings of devices, when calculating heating for the heating period;
- for rooms without meters - calculated during the year from the average monthly volume.
Formula for calculating the amount of energy consumed:
Vi= Si x (∑VIPU / ∑SiIPU),
Where:
Si - the total area of the room for which the calculation is carried out, (m2).
∑VIPU - the total meter reading during the heating season, or per month when calculating per year, (Gcal).
∑SiIPU - the sum of the areas of all the premises involved in the calculation and having installed meters.
When calculating the payment for heating for the whole year, for the exact amount of payment, it is necessary to determine the adjustment according to the formula:
Pi = Pkpi - Pnpi,
Where:
Pkpi - the amount of the heating charge calculated on the basis of consumption for the last year.
Pnpi - the size of the heating charge charged to the consumer for this year.
Option # 4 - calculations for a communal apartment
In addition to the above options, there are two more for which calculation formulas are also derived:
- Communal apartment;
- apartment buildings without central heating.
For communal apartments, the calculation is similar to the calculation according to consumption standards or according to the meter for apartment buildings. The only difference is the definition of the board in proportion to each room.
This calculation is performed according to the formula below:
When calculating the payment for heating in a communal apartment, the difference obtained when taking into account the corridor, bathroom, vestibule and kitchen is considered insignificant and not taken into account
Option # 5 - for houses with a personal boiler room
In houses where there is no central heating and has its own boiler room, the spent communal resource for heating an apartment is also calculated.
The general formula is as follows:
Modern apartment buildings are equipped with their own boiler rooms. The use of their gas-fired boiler houses is considered the most economical way to heat rooms.
Build a private house with individual heating? In this case, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the norms of gas consumption for heating or see an example of calculating gas consumption for heating a house with an area of 150 m2.
What to do in case of incorrect accrual?
Unfortunately, the problem of improper charges, many consumers are increasingly faced. An unscrupulous accountant of the management company, accrual errors, any inattention made through someone else's fault - all this ultimately rests on the shoulders of the heat energy consumer.
Before paying for the receipt, it is necessary to verify all the data provided in it with your calculations.
If an error was detected at this stage, then there are several ways to solve the problem:
- Write a statement / claim to the management company.
- File a complaint with the State Housing Inspectorate.
- File a complaint with Rospotrebnadzor.
- File a complaint with the prosecutor.
- File a lawsuit.
When submitting a written application to the Management Company, you need to make sure that there was no increase in tariff. If the tariff remains the same, then often, after writing such a statement, the company will find an error in the charges and will go to the meeting.
Using the claim, you can determine the procedure for the return of overpaid funds:
- money back;
- Clearing against future payments.
It is possible to file complaints with the Rospotrebnadzor and the State Housing Inspectorate if the management company intentionally inflates tariffs. In this case, the application / claim is brought in person or sent by registered mail. Based on the results of verification of these structures, an administrative penalty may be imposed on the Management Company.
The appeal to the prosecutor's office occurs when previous instances do not solve the problem. And when applying to the court it is necessary to have irrefutable evidence of the revealed violations in the calculations.
This video shows how to calculate the amount that you need to pay for heating:
Another thematic video on calculating heating fees:
We examined in detail the basic formulas for calculating the payment for the consumed heating. When calculating by general, simpler formulas, you can determine the approximate amount. However, utilities in calculations take into account all parameters, performing them according to more complex formulas, which are also described by us in this article. If you know all the initial values, then despite the existing subtleties, it will not be difficult to calculate the cost of heating.
If after reading the article you still have questions, want to clarify a number of nuances with our experts, ask them in a special form for comments, located below the article. Here you can also share your personal experience in making settlements or successfully resolving a dispute with the Management Company.