They suggested adding one more line to the utility bill: you will have to pay more

Expert Sklyanchuk appreciated the idea of ​​installing gas analyzers

Russians have not yet had time to deal with some payments for housing and communal services, when new ones loomed on the horizon. To avoid domestic gas explosions in homes, the State Duma proposes to install gas analyzers in all apartments. According to the idea of ​​the members of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Public Utilities, such devices will automatically shut off the gas supply in the event of a network depressurization or give a loud signal. And everything would be fine, but the payment for utilities will become even higher.

The Duma members suggested that the Ministry of Construction install such sensors during major renovations of houses. The author of the initiative, State Duma deputy Sergei Kolunov, said that the average cost of a gas device with automatic shut-off is about 4,000 rubles. “They must be installed in every apartment of houses with gas equipment. This is the only way we can avoid emergencies, leaks and explosions, and protect our residents,” he believes.

In 2022, at least 8 cases of household gas explosions in apartment buildings were recorded in Russia. In Voronezh, Stupino near Moscow, on Sakhalin… This year, too, was not without similar incidents, the last explosion was in Balashikha near Moscow on September 20.

In total, dozens of people have died over the past two years. And it seems that household gas in our cities and towns is exploding as scheduled. At the same time, some experts note that not all cases of household gas explosions are included in the reports. Only the most resonant ones and only in multi-apartment residential buildings. Although Russia still has a huge stock of gas cylinders, which are used in rural areas for cooking. Their refueling, operation and accounting defy any statistics. When a cylinder explodes, a fire is written in the report, since after the explosion a fire actually starts.

In general, it is difficult to argue against the thesis that in the housing and communal services sector, the use and operation of gas equipment is one of the main problems. Will gas analyzers help eliminate such incidents from our lives? And at whose expense will the next communal revolution be carried out? We asked an expert in the field of housing and communal services, an analyst of the ONF “Housing and Urban Environment” thematic platform Pavel Sklyanchuk about this.

“This idea is not new; it began to be discussed in our country 7-8 years ago, when high-profile cases of household gas explosions occurred,” he answered. – The issue, in particular, comes down to the additional financial burden on citizens. Most likely, they must purchase gas analyzers at their own expense, which not everyone can afford.

– Why should this be introduced at the expense of citizens?

– About 15 years ago, we divided gas equipment into intra-apartment and communal. Everything inside the apartment is private property. And no one will improve it at the expense of the budget; there is simply no money for this.

– And the technical side of the question: how reliable are such devices in operation?

– Gas analyzers have two disadvantages. False alarm, as well as failure to detect the flow of gas between rooms through blowers. In general, there are problems with efficiency. In addition, the country simply does not physically have enough sensors to equip all apartments in multi-storey buildings with them. And purchasing, for example, Chinese products is also not very correct.

– Then is the game worth the candle? Should we introduce a “compulsory” requirement for all tenants, given the considerable price and dubious quality of such equipment?

– There is probably no particular need for this. It should be taken into account that gas equipment in Russia has been improved and updated in recent years. Gas stoves are now being produced with automatic shutdown of the gas supply in the event of a leak. The same can be said about water heaters. Therefore, there is no point in forcing the installation of such sensors. If only in potentially dangerous apartments where single pensioners, antisocial elements or people registered in a mental hospital live. As a rule, in almost all cases of household gas explosions, the weak link is the human factor. I will add that they want to tie the installation of gas analyzers to the major repairs of houses, which is allowed by the Housing Code. However, for this, the general meeting of residents of the apartment building must agree.

– Are there really no other ways to protect residents from household gas explosions?

– Switch to using electric stoves. Modern new buildings are equipped with just such an energy supply.