Gas consumption metering
It is generally accepted that a person consumes on average about 10 cubic meters. meters of gas per month. To set the exact figure you need a counter. Installing meters allows you to save money, since a person only pays for what his family has used. This is especially true for residents of apartment buildings, where gas is used exclusively for cooking.
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For private houses connected to a central gas supply, installing meters is no less important. This is due to the need to take into account gas consumption for heating, hot water supply and household appliances (for example, a gas stove).
Requirements for counters:
- compliance of equipment with acceptable use standards;
- installation is carried out by specially trained people;
- After installation, sealing must be carried out;
- Each gas meter has its own operating period, after which the device is checked and, if necessary, replaced.
The consumer must record the meter readings every month before the 10th day. Then the gas consumed is calculated by comparing the current data with the volume of consumption of the previous month. The owner of the meter pays for the amount of fuel he used.
If the consumer does not send his meter readings on time, then average values are used for calculation. If data has not been transmitted within 3 months, then the total indicators for the past year are taken and divided by the number of months. When the period for transferring indicators exceeds 90 days, the standards will be applied for calculation.
If the meter is equipped with temperature compensation, the difference between the current value and the previous one is calculated. When the gas meter is located outdoors and does not have temperature compensation, then in order to bring the readings to normal conditions, the resulting difference between the volumes of fuel consumed must be multiplied by the temperature coefficient.
Gas tariffs in 2021 with a meter
Tariffs are constantly increasing from year to year. If you compare gas prices with previous years, the difference is significant. Each region sets different tariffs for utility bills.
The tariff for cooking and heating water using a gas stove and heating water using a gas water heater in the absence of hot water supply for the Moscow region is 5.70687 rubles per m3. In St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, the tariff is 6.55878 and 6.60481 rubles, respectively. In Yekaterinburg and the Sverdlovsk region you will have to pay 4.98 rubles per cubic meter, and in Krasnodar – 6.43 rubles.
The cost of gas in Novosibirsk is 6.124 rubles, and in Omsk – 6.51 rubles. The price of fuel in the Perm region is 6.12 rubles, and in Rostov – 6.29 rubles. For Samara and Saratov, the indicators are measured as 6.2 and 9.2, respectively. In Nizhny Novgorod the cost of gas is 5.7916 rubles, and in Ufa – 6.71 rubles.
For Crimea, the standards depend on the amount of gas consumed. If more than 3,500 cubic meters of fuel were consumed per year, then 1 cubic meter will cost 8.65271 rubles, and if less - 5.56151 rubles.
Features of prices in the presence of an individual metering device
Installing a meter is especially beneficial for consumers who consume small amounts of blue fuel. When choosing a gas meter, you need to take into account the model’s compliance with the requirements:
- characteristics of the gas mixture used;
- compliance with quality standards for metrological equipment;
- involving organizations with appropriate licenses and permits for installation;
- development of an individual gas utility project, suggesting the procedure and features of meter installation;
- sealing of the metering device by a representative of the controlling organization after installation;
- compliance with established verification periods and standard service life.
All necessary characteristics of the gas meter and requirements for its installation and operation are indicated in the passport documentation that accompanies the product from the manufacturer.
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Only measuring devices included in the relevant list of the State Register are allowed for installation and operation.
Consumers need to take into account that the design of the device should allow compensation of indicators depending on ambient temperature conditions. If such a technical possibility is not provided for by the design of the product, increasing coefficients are applied, established in the regions in different months of the year and taking into account the climatic conditions of the area:
Coefficients for regions of the Russian Federation:
- January, February – 1.09,
- March, November, December – 1.07,
- October – 1.06,
- April – 1.04,
- September – 1.02,
- May, August – 1.01,
- June, July – 1.00.
Tariffs are set separately by region, differing depending on the volume of fuel consumption - if the consumer fits into the allocated limit, payment is set at the minimum rate, otherwise the amount increases significantly.
The consumer records the consumption of cubic meters of gas on a monthly basis, reporting data to the gas supply company. Payment is made according to the actual volumes of gas fuel used.
The consumer is responsible for providing information about gas meter readings no later than the 26th of the current month. Otherwise, if the utility does not receive the required information during the quarter, bills are issued at the average monthly consumption for the last year. Further, to present the amount for payment, they are guided by the standards.
Accounting for gas consumption without using meters
Gas consumption is calculated for each person registered in the house. Indicators are calculated based on the volume of the apartment or house. There are also special applications that help determine the consumption of blue fuel online for homes where metering devices are not installed.
Gas consumption standards per person without a meter by region
The rate of gas consumption per person depends on the operating conditions of gas appliances, as well as on the region of consumption of blue fuel. For example, if there is central heating and central hot water supply, the norm per person in the Moscow and Novosibirsk regions will be 10 cubic meters per person per month. In the Leningrad region this figure is 13 cubic meters. For Yekaterinburg the norm is 10.2 m3, and for Omsk – 13.06.
Gas consumption standards per person for houses without a meter in Krasnodar and Crimea are measured as 11.3 cubic meters. For Perm, Ufa, the Republic of Bashkortostan the figure is 12 cubic meters, and for Rostov-on-Don and Samara - 13. The norm for Saratov is 11.5 cubic meters, and for Nizhny Novgorod - 11.
Average gas consumption per person: a number based on clear baseline data
To determine average indicators, consider 3 standard situations.
- Gas consumption per person in an apartment without gas heating with a gas stove and a water heater for heating hot water. What is more important here is not the characteristics of the apartment, but the habits of the residents - their ability to use burners and hot water sparingly: cover pots with lids, wash in the shower rather than in the bathtub, etc.
If we assume that of two residents, one uses resources for his own pleasure, and the other saves, then the average per person in the warm months will be about 12-14 m3, and in the cold months - 15-17 m3.
- Average gas consumption in a two-room corner apartment not insulated from the outside with plastic windows. A detailed description of the characteristics is important, since in this option heating occurs using a gas boiler and fuel consumption primarily depends on the “protection” of the apartment in cold weather. With these initial data, the average consumption per person in “summer” is about 12-14 m3, in “winter” – about 45-50 m3.
The actual gas consumption is best assessed using large statistical data when analyzing several heating seasons, which makes it possible to level out the specific conditions of individual abnormally warm or cold years and realistically estimate the consumption. Thus, the example presents reliable analytics that demonstrates the following initial data and consumption volumes:
- two-room apartment (corner) 48.70 m2,
- gas equipment – double-circuit turbocharged wall-mounted boiler 24 kW,
- measurement period – 5 years (heating seasons),
- volume of gas used – 3738 m3 or 747.60 m3 per year,
- consumption per year per 1 m2 of area – 15.35 m3,
- the number of residents is 2 people and, accordingly, the average monthly consumption per resident (without distinguishing seasons) is 747.60/12/2 = 31.15 m3.
- Average gas consumption in a private home. There are a lot of parameters here, therefore, in estimating average values, we proceed from the consumption of 1 kW of energy per approximately 5 m2 per hour and rely on the formula:
Fuel volume per hour = thermal power / (0.92 boiler efficiency * calorific value for natural gas 10.17 kW/m3, for liquefied gas - 12.80) * 24 hours * 30 days. The result is about 380 m3 for a house of 100 m2 when heating with natural gas and 560 liters when heating with liquefied gas. This data must be divided by the number of inhabitants.
The procedure for determining gas consumption standards
Calculation of standards is carried out by government authorities of the Russian Federation. The specifics of establishing standards are regulated by the orders of the Regional Energy Commission. The permissible amount of gas consumed depends on the different uses of the fuel. Different formulas are used for each purpose of gas use.
Types of gas consumption:
- cooking;
- heating water using a gas water heater or on a stove (this option is used when there is no central water supply);
- heating (when there is no central line for heating the house).
Consumption rates for liquefied and natural gas are calculated using different methods. In private houses, outbuildings are heated using blue fuel; when establishing standards, the area of the premises, the presence and number of animals, the number of citizens registered on the site, and connection to central highways are taken into account. The formula also depends on the type of gas - natural or liquefied.
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Fuel consumption can be recalculated using a special online calculator. It is enough to enter the initial data, and the program itself will select the formula.
Calculation of payment for gas provided in residential premises:
If you have a gas meter
The amount of payment for gas in an apartment or private house equipped with an individual natural gas meter is determined in paragraph 42 of the Rules for the provision of utility services. For this purpose, there is a special formula No. 1 given in the document:
Wherein:
- - this is the total amount of natural gas consumed during the billing period by the subscriber in a residential premises, determined in accordance with the readings of an individual meter,
- - this is the gas supply tariff established by the local government in accordance with the legislative norms of the Russian Federation.
The result is the cost of gas consumed, which the subscriber must pay.
An example of calculating fees for gas supply in residential/non-residential premises:
- The gas meter reading for the calendar month was 100 cubic meters
- The established tariff for gas supply services in the region for the population in apartment buildings was approved in the amount of 4.5 rubles per 1 cubic meter of gas consumed.
Total: 100 x 4.5 = 450 rubles
In the absence of a gas meter
The amount of payment for utility services for the use of natural gas for heating in an apartment or house that is not equipped with an individual gas meter is also carried out, in accordance with paragraph 42 of the rules for the provision of utility services, according to formula No. 5:
Wherein:
- - this is the total area of the apartment or house,
- - this is the standard gas consumption for heating residential premises,
- - this is the number of residents who permanently and temporarily reside in an apartment or house,
- - this is the standard gas consumption for cooking,
- - this is the standard gas consumption for heating water in the absence of a central hot water supply,
- — this is the gas tariff, which is set by the local government in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.
From this formula it is clear that gas can be used both for cooking and for heating and hot water supply. If a function is not used, it can simply be removed from the formula. In apartment buildings, most often only the gas cooking function is used. Therefore, you need to calculate the cost of gas only based on the number of people living and the standards for gas stoves.
An example of calculating fees for gas supply in a residential area:
If the apartment is simply equipped with a gas stove, and is not equipped with a gas water heater and heating.
- The apartment accommodates 4 people
- The regional standard for natural gas consumption for cooking is 12.58 cubic meters. meters per person
- The regional tariff for natural gas is 4.5 rubles per 1 cubic meter. meter.
The amount of payment for gas supply for this apartment for one month will be: 4 * (4.5 * 12.58) = 226.44 rubles
General house gas needs are usually calculated based on the readings of the common house meter and are shown as a separate line on the receipt for utility bills and house maintenance. You can most often find out all the norms and tariffs, as well as use special calculators for calculations, on the websites of gas companies on the Internet.
Tariff increase program
The Russian government has developed a program to increase tariffs for all utilities. Thus, in 2021 the cost of liquefied gas will increase by 4.1%. A significant increase in tariffs awaits the northern regions of the Russian Federation, since it is more difficult to transport fuel to these regions. Consumers should expect the next increase in gas prices at the end of 2021.
Gas tariff increases for households and businesses are different, for example:
- For ordinary citizens, gas prices will increase by 8.5%;
- For industrial companies, the cost of fuel will increase by 7.5%.
Initially, the government planned to increase tariffs by 5.5%. But inflation leads to an accelerated rise in the cost of utility services. At the same time, the problem of the population's debt for gas is not being solved. As of 2021, the debts of the population amounted to more than 60 billion rubles.
Debt
Many consumers do not pay utility bills. Changes in gas prices have no effect on the debt problem. Experts say that some categories of citizens refuse to pay for gas not because of rising fuel prices, but because of personal convictions.
The authorities regularly introduce various programs to encourage the population to pay for utilities. Regarding gas supply, consumers are required to pay their bills every month by the 10th of the month. If a citizen stops making payments, he will be fined. The amount of collections is 17.7% of the annual debt.
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The debtor begins to be fined after three months of non-payment. The state provides penalties for companies that provide public services. If such companies use low-quality fuel or supply gas irregularly, they must pay 1/170 of the refinancing.
