Meters are equipment that is used to measure the consumption of resources by consumers, provided as a single room, apartment, and the whole house. They are conditionally divided into common house meters and apartment meters.
In new apartment buildings, in accordance with applicable law, a construction company is obliged to install metering devices, since if this equipment is not available, the facility will not be allowed to operate. In the old housing stock, apartment owners are independently involved in the installation. A meeting of homeowners is required to make a decision on the installation of common house meters.
Increase distribution
In our country, tariffs for consumed resources rise in price every year, and this applies to all regions, both central and remote. Organizations involved in the control of their use issue bills with impressive amounts, which are calculated according to planned consumption per person, and not according to actual use. This becomes the main reasoninstallation of meters, but not everyone knows that you can save on this, thereby saving the family budget.
Rules
Every citizen is obliged to pay for the used resources and utilities, but few people have the desire to overpay. Meters can bring real savings, and they also allow you to track readings to be able to choose a more economical option for the consumption of electricity, gas or water.
Those who already have metering devices know that there are rules for installing them, which are as follows:
- the meter must have a specialized seal after installation is completed, and sealing is the responsibility of the employees of the city water utility;
- it is allowed to place the device within 20 cm from the entrance to the water pipe in the house or apartment. This prevents the pipe from cutting into the measuring device;
- installation of a check valve is required. It is used to prevent the consumer from rewinding the readings, for example with a vacuum cleaner;
- the presence of a coarse filter in front of the counter to screen out sand and large particles. This prevents mechanical damage to parts and improves data accuracy;
- the device must be certified in Russia. Otherwise, the user may be refused by the workers of the water utility and deregister the device.
Gas and electricity meters are installed by specialists of the gas industry and energy enterprises. In this casethe presence of a device passport refers to the general rules, while the serial number indicated in the documentation must match the device number.
Preferential groups of citizens
As you know, beneficiaries have the right to count on free installation of meters, these include the following categories:
- victims of political repression, prisoners of concentration camps, rehabilitated persons, home front workers, participants in the Second World War;
- lonely poor citizens and low-income families;
- widows of war veterans;
- citizens who retired due to old age;
- families with minors with disabilities.
Families with many children are also en titled to preferential installation of meters in a house or apartment. In this case, there is no installation fee, but the installation responsibility is transferred to the family, regardless of whether it is done by a third-party specialist or by the residents themselves.
The above privileged categories of citizens can install water, gas and electricity meters for free. There will be no charge for metering devices or for calling workers. Registration must be carried out immediately after installation. For self-installation, you must contact the management company, if a specialist was called, he himself will carry out the registration process in his documents.
Local authorities in most regions of the country have introduced free installation of meters for the population; funds from the regional budget are allocated for this. In the capital suchthere are no benefits, only in some areas the work is paid for by budgetary funds.
DIY Installation
You can independently install a water meter, then you need to invite a specialist whose duties include sealing the meter and recalculating the readings, since payment will begin from the day the seal is fixed. Do-it-yourself installation is not difficult, it is enough to be able to handle plumbing tools.
Before installing the electric meter, it is necessary to pay attention to the statute of limitations for the state check of the device. The date can be found on the casing seal. It is also required to determine the type of network, the number of disconnecting devices and their rated currents (RCD, circuit breakers). Mounting on metal, plastic and wooden shields is allowed. The design of shields, niches and cabinets should provide simplified access to current transformers and clamps. In addition, it is important to ensure the possibility of installation with a slope of up to 1 ° and the convenience of subsequent replacement. The design must provide for the removal and installation of the device from the front side.
After self-installation of the meter, as mentioned above, you need to inform the specialist of the organization involved in accounting for resources. Then you need to visit the accounting department of this department to recalculate the payment, as well as fix the installation date and meter readings.
Installation of gas metering devices
On my ownit is forbidden to install gas meters. This is explained by the explosion hazard, therefore, all pipes and devices that are related to the transportation of this substance must be carefully insulated and have sealed joints. Ignoring the rules is fraught with sad consequences - leakage, gas can explode when interacting with oxygen or fire. If self-installation of metering devices is detected, specialists can shut off the supply of the resource.
Which company would you prefer?
Before you call an installer, you need to decide on the company. It is worth paying close attention to whether the company provides warranty service for devices and whether it has a license, since it is responsible for the correct installation. It would also be useful to learn about drawing up an act on the work performed and concluding an agreement.
Modern counters
Electronic individual meters are more accurate than induction meters. Many have an additional feature that allows you to connect the device to automatic custody transfer systems. Electronic meters are less susceptible to temperature fluctuations, are more reliable in operation, carry out more accurate metering of electricity at low loads, and also have a large operating range in the accuracy class.
Used to control the power consumption of a device with a radio channel (remote data retrieval function). Electricity sales agent usingspecial reader can take control readings of metering devices without entering the consumer's apartment.
What is a two-rate meter
There are multi-tariff and single-tariff metering devices. The former are able to store accurate consumption data at different times of the day. They take into account energy at separate tariffs “Night” and “Day”, thanks to which the consumer has the opportunity to use electricity at a reduced rate at night.
Such devices before installation must be programmed for zones that operate in the region of use. These zones and the tariffs corresponding to them are determined by the regional administration.
Advantages of the “Day-Night” device
After installing a multi-tariff meter, it is more profitable for the consumer to use household energy-intensive appliances, such as a dishwasher and washing machine, a heater, a water heater, at night. One kilowatt-hour of night tariff costs significantly less compared to the usual one.
Two-tariff energy meters are beneficial not only for consumers, but also for energy companies. The thing is that during the day there is an uneven load on the station: the peak is observed in the morning and in the evening, while at night the power engineers are forced to reduce the amount of generation. The technical condition of the equipment suffers from an uneven load schedule. In addition, the energy company operates at full capacity during periods of maximum activity, including those capacities that have a high cost.production. Greater distribution of the multi-tariff metering device enables energy companies to significantly reduce costs.
Heat meters
Heat meters are designed both to detect the amount of heat and to measure the mass and main characteristics of the coolant. The account of the spent energy not only on a source, but also at consumers is carried out. The source can be a boiler house, a thermal district station, a thermal power plant. Consumers include residential buildings, public and industrial buildings.
The installation of such meters allows you to control the hydraulic and thermal modes of operation, evaluate the rationality of the use of energy, and also mark the parameters of coolants: pressure, temperature, volume. The profitability of purchasing the device is confirmed by many years of use and in most cases pays off in a short period of time.
