Is it profitable to install a gas meter and who needs it

Who is obliged to install a gas meter

According to the law, metering devices were supposed to appear in apartments and private houses that are heated with gas before January 1, 2015. A delay has been introduced for residents of Crimea and Sevastopol until January 1, 2021.

It is not necessary to install a meter if the gas consumption is less than 2 cubic meters. m per hour.

Apartments where there is only a stove from gas appliances are exactly suitable for this definition. It is better for the owners of water heaters to specify the fuel consumption in the characteristics of a particular device. A meter can also be dispensed with for those whose house has been declared dilapidated or damaged before January 1, 2013.

From 2019, and for Crimea and Sevastopol - from 2021, metering devices will be compulsorily installed by gas companies. The owner of a house or apartment is obliged to let employees to the place of installation of the device and pay the costs.

If he refuses to do so voluntarily, the costs will be added to the costs of court and enforcement of money. By default, the amount will be divided into equal payments that will need to be made within five years - with interest not exceeding the key refinancing rate of the Central Bank. The payment term can be changed if desired.

Is it profitable to install a gas meter

Let's figure out how the installation of a metering device will affect the family's budget with a mandatory installation, and whether it is worth thinking about it for those who are not subject to the law.

Due to the difference in the cost of metering devices and services of the organizations that install them, the volume of consumed gas, tariffs and other characteristics, the calculations will not be universal. But on their basis, you can find out on your own how the installation of a device that records gas consumption will affect your budget.

The cheapest counter on "" costs 1,079 rubles. For greater versatility of calculations, we will take a slightly more expensive option - for 1,980 rubles.

The device can only be installed by a specialized company that has a certificate from a self-regulatory organization for admission to this type of work. Often, such organizations provide meters and their price is included in the cost of services. But there are also those who are ready to use the customer's device.

The cost will depend on how many gas appliances you have, whether you need to install additional pipe sections, gas taps, and so on. Sealing of a new meter is free of charge.

As a rule, the service life of such equipment is not 5 years. Therefore, we will take this period as universal for all metering devices and long enough to draw conclusions, as well as apply the tariffs and standards of St. Petersburg.

If you only have a gas stove

The standard per person for an apartment with a gas stove is 10.4 cubic meters. m per month. For a family of two, gas costs per month will be 130.6 rubles (20.8 m³ × 6, 27983). If tariffs grow by an average of 5% annually, the family will spend 8,661 rubles in five years.

Let's say they actually consume only 5 cubic meters of gas per month. Then, under the same conditions, they will spend 2,082 rubles in 5 years. Add here the cost of the meter - 1 980 rubles - and its installation. For example, "Petersburg Gas Service" agrees to install the customer's device for 1,970 rubles.

As a result, 6,032 thousand comes out - and this is provided that the installation of the meter cost the minimum amount and the gas consumption is really small. If a family spends 10 cubic meters of blue fuel a month, then there will be no savings.

The more people are registered, the more profitable it is to set a meter.

The actual gas consumption with each new family member increases uncritically, but according to the standards, it increases significantly. For example, if four people were registered in the apartment, then more than 17,000 rubles a year would be spent on gas payments. Moreover, for a baby, the standard is the same as for an adult.

If you have a gas stove and a water heater

The standard in this case is 32 cubic meters per person, and the tariff is the same. This means that a family of two will already pay 402 rubles a month. For 5 years, this will result in 26 656 rubles.

Installing a meter on a stove and a column already costs 2,970 rubles. And the benefit depends on the actual gas consumption and the efforts that are made to save it. Generally, the older the column, the greater the flow rate. For some units, only due to the burning of the wick, more than 10 cubic meters per month can run on.

But even in this case, it will not be easy to “catch up” with the standard. Especially if more than two people are registered in the apartment. 10 cubes per wick, 5 cubes per stove, and 49 cubes remain in stock.

If you have gas heating

There are no options here, whether to install a meter or not, so let's just figure out the standards and tariffs.

In St. Petersburg, the standard is 8, 2 cubic meters per month per square meter of premises. As a result, even for heating a modest Khrushchev of 33 sq. m will need 270, 6 cubic meters of fuel and 1,700 rubles per month. House of 100 sq. m will already require 5,150 rubles. The gas used for cooking will have to be paid for separately.

The meter is definitely a profitable device here, and here's why:

According to the standard, you would have to pay the same in January, when the boiler works constantly, and in April, when you only need to periodically heat the house in anticipation of a full-fledged spring.
In most months, if not always, less gas will be spent than indicated in the standard, since averaged parameters are used to determine it.
Without a meter, a fee according to the standard can be charged in the summer. The device that records the actual consumption, in this case, reliably insures you against overpayments, but only if you have not missed the time to replace it.

What is the bottom line

The more people are registered in an apartment with a stove and / or a column, the more profitable it is to install a meter.
If you only have a gas stove and 1-2 people are registered, the savings, even in the long run, are not very impressive.
The less gas you use, the more profitable it is to install a meter. If you heat water in an electric kettle, cook in a multicooker and sometimes just forget why you need a stove, the difference between the standard and actual consumption will turn out to be significant.
With gas heating, installing a meter is beneficial in the overwhelming majority of cases. But you, by law, do not have much choice.