The Russians predicted a new column in utility bills: meters and barriers

The mass introduction of smart meters will not lead to an increase in payments for housing and communal services. This was reported in the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. Earlier, the Deputy Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Construction to work out the inclusion of payment for the installation, replacement, and verification of modern metering devices in apartment buildings in the fat bill.

The office of the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that digitalization will bring tangible benefits to both resource-supplying organizations and consumers: the risks of accidents will be reduced, and the methodology for calculating the cost of services in the housing and communal services sector will be adjusted for the better. However, independent experts warn: directly or indirectly, residents will have to shell out for the installation of new meters.

The development of a system of smart metering devices is designed to increase the penetration of artificial intelligence into the housing and communal services sector (now only 6% of companies in this area are implementing it) and provide a significant economic effect, including for citizens, noted in the office of Deputy Prime Minister Chernyshenko.

Most likely, there will indeed be more smart meters in homes due to the need to introduce artificial intelligence, which penetrates into all spheres of life, says Pavel Sigal, vice president of Opora Rossii. Here it is necessary to ensure that it is beneficial to both consumers and public utilities, since such a reform of payment for housing and communal services requires large financial costs.

The cost of the tariff always includes not only the price of electricity, but also the investment costs of resource supply companies, says Ivan Samoylenko, managing partner of B&C Agency. In his opinion, the installation of smart meters is beneficial for both resource workers and residents.

All new metering devices are multi-tariff. The consumer can choose the one that suits him. And it turns out that due to even a simple two-tariff meter (for day and night consumption, the cost of electricity is different) you can seriously save.

“For example, turn on equipment with high power consumption at night (after 22:00 and before 06:00). It can be a washing machine or a dishwasher – if they are used at such a time, the cost of energy consumed can be half as much. As a result, it will be possible to save up to 20% on monthly payments, which is a lot,” says Samoylenko.

Will Russia massively install smart metering devices and how will this affect MK payers?

– Massively, especially at once, it is impossible to do this due to the lack of such a number of metering devices for communal resources in the country. However, progress does not stand still, and meters in new buildings are much “smarter” than in the old housing stock. Citizens buy the cheapest, Chinese ones, and then they suffer: either it breaks by the next verification regime, or the error goes off scale, and they pay more than they actually consumed.

– Who will pay for the installation and replacement of devices – residents? And if managers or resource workers are obligated, where will they get the funds from?

– In 2009, 261-FZ was adopted, according to which people were obliged to buy and install meters at their own expense. There are dozens of models on the market, from 5 to 20 thousand rubles. But we don’t go shopping with our scales, do we? Resources can buy them in bulk, their accounting will increase, and by reducing losses they will be in the black.

– So, will there still be a new line of costs in bills – for smart metering devices?

– We need a new line, which will include everything related to digitalization – intercoms, barriers, the Internet, meters, energy services. Today there are only two types of services – housing and communal. We need a third one – digital, in which, if desired, residents can include everything related to “smart home” technologies.

– If such meters are installed, how much can consumers save?

– For each house individually, but if everything is done correctly, then the benefit will be both 10 and 20%. However, we cannot manage what we cannot count, which is why smart meters are needed. There are many white spots in the housing and communal services associated with poor commercial accounting, so the industry is not developing.