Gas meters: do they need to be installed, how to check and transmit readings

Whether it is necessary to install gas meters, how to take readings and where to send them – in the Kommersant certificate.

Is it necessary to install gas meters?

According to Federal Law No. 261-FZ of November 23, 2009 “On Energy Saving and Increasing Energy Efficiency,” gas meters are optional if only the stove runs on gas and fuel consumption does not exceed 2 cubic meters. m per hour.

Meters are necessary when a gas boiler or water-heating gas water heater is used in a room together with a stove. If the owner of an apartment or house refuses to use the meter, the gas distribution company has the right to force it to be installed. Installation costs will still be paid by the owner of the premises.

Why install gas meters?

Meter owners pay only for the volume of gas actually consumed. According to Gazprom estimates, the cost of gas meters starts at 2.3 thousand rubles. and depends on the calibration interval, the costs of the device and installation pay off on average in two years.

How to install a gas meter

The owner of the premises can choose and purchase a gas meter himself. But only local gas distribution companies or organizations that have received a special license and entered into an agreement with the emergency dispatch service can supply it. Before installation, you must submit an application in person (at the gas supplier’s office) or in absentia (by email, hotline, through forms on the company’s website). Most often, the application will require several important documents:

– certificate of ownership of the house or apartment and its copy;

— owner’s passport;

— technical passport for the gas meter and its copy;

— report of the last inspection, if the device is not new;

– maintenance agreement.

Gas distribution companies seal meters within five working days after submitting an application. If the meter was installed independently or it turned out to be faulty, gas workers will refuse to install seals and numbered control and security stickers. After the work has been done, gas company employees must leave several documents with the owners of the apartment or house:

— an agreement on the installation of a gas meter together with an acceptance certificate for the work performed;

— receipt for payment for installation;

— act of putting the meter into operation, which includes the current meter readings and numbers from the control and protective stickers.

After this, you can take readings and pay only for the gas actually consumed.

How to take and transmit gas meter readings

Meter readings are transmitted once a month. Exact dates may vary by region. For example, in Moscow, testimony is accepted until the 20th of the current month, and in Smolensk – until the 25th of the current month.

Only the first digits are transmitted—digits after a period or comma are not taken into account. Testimony is transmitted in several ways:

— in person at the gas supplier’s office;

— through the city website or GIS housing and communal services, for example on mos.ru;

— through forms on the website of the local gas company;

— in the mobile application;

— via SMS;

— via e-mail or telephone.

Specific phone numbers, websites, and addresses vary by region.

How is the gas meter verified?

In accordance with the legislation, the verification period for gas meters is “once every 12 years”. The exact date is specified in the commissioning certificate. Lists of companies that have the right to carry out meter verification are published on official portal of RosAccreditation.

According to Gazprom’s calculations, the price of checking a gas meter varies from 1.5 thousand to 5 thousand rubles. As a rule, the price includes dismantling the device, checking it in a laboratory or on a mobile unit, sealing it and, if necessary, repairing it.

On May 1, 2023, a new national standard GOST R 8.1017–2023 was introduced. According to the edited rules, verification consists of an external inspection, testing the meter, determining its relative error and placing a seal with a verification mark. In the final protocol, the master enters the name, numbers and production dates of the gas meter, describes which device and under what conditions the research was carried out, as well as what results they showed.

After verification, the technician must record the results in an electronic register within 24 hours. According to the new rules, paper verification certificates have lost their legal force and are for reference only. The owner of the meter has the right to demand that the information be entered into the FSIS “Arshin” directly in his presence. You can double-check the wizard by following simple instructions:

– come in to the FSIS Rosstandart website;

— go to the “Metrology” section of the FSIS “ARSHIN”;

— in the window that opens, select “Public portal”;

— in the left menu, select the section “Information on the results of verification of measuring instruments”;

— enter the serial number of the meter in the search line and click “Find”;

— check the displayed data with the real ones.

What to do if you are late to submit gas meter readings

If the readings are not submitted on time, the payer will receive a receipt with the amount calculated based on monthly averages. As a rule, it exceeds the actual consumption. Next month you can submit real testimony and recalculate.