In our time, the stability has become the increase in electricity tariffs. And to save your money, there is the option of switching to multi-zone electricity control. This device makes it possible to pay for services at a different rate at night. With a two-zone meter, the consumer always saves. Since during the day he pays at the regular rate, and at night 50 percent of the regular rate. And in this situation, installing a two-zone meter is beneficial for those consumers who do not fit into the electricity consumption standards.
Is a two-tariff electricity meter profitable: justification for installation
A two-tariff meter clearly justifies its installation, especially for homeowners.
This justification can be explained by 3 facts:
- The owner has the opportunity to save on water heating;
- Also saves on space heating;
- And savings on household processes such as washing and similar uses.
This also applies to owners of their own homes. Now let's move on to the apartment owners.
Basically, all the benefits are the same as for owners of private houses. But the efficiency is especially evident in the use of underfloor heating in heating systems. Turning on floor heating will be optimal only at a time when tariffs are reduced. You won’t be able to save money on laundry at night, since the neighbors will be against night noise. If the house is built with soundproofing systems, then such savings are certainly possible.
Advantages of a two-tariff meter
The main advantage that an ordinary consumer receives by installing an electric two-tariff meter is saving money.
Typically, the electricity tariff during the day is one and a half to two times higher than at night. Two other advantages will be of interest only to those who consider themselves a citizen of the rule of law and understand their responsibility to society and nature:
- Reducing the load on the serving power plant (theoretically, this fact can affect the reduction in the cost of electricity).
- Reduction of harmful emissions into the atmosphere as a result of more uniform operation of the enterprise.
Obviously, in the context of a deteriorating environmental situation in the city and rising utility tariffs, the last two advantages are unlikely to interest anyone. But even when trying to reduce costs, we must remember that the tariff rate is different in all regions. If you don't take this into account, you won't be able to save money.
2-tariff electricity meter: how to install
The installation of such a meter must be accompanied by the previous execution of a contract for its installation.
This is done this way:
- First you need to contact the organization that supplies electricity to your locality. In this organization at the hotel drawing up consumption contracts, the contract for changing electricity tariffs is renegotiated. The contract you completed remains with the organization and within a couple of days the old contract will be re-signed. Also in the office of this organization, you can clarify what recommendations the organization gives for installation in the specific conditions of the locality.
- After concluding a new contract, you need to purchase a new two-circuit meter. At your request, the seller must program the device with readings acceptable to the buyer and issue a special document with the corresponding readings. Such a document must be shown to the organization supplying electricity to your locality. In response, the organization must check the purchased meter.
- Next, a statement is written to replace your meter with a new one. Pick up the verified meter and the renewed contract.
- After all this, all that remains is to wait for the specialist who will install the meter. And after installation, enjoy the benefits of the new device and calculate the savings.
Nowadays, in the relevant acts regulating legal relations in the field of electricity consumption, such accounting has two types. Using a double-circuit electricity meter, payment tariffs are determined by day and night tariffs. The day rate is valid from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., respectively, the night rate comes into force from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Reviews about two-tariff meters
The vast majority of users respond positively to two-tariff meters. According to network users, savings in some cases reach more than 500 rubles. However, there are those for whom installing a new recording device was unprofitable and even unprofitable.
But, as a rule, negative reviews of a two-tariff electric meter are left by those users who incorrectly calculated the benefits of its use. It is also important to remember about the payback of the device. In some cases, this process may take several years.
Multi-tariff meter: profitable or not
A two-zone multi-tariff electric meter is beneficial. The difference is felt immediately; just buy it and determine how much you saved. A single-tariff electric meter will not allow you to save so much money. To accurately determine whether it makes sense to switch to using a dual-circuit meter, you need readings of power consumption. If you want to install a two-tariff meter, then for this you need to record the meter readings at 7 am and at 23 pm. For the tariff, it is necessary to make such entries at 7 am, 10 am, 17 pm, 21 pm and 23 pm. These records must be made within a month and only after that you will find out the energy demand for all zones and find out whether replacing the meter with a dual-circuit one is beneficial for you.
Not every person will dare to undertake such research. And in this case, you can go by reasoning. If you are a simple person who is at work from 8 am to 5 pm, and your apartment does not have a large number of smart automatic devices that perform their functions at a given time, then you definitely do not need to install a double-circuit meter. And after installation, on the contrary, you will not save on energy consumption, and you may have to pay more.
The presence of household appliances and, most importantly, the desire to use them only at night will give you the opportunity to save money on paying for the electricity consumed.
However, keep in mind that constantly getting up at night to monitor your meter can lead to changes in the circadian rhythm, insomnia and other such troubles with your health. Also, leaving equipment in operating mode unattended can lead to a fire or flood. And if your units are noisy, this will also lead to quarrels with neighbors.
The rating and the forum can help you choose what is best and what is beneficial to you, where users explain exactly how the transition and installation of these meters differs, and whether it is possible to transfer your use to an electronic three-tariff or two-zone meter in Ukraine, since a single-phase meter has long gone out of fashion .
Multi-tariff system
Electricity is consumed unevenly throughout the day. There are peaks in the morning and evening, when a lot of electricity is required by industrial and private consumers. At the same time, generating equipment and networks are subject to increased loads, but at night there is a decline in consumption, production decreases, as the equipment runs idle. To stimulate more uniform consumption, a multi-tariff system was invented in which the cost of electricity depends on the time of day. There are three tariffs: day, peak and night. Moreover, the highest cost of energy is in the peak tariff.
There are three types of electricity consumption meters on the market: single-tariff, two-tariff and three-tariff.
Single-phase meters count electricity as it is consumed. These devices are manufactured in such a way that only the total volume of wound energy is taken into account by the controller.
Multi-tariff devices (two- and three-tariff) are designed in such a way that they take into account the consumed kilowatts at different costs in given time periods. In practice, this means that data recorded during the day is indexed separately from night and peak data.
Note! Multi-tariff devices are quite expensive, so their use is economically justified only if there is a significant consumption of electrical energy. If the house has electric heating, air conditioning, a water heating tank and other large household appliances, a multi-tariff metering device will pay for itself very quickly.
The design of two-tariff meters is simpler, but their capabilities are also smaller - they take into account consumption in two time periods. Three-tariff modifications are more complex, they are equipped with more diverse software, are more expensive, but are also capable of dividing the day into three parts: day, night and peak values.
Peak values mean the time intervals from 7.00 to 10.00 and from 20.00 to 23.00. Tariffs at this time not only do not decrease, but increase from the daily value by 50-70%. But at night the cost of electricity decreases significantly. Thus, it is most profitable to consume electricity at night (by loading equipment manually at this time or programming it using a timer). During the daytime, and especially during peak times, it is recommended to use as little energy as possible.
As an example, we will give the cost of electricity depending on the tariff in Moscow.
| Rate | Price per kWh |
| Flat rate tariff | RUB 3.77 |
| Tariffs under a three-tariff system | |
| – night zone | 1.15 rub. |
| – peak zone | 4.49 rub. |
| – pre-peak zone | RUB 3.71 |
Single-tariff meter: main disadvantages
In our time, there are still counters from the last century. They have several disadvantages. In order for consumers to install modern meter models. The electromechanical mechanism is reliable only from the point of view of a long period of continuous operation.
The main disadvantages of such devices are:
- Payment can be made according to one tariff;
- Indication error;
- Low protection rate;
- Lack of basic functions that are provided in a modern electric meter.
Another disadvantage of such a device is the occurrence of difficulties when installing the meter. For example, such a counter is very difficult to install in a modern panel room with a rack. The difficulty of installing a modern meter cannot be said here. Besides all this, the appearance of the old meter is not very attractive. This not very beautiful appearance of the device will not hide even the modern design of the room.
How to choose a two-tariff meter?
Choosing a two-tariff meter is no different from choosing a conventional device. The main thing you need to remember is the number of electrical phases in your home. In ordinary residential buildings there is only one phase. You can find out by the nominal voltage - it will be equal to 220 Volts.
If you are choosing a meter for a garage, a small enterprise, or your house has a three-phase power supply line, then you need three-phase two-tariff electric meters. The nominal network voltage will be 380 Volts.
It is important to remember that three-phase devices are suitable for both types. But installing single-phase devices on a three-phase line is not allowed.
Installation and operation
To switch to a new tariff system, it is recommended to buy a device with the corresponding function. It is better to purchase a meter from the company that supplies electricity. If you make the purchase yourself, you should give preference to a specialized store.
To obtain permission to replace the device, you must contact the supplier with a corresponding application. After receiving the order, you can call a specialist to replace the device. Installation of the meter consists of setting up, adjusting, and sealing the new device. The specialist also makes the corresponding notes in the technical passport. At the final stage of installation, the consumer must receive from the technician operating instructions, information about the timing of checking the device and taking readings.
Taking readings
A novice user should know how to correctly take readings from a two-tariff electricity meter. This will avoid overpayments and penalties. It is better to collect data in one period - the last day of the current month. By observing such regularity, the user will be able to control the light consumption.
It is recommended to record all readings of consumed electricity in a notepad. Data is taken following the following tips:
- Indications for the “day” period are designated “T1”, and for the “night” period - “T2”.
- You need to record the numbers that indicate kW.
- Numbers separated by a dot indicate fractions of kW. They are not recorded.
Data calculation
To independently calculate the amount to pay for electricity, you will need to subtract the previous T1 data from the “T1” readings for the current period. The result is multiplied by the cost of 1 kW at the “Day” tariff.
The previous T2 readings are subtracted from the “T2” readings for the current period. The result is multiplied by the cost of 1 kW at the “Night” tariff. If a receipt for electricity is received separately for each tariff, the readings are included in the “night” and “day” receipts. When electricity is paid for on one receipt, the amount at two tariffs is entered into it.
Some energy supply companies send their customers invoices with details already filled in and calculations ready. In this case, users need to enter meter readings for the current period on the form.
If an electricity consumer is filling out a receipt, he should know the following:
- All fields specified in the form must be filled in;
- in the column with bank details, the account of the energy supply company, microfinance organization and code are indicated (the data must be in the agreement with the light supplier);
- in the column with the payer's data, the full name and residential address are indicated;
- In the “Electricity” table it is necessary to record the month for which the calculation is made, the value of the readings “T1”, “T2”.
Since light suppliers have different receipt forms, if you have questions, it is recommended to seek help from specialists at a particular company.
Benefits and payback
Whether or not it is profitable to install a multi-tariff meter depends on the amount of electricity consumed. On average, the savings are small. The initial costs will be recouped in 30 months. It is profitable to install the device if:
- the consumer heats the room with electricity;
- energy-consuming units are installed at the facility, including a heat pump, boiler, electric boiler, and air conditioners;
- up to 50% of light consumption occurs at night.
In standard apartments with low daily power consumption, a two-tariff meter will pay for itself in a few years. To speed up this process, you can use household appliances at night (dishwasher and washing machine, bread machine, multicooker). Some electrical appliances have a delayed start function. If it is not available, the consumer can use a timer.
