The new line in the housing and communal services payment turned out to be “intangible”

Before we had time to recover from the double increase in utility bills last year (from July 1 and December 31), new bleak reports appeared from the same utility front. From October 1, in many regions, tenants will again have to fork out money, paying an additional up to 1.5 thousand rubles for services. MK found out who will be affected and what they will have to pay extra for.

Various resources are discussing the news that from October 1 in some regions the payment system will be replenished with a new line. The tenant will have to pay extra for utilities received in the past year, up to another one and a half thousand rubles.

Such “chain letters” will come from regional information and settlement centers or other organizations that calculate the costs of consumed resources. “And if they turn out to be more than expected,” then law-abiding Russians will once again have to tighten their belts so as not to remain in debt to management companies.

It is emphasized that we are talking about residents of apartment buildings where electricity, gas and heat meters are installed. If it turns out that the actual payment is less than what is calculated according to the meters, please pay extra…

Needless to say, the additional payment for utilities plunges many Russians into confusion. As you know, in the past 2022, utility tariffs were increased in the country twice – by a total of 13%. It was quite sensitive. But then, at all levels of the authorities, we were assured that we would now forget about the increase in the cost of services for as much as 1.5 years, until July 1, 2024.

And here we go again: if you please, fork out your money… How can this be? – we address the question to a specialist.

“The source of the origin of this information is not clear to me,” says Pavel Sklyanchuk, an analyst at the ONF “Housing and Urban Environment” thematic platform. – We are most likely talking about a specific city or region and in connection with a specific situation. For example, related to the operation of a concession in the field of heat supply. These issues are regulated not by the government, but by local authorities.

I assure you that Russians will not have to pay anything extra in October for the past year on a large scale. And no additional line will appear in the payment slip – no need to worry!

– But there is no smoke without fire. As a rule, after rumors we learn about specific decisions of the authorities…

– There really is a mechanism for recalculating resources for last year. It is laid down in government decree No. 354. But October is the beginning of the heating season, and no one will make such recalculations at this time. Winters are different – both cold and warm. Utilities need to know the volume of heat consumption and gross revenue. The recalculation of resources traditionally occurs at the beginning of the year and is included in receipts in February-March. This coming year this will happen in early spring, and from July 1 there will be a planned indexation of tariffs.

At the same time, the government launched a reform related to the transition of payment from standard resource consumption to actual consumption. Based on readings from metering devices installed in the basements of apartment buildings. Such actions are taken to reduce consumption.

According to expert estimates, the potential for reducing heating costs is about 30%. Now citizens are paying for expenses that they do not actually bear. This is a consequence of the deterioration of communal infrastructure and dilapidated housing stock.

– Let’s clarify the metering devices. A heat meter for the entire house is installed in the basement. But there are none in apartments, although they consume differently there. By world and by water there is. When will there be individual heating devices?

– Yes, in the public sector, individual and general household consumption is practiced. Electricity is under complete control.

As for heat meters, not all houses are equipped with them, only 15-20%. The rest pay according to the standards. Apartments today have cold and hot water meters installed, but they cover about 70%.

There is a big problem with heat supply. New buildings have communications that allow separate accounting. But there are difficulties associated with the flow of heat from one room to another. Utilities supply the required amount of gigacalories to the boundaries of the house. Then they go to their apartments. If, say, 50% of the residents in a house go somewhere for the winter, the meter will show zero consumption. They won’t pay anything. But how much heat needs to be supplied to the house so as not to freeze other apartments and not disturb people’s living conditions? By creating convenience for some, we can significantly worsen the lives of others.