In light of the regular rise in prices for utility services, consumers are increasingly asking questions about how they can pay less for electricity, gas, water and, of course, heating, the price for which is the most expensive. And if the owners of private households are faced with a completely simple and realistic task - to increase the efficiency of heat conservation of their home, install a good boiler and replace battered batteries with new ones with regulators, then owners of apartments in high-rise buildings can only rely on the common sense of the service provider and logically reasonable rates. Many uninitiated people are interested in the quite reasonable question of why we pay for heating in the summer. In today’s article we will try to answer it, and also understand such nuances as the cost of apartment heating services and possible ways to reduce it.
Reasonable question
So, let's first find out why we pay for heating in the summer, although the radiators in the apartments become cold in mid-May, if not earlier. This “injustice” bothers a lot of people. It is especially relevant for those who have just begun to comprehend the basics of the science of paying for utility services, because older people know that this reduces the amount of bills that are received monthly by the population.
According to a decree adopted at the state level, at the end of each winter season, the services responsible for supplying heat to apartments calculate and adjust the cost of the services they provide. Heating tariffs, which holders of personal accounts will see in receipts, depend on many factors, but the fundamental one is the cost of energy. It also includes fees for communications services, their current repairs and modernization, wages, and taxes. As a result, the final price is broken down not by the number of months that actually make up the heating season, but by the entire calendar year. This reduces the financial burden on apartment owners.
Solution from above
This is a nationwide practice, which can be changed at the discretion of local authorities, when a collective decision is made on a different payment schedule, and people pay for using the service, albeit in a larger amount, but not throughout the year. Then apartment residents don’t have a question about why we pay for heating in the summer, but this does not mean at all that during the warm season they will have zeros in the “Heating” column.
The service provider may charge a certain amount, which will be calculated not for the direct supply of heat, but, for example, for servicing the main line. Of course, the cost of heating in the summer will then be significantly lower than that of others, but in the winter they will have to fork out a lot.
How is the tariff calculated?
The amount indicated in the “payable” column is made up of two components. First of all, this is the direct cost of the service to provide heat to each individual apartment, but the receipt also includes compensation from residents for the fact that the management company heats common areas, and not just square meters that fall under private property. What does it mean? The fact that heating tariffs include the supply of heat to the entrance, stairwells, corridors, and basements. By the way, apartment residents have to pay with their hard earned money not only directly for hot radiators, but also for other components that make up the cost of heating, which we already mentioned a little higher.
This is the main answer to the question of why we pay for heating all year round. After all, if the payment was calculated only at the time of actual use of the service, it would be too high, especially considering the current price for this utility service.
Since July 2017, the national tariff has increased by 4% on average. At the moment, it is not the same in different regions, although there are no significant differences. So, in the capital it is 1747 rubles/Gcal, in St. Petersburg - 1678 rubles, Tula - 1782 rubles, Pskov -1720 rubles, Kazan - 1647 rubles, Perm - 1820 rubles, Saratov - 1819 rubles, Novosibirsk - 1394 rubles, Chelyabinsk - 1211 rubles.
Constant variable
Heating payments in summer and winter are usually the same and are calculated using a basic formula that looks like this:
- Payment = consumption standard x total housing area x tariff.
The consumption standard is also calculated by the service provider once a year. Let us note one more nuance. If an individual heating meter is not installed in an apartment or house, the tariff is recalculated upward according to a factor of 1.6. That is, in fact, the amount in the payment bill increases by 60% due to the lack of a device that reads the amount of thermal energy that a residential building uses.
An important nuance in the issue of pricing is the duration of the heating season. Many Russians are concerned about the question of whether it is legal to pay for heating in the summer if the radiators were turned off in mid-spring due to favorable weather conditions. In theory, the heating and communal service should recalculate and take into account the actual overpayment for the next period, thereby reducing the next payment, but, alas, it is almost impossible to control this in reality.
As practice shows, utility bills occur annually. At the moment, the authorities do not foresee sharp increases in heating prices; according to government officials, this difference should not exceed the inflation rate budgeted for.
However, in any case, the population faces a rather urgent need to optimize the use of energy resources. It can help you save money. It is installed individually for an apartment by special service departments after agreement with the service provider. However, this issue also has its pitfalls.
Don't flatter yourself!
One of the main misconceptions among those who have just set out to install such a device in their home is that they will have to pay only for the amount of thermal energy that actually gets into the apartment. However, payment for heating in the summer can still be included in the general payment for utilities. Another question is that the amount there will appear insignificant, since it will be the fee for heating the entrance and some other price components.
There is also a significant difference in where exactly the meter is located. It can be communal or apartment-based. for heating in the first case? The person responsible for the calculations calculates how much it cost to heat the entire house during the reporting period, and, dividing this number by the number of apartments (taking into account the square meters of each of them), distributes the entire amount between their owners.
How to reduce heat consumption?
If your home has an individual heating system, then it is important to learn how to save on heating, because how much you will have to pay for this service largely depends on you. First of all, it is necessary to minimize possible ways of heat dissipation to the street:
- install good windows;
- replace entrance doors or eliminate gaps in the opening;
- insulate walls and ceilings.
It is very important to be able to use modern technologies correctly. A thermostat with a sensor that detects the presence of a person in the room issues commands to the system, which reduces or increases the heating of the room as needed. You can do this manually by installing control valves on the batteries.
We use less = we pay less?
These recommendations will be useful not only for “individuals”; they are also good for those who use centralized heating. High-quality insulated walls and windows will better maintain normal temperature in the apartment, especially considering the fact that not all boiler rooms meet the standards.
So, according to the standards, in winter the temperature in the living room should be within 20-23 degrees, in the kitchen and toilet - 19-21 degrees, and in the bathroom - at least 24 degrees. In fact, we have 16-18 degrees, which by law is only possible in lobbies, entrances and inter-apartment corridors. So it turns out that by insulating or using it you will not save money, but you will be able to create a more favorable microclimate in your home, but the question of why we pay for heating in the summer will remain open (given the level of services provided).
Investment for the future
When a house has an autonomous heating system or at least a meter, this is more beneficial for apartment owners in terms of saving money. So the communal apartment will be cheaper in any case. But it is even more profitable to have meters directly in the apartment. Before installing this device, you need to find out how the system is organized in your home. The pipes can be looped and run along the perimeter of the apartment from one room to another, but there are buildings where heating risers are installed. Then a counter will need to be installed on each of them, and this will amount to an impressive amount. However, such an acquisition will pay for itself quite quickly in any case.
I don’t want to and I won’t?
In today's article we discussed whether we should pay for heating in the summer. Yes, such a fee is quite reasonable, because it helps reduce the burden of material costs placed on our wallets. However, in some cases it is possible to agree with the service provider not to break down the annual cost of heating over 12 months and pay for it only as it is. To do this, it is necessary to renegotiate the contract with the utility, in which the subscriber and supplier agree on a new schedule and monthly payment amount.
In modern conditions, the budget of any Russian family is constantly subjected to various stresses and tests. A significant part of wages is always allocated to pay for utilities, the cost of which is steadily growing every year. This is why people try to find ways to save money. In this regard, Russians are often concerned with the question: why do they have to pay for heating in the summer if heat is supplied to apartments only in the cold season? This situation makes many people think that utility companies are being cunning and profiting from the population, but is this true?
Often people, seeing their heating bill in the summer, immediately decide to go to court. In fact, you shouldn’t immediately resort to such radical measures; you should initially try to figure everything out and resolve conflicts peacefully. And only in a situation where your constitutional freedoms are truly violated and your rights are infringed, you need to ask for protection in the courts. But before you file a lawsuit, make sure that charging for heating in the summer is really illegal.
Calculation method
To understand whether the utility service or the management company in charge of distributing bills is deceiving you, you need to know how to calculate the amount to be paid, what tariffs are in effect and when citizens are entitled to discounts. Today there are several formulas for calculation. Which one to use specifically in your case depends on a number of external factors and circumstances, for example, whether you live in an apartment building or a private building, a common or individual resource meter is installed, etc. Sometimes it happens that there is no meter in the house at all, in such situation, the amounts of payments will be calculated according to the standards.
In 2013, amendments to the legislation came into force, according to which increased coefficients will be used in the formulas for the absence of a heat meter in the room. In 2019, when calculating heating payments, you will have to multiply by a factor of 1.6.
It is worth noting that we pay for heat for the past heating period. The total amount for resource consumption is divided into 12 months. This scheme resembles an installment plan. This measure was introduced to reduce the financial burden for citizens. No matter what formula is used to calculate (according to the standard, an individual or a common house meter), you always have to take into account the established tariff. It does not change throughout the year, but changes may occur when the billing period changes. Tariffing is influenced by many factors, namely:
- average outdoor air temperature for the heating season and the last five years;
- type of electronic carrier;
- indicator of average wages in the region, etc.
Since our winter can begin in early autumn and end in late spring, it is around heating that heated debates often flare up. And one of the most common questions that provokes the anger of a consumer burdened with paying for housing and communal services is why some people still have the “heating” column on their bills even in the summer? And who in general can fall into this strange category of payers?
Where to look for the answer?
The Government Decree “On the provision of public services” has several editions, and it is logical that you can only refer to the latest one by date of adoption. At the moment, this is Government Decree No. 603 of June 29, 2016, which sets out the procedure for calculating payment, payment methods, as well as the rights and obligations of resource companies and consumers.
One out of two
According to these rules, the consumer pays only for what he has spent. So why do some people still receive bills in the summer? Because, according to the same decree, there are two methods of payment. The first is the option when payments are made only when I received the heat - I paid for it, and then the amount for the month is quite large. The second option is equal payment throughout the entire calendar year. It is important to understand here that consumer pays not for non-existent warmth, but the heat it received during the heating season last year. That is, payment is calculated from the data of the previous year of consumption and is evenly divided into 12 months. It turns out that the consumer pays no more and no less, as many people think - the total amounts are approximately equal, but thus the financial burden on the consumer himself is reduced, since he does not have to pay a significant part of his salary at once. He gives it away in parts.
Who decides when to pay?
Now government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have the right to independently choose on what basis consumers should pay - within a year or only, and also to change their decision. These rules will not necessarily be the same for everyone: in some municipalities heating may be paid monthly, in others - during the seven cold months. Be that as it may, the authorities cannot change the decision on how and to whom to pay whenever they please - only once a year.
Photo:Sheila Sund
What if we install a meter?
Obviously, the consumer must pay only for those resources that he has used. The easiest way to track your “expenses” is usually for water and electricity. The difficulty is that it is impossible to organize this with a centralized heating system. Although, if the house is built according to an individual project with a horizontal heating system, then, of course, it is worth acquiring a metering device. This purchase will really help you save money and control the temperature yourself.
A separate line about one
It doesn’t matter whether the fee is charged monthly or only during the heating season, you must also pay general house charges. They are also determined by the general house meter or by regional standards and are subject to the same rules as our individual indicators.
Arina Tropinova
Heating fees for residents of apartment buildings will change again in 2018
The government changed the previously adopted decision according to which, in the absence of a common house heat meter in the house, residents had to pay for heat according to standards from August 1, 2018 with an increasing factor of 1.4, and from January 2018 - 1.5. The cost of a heat meter can reach 500 thousand.
rub. It is not profitable for resource supply organizations to invest large amounts of money in a metering device, so it is beneficial for them to calculate the cost of heating according to standards with a multiplying factor.
Calculation of heating in an apartment building from the year
Recently, in the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 05/06/2011 No. 354, which determines the procedure for calculating the amount of fees for utility services. including for the heating service, significant changes have been made.
It is worth noting that the choice of methodology for calculating the amount of heating fees now determines not only the presence or absence of communal and individual heat energy meters in an apartment building, but also the period for calculating the amount of the fee.
Law on payment for heating in the summer
The cost of heating a home is one of the most significant components of the bills that we pay for housing and communal services.
It is not surprising, therefore, that among the frequent questions that arise among consumers of utility services, an important place is occupied by the procedure for charging for the supply of heat to our homes. We decided to raise this topic again due to the loss of force of the Rules for the provision of utility services to citizens, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 23, 2006 No. 307, and the adoption of a new document dated June 29, 2018 No. 603
“ON AMENDMENTS TO SOME ACTS OF THE RF GOVERNMENT ON ISSUES OF PROVISION OF PUBLIC SERVICES”
Is it legal to charge for heating in the summer?
The current rules (government decree No. 307) establish that payment for heating services is made monthly in equal payments.
If a meter is available, based on average monthly consumption for the past year. In the absence of a common house meter - based on consumption standards. Hello. Thank you, Artyom and Anastasia, for your quick response and help in resolving the issue.
Why do we pay for heating all year round?
In modern conditions, the budget of any Russian family is constantly subjected to various stresses and tests.
A significant part of wages is always allocated to pay for utilities, the cost of which is steadily growing every year.
This is why people try to find ways to save money. In this regard, Russians are often concerned with the question: why do they have to pay for heating in the summer if heat is supplied to apartments only in the cold season? This situation makes many people think that utility companies are being cunning and profiting from the population, but is this true?
Often people, seeing their heating bill in the summer, immediately decide to go to court.
Add a comment
Dear residents and entrepreneurs of the Sverdlovsk Region, the Ministry of Investment and Development of the Sverdlovsk Region, as part of the implementation of tasks to develop competition in the Sverdlovsk Region, is constantly conducting research on the level of satisfaction with the quality of goods (services), collecting information on the presence of administrative barriers. In accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 29.
Why do Russians pay for heating in the summer?
The answer to the question why we pay for heating in the summer can be found on the Internet. In addition, this issue is enshrined in the legislative framework.
The utility package includes heat. This service is seasonal, but for some reason heating fees are charged even in the summer.
This happens due to the choice by local authorities of the appropriate payment procedure. There is another procedure in which the question: “Do I have to pay for heating in the warm months?” disappears.
Every conscientious citizen will not pay for something unknown.
New heating payment procedure
On June 30, 2018, the Russian Federation Regulation of May 23, 2006 N307 (hereinafter referred to as Rule 307) finally expired - the same resolution providing for payment of heating monthly in equal installments throughout the year. Now the procedure for calculating heating fees is determined exclusively by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 N354 (hereinafter referred to as Rules 354).
However, the norms of Rule 307 did not disappear - it was on the last day of Rule 307 that the RF Government Decree dated 29 came into force.
QUESTION: In the summer, we naturally switch off. Should they charge us for heating in the summer?
After all, in the summer we don’t use heating.
If they shouldn’t, how can I ask them to recalculate?
Will we really have to go to court? After all, they claim that at the end of the year they recalculate.
However, there has been no recalculation for several years.
Questions related to paying for utilities are always relevant. Due to lack of time, we are accustomed to giving our money for heat, water and light “without looking.” There is no time for disassembly, but there are management companies and homeowners associations that know exactly what needs to be done and how. Many residents of MKD firmly believe that there is no point in “contradicting” local governments and management organizations. The overwhelming majority of consumers believe that in any case, management companies or homeowners associations are controlled by state housing supervision bodies, which were created for this purpose - therefore, there is no point in “extra movements”, much less “wars”.
Have you ever wondered why some people pay for heating in apartment buildings evenly throughout the year, while others pay money only during the heating season? Why does this happen and who chooses the payment method?
In fact, it is not management companies or even HOAs that dictate how to pay for heating. Current housing legislation allows two payment methods:
– only during the heating season
– during the calendar year in equal amounts
It is necessary to clarify that the total amount for the year, regardless of the payment method, is the same. To clearly verify the legality of such an order, you need to turn to specific laws. In this case, this is the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2011, No. 354. Point No. 42 is indicative here, which clearly stipulates that the method of payment for utility services is determined by the state authority of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation.
Many people believe that government authorities are not the only persons who can determine the rules of payment for heat, gas or electricity. However, in reality, government authorities are the only regulators regarding the choice of payment method for heating.
The final confirmation of this fact is Government Decree No. 603 of June 26, 2016:
"2. Establish that government bodies of constituent entities of the Russian Federation have the right to make, in relation to all or individual municipalities located on the territory of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation, a decision to change the way consumers pay for heating utilities (during the heating season or evenly throughout the calendar year). This decision is made no more than once a year before October 1 and is subject to publication on the official website of the government body of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation on the Internet information and telecommunications network within 5 working days from the date of its adoption.”
