In accordance with the Law “On Energy Saving”, every home owner is required to install meters for all types of energy resources. And if electricity consumption has long been paid for by electric meters, then the mass installation of devices for metering the consumption of hot and cold water began relatively recently. The first question that a homeowner may have after installing two meters is: “How to correctly take readings from water meters?”
Hot or cold: how to distinguish meters
Supplying hot water to apartments is more expensive. Due to the difference in fees, the hot water meter and cold water meter are read separately. A homeowner who has installed water supply meters for the first time or is purchasing a home with installed meters, first of all, needs to determine which device records the flow of cold and which hot water. You can do this in the following ways:
- Most meters are immediately painted in colors that traditionally indicate cold and hot water - blue and red.
- According to the standard layout of water pipes in apartments, there is a pipe for hot water supply on top, and a pipe for cold water below. Therefore, the hot water meter is set higher.
- To understand which device to take the hot water meter readings from, just turn on the hot water - the desired meter will become warm in a few minutes.
- A way to immediately determine the cold water supply meter is to look at which water supply pipe the toilet is connected to (it is always connected to cold water).
- Just open cold water and see which meter readings change.
Methods of providing evidence
You can submit information about the resource consumed in several ways: via the Internet using various resources, by telephone and in writing. The choice of method depends on the capabilities of the utility user.
By receipt
Each rent receipt has special fields and a tear-off sheet, which provide for the entry of data received from water meters. They should be written carefully and legibly. If the testimony is submitted incorrectly, it will be problematic to correct it. You must enter the current counter information to the decimal point; rounding is possible. To calculate water disposal, it is necessary to add up the consumption of hot and cold water, but often this is done by the supplying organization itself or the management company.
By phone
One of the most convenient ways to transfer data is to call the management company by phone. Calls are accepted from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The user will be required to indicate their full name, address, personal account number and the readings themselves.
You can also provide information directly to the accounting department of the management company or water utility by calling the numbers indicated on the receipt.
Through the Internet
You can submit data via the Internet using the capabilities of several sites.
Through the Gosuslugi website
Before submitting water meter readings through government services, you need to register and receive a login and password to enter the resource, then you need to log in to it. After logging in, select the section “Receiving readings from water supply meters.” In the open window you will need to enter the payer number (personal account). If the account is entered correctly, an automatic transition to the page for entering readings will occur.
Through the service company website
Most homeowners' associations, management companies and housing offices have their own websites with a section for transmitting water meter readings. Also on such sites it is possible to view payment history, housing and communal services tariffs and general information.
Via mobile application
A mobile application “State Services” has been developed for various operating systems, transmitting data to the EIRC. To use this method, you need to install the application, register and enter personal data.
Through EIRC
The EIRC stores data on all real estate properties, including apartment buildings, utility bills, debts, etc. To transfer information through the service, you also need to register on the website to gain access to your Personal Account (PA). To register for logging into your personal account, you need to visit the MFC or local service center once and provide primary information about the payer: full name, address, cell phone and email. In your personal account you need to find the tab “Reception of cold and hot water meter readings”, and then indicate the IPU data. Information can also be provided to the EIRC in person or by telephone.
In a special box
Such boxes are located in the offices of the management company. It should be written in legible handwriting indicating the payer's address, the number and series of the IPU, the date of verification and readings, as well as the readings themselves. You can submit information using the following example:
The meaning of the numbers on the counter
Surely many homeowners, when purchasing a meter, already notice that there are two types of numbers on the meter dial: black (there are five of them) and red (the last three digits). The main thing you need to know when taking water meter readings is what numbers on the dial should be indicated in the statement.
Monthly consumption of cold and hot water is calculated in cubic meters. Accordingly, payment for consumed water will be calculated in accordance with this indicator. Cubic meters of water on the dial of the device are the first 5 digits in black. They are entered into the paybook or receipt to calculate payment.
The red numbers are the shares of cubic meters (liters) consumed during the reporting period. This indicator is not indicated in the statement (pay book).
Where are water meters installed?
All pipes of hot and cold water supply systems entering the apartment have metering units installed. It happens that readings from meters in the bathroom and kitchen are recorded separately. This is if the water supply was connected according to a complex scheme. In such a situation, water meters must be installed on all connections to cold and hot water supplies. Counters must be freely available.
It is allowed to install water meters in plastic boxes, installed side by side, located together with the shut-off valve and the leakage protection system unit. When opening the box panel, cells and seals should be visible.
Attention! If you notice that the seal on the water meter is broken, immediately contact your utility service.
The counters work on a simple principle:
- The flow of water drives the counting mechanism.
- The rotary indicator rotates when the taps are open.
- The meter rotates faster if the water flow increases.
Payment is made at the price per 1 m3 of water, so the amount of water you used is transferred in cubic meters.
Instrument panels, depending on what model the meter is, may be different.
How to take meter readings correctly
Now, having analyzed the meaning of the numbers on the device’s display, we will consider step by step how to take readings from the water meter. Black numbers are written in order, from first to last, on a separate sheet of paper or notepad. In this case, you need to pay attention to the readings of the red numbers. If more than 500 liters are consumed, then the last digit of cubic meters is rounded up.
Readings for the previous month are taken. The resulting number will be the number of cubic meters of water for which payment is made.
The number of cubic meters is multiplied by the tariff for paying for water supply, we get the amount payable, which is entered into the receipt or paybook.
How does this happen in practice? An example of recording meter readings for a month
The easiest way is to consider in practice how to correctly take water meter readings, taking as an example new, newly installed hot and cold water meters.
So, at the time of connection, the readings of both counters: 00000 000.
A month later, the readings on the counting mechanism display changed as follows:
- Hot water: 00016 546.
- Cold water: 00018 234.
Thus, 16 cubic meters of hot water were consumed per month, which, in accordance with the readings of the “red” numbers, that is, liters, are rounded up to 17 cubic meters. Cold water consumption over the same period amounted to 18 cubic meters.
Total: 17 cubic meters of hot water and 18 cubic meters of hot water are entered into the payment book for payment. meters of cold, based on the readings recorded over the month by the hot water meter and the cold water meter. How to take readings next month? With meter readings: hot water - 00029 125, cold water - 00032 623, the resulting cold water value is rounded to 33 cubic meters. m, and the previous meter readings are subtracted from this number: 33 – 18 = 15. Thus, for the reporting period you need to pay 15 cubic meters. m of cold water. Hot water consumption is calculated in a similar way: 29 – 17 = 12 cubic meters. m.
Cold water meter readings
Advice from lawyers:
1. How are charges for cold water calculated if meter readings are not provided?
1.1. If there is no evidence, then according to the standard multiplied by the number of registered citizens.
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2. The cold water meter readings were entered incorrectly. What to do?
2.1. Submit correct readings.
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3. Email address of the Central Administrative District of Moscow for transmitting cold and hot water meter readings.
3.1. What is your question?
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3.2. Through MOS. transfer government services, very convenient. https://pgu.mos.ru/ru/
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3.3. We are not a help desk.
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4. The passport for the cold water meter is lost. The management company does not accept indications on what to do.
4.1. Or contact those who can “make” a passport, or change the meter.
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5. In 2020, cold water meters were checked. Almost 2 years later, we found out that there was an error in the readings of one of the meters, and in March 2020 we were billed for water for 260 cubic meters. m. explained that it was we who gave the testimony incorrectly. We found out that an error occurred while checking the counter. Is it possible to solve this situation?
5.1. Hello. It is possible to solve, but you need to understand the situation in order to answer your question.
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6. They forgot to submit water readings, they remembered they submitted them, then they forgot again, then they submitted them again, now there is a difference in the cold water meter, the meter is sealed everything as it should be, they paid according to receipts that were sent either according to their average accounting, when they did not submit, then according to For those who submitted testimony, the question is whether it is fashionable to recalculate from 2020 to 2020 based on the testimony of the individual entrepreneur. Thank you for your answer, the house is multi-storey, apartment.
6.1. Good afternoon Yes, you have the right to write an application addressed to the head of Vodokanal for recalculation, attaching copies of previously paid receipts.
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7. The situation is this: hot and cold water meters have not been reported for 5 months (due to forgetfulness). They finally remembered the month of April and submitted testimony to the Criminal Code. The result was a receipt for payment for all 5 months, although in fact every month the average payment was made. Should the management company make a recalculation?
7.1. Hello, no, you shouldn’t, but you should get rid of forgetfulness. All this time, the Criminal Code could calculate the testimony according to the standards.
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8. I live in a service residential building. When I moved in, I checked the presence of hot and cold water meters, documents for them and the certificate of authorization for operation, everything is there. When calculating fees for utility services, the accountant of the management company does not accept my testimony and will charge me, citing the fact that “the meters need to be re-registered in their name” and the commissioning act must be redone.
8.1. Hello! You are a tenant and not the owner of this residential premises. Part 3 Art. 30 of the RF Housing Code obliges the owner of a residential premises to bear the burden of its maintenance. Thus, the owner of the residential premises in which you live is responsible for providing the apartment with meters for water and electrical energy used, their proper technical operation, safety and timely replacement, as well as putting the installed meters into operation (clause 81 of the Procedure, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 06.05.2011 N 354). It also says that putting an installed metering device into operation means documenting the metering device as a metering device, based on the readings of which the amount of payment for utilities is calculated. Commissioning is carried out by the contractor, including on the basis of an application from the owner of a residential or non-residential premises submitted to the contractor. As far as I understand, the owner of the residential premises has not changed, therefore, in any case, the demands of the management company are unfounded.
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9. For cold water, I did not give evidence for more than 3 months. They sent me an invoice for payment according to the standard. I immediately called a representative of the water utility to read the meter reading, but they told me to wait until the quarantine ends. And no one knows when it will end, so they send the second month according to the standard. Legal?
9.1. If handing over the readings to them is not enough, email them a photo of the meter with the readings. If they don’t recalculate, write them a complaint.
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9.2. - you record the meter readings on your phone - on which you set the date and time of shooting - in the future, these photos will serve as evidence both for the company and for the court, if there is a dispute...
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10. How to charge organizations for consumed cold water and sanitation if they did not provide meter readings on time by the end of the month. What is the payment procedure under a water supply and sanitation agreement in the absence of meter readings. Can I link to the law? Thank you.
10.1. You need to submit an application to St. Vodokanal, on the basis of which you will need to invite a specialist to take readings, and an inspection report of the meter will be drawn up. The period for which the readings were not transmitted is paid at a rate according to the number of registered persons in the residential premises.
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11. How to charge organizations for consumed cold water and sanitation if they did not provide meter readings on time by the end of the month.
11.1. You can calculate based on the average and then recalculate.
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12. The apartment in Essentuki is closed, no one lives or is registered, we live in another region, there is no debt on the water meters (cold 00), but the heat and power company calculated the water heating (I wonder which one), they sent a court letter about the debt, about nothing we were not warned what to do or where to turn.
12.1. Good afternoon You need to contact the KOZHI authorities (state housing inspection) or the Prosecutor's Office regarding the fact of illegal charging for water heating! In addition, if a court order was issued, you must file an objection within 10 days from the date of its receipt. After the court order is cancelled, and you receive a response based on the results of your appeal from the KOZHI authorities (Prosecutor's Office), you will need to contact the Criminal Code (HOA) for a recalculation.
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13. The apartment in Essentuki is closed, no one lives or is registered, we live in another region, there is no debt on the water meters (cold 00), but the heat and power company calculated the water heating (I wonder which one), they sent a court letter about the debt, about nothing we were not warned what to do or where to turn.
13.1. Well. Well, the readings need to be taken monthly so that they don’t count... Did you take them?
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14. Cold water meter. The verification period expired on 02/17/2020. I wanted to believe in April. Now, according to the government decree canceling verification in 2020, will the readings of this meter be accepted?
14.1. You should have verified it before February 17th.
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15. Transmitted readings by water in March. In April, I received a bill in which hot and cold water were calculated according to the standard. The reason turned out to be. The meter needs to be changed. There were no notifications. Is this legal?
15.1. Study previous payment receipts; perhaps there was a reminder that you did not notice.
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15.2. It is your responsibility to ensure that your metering devices are verified.
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16. Where can I get a reconciliation of cold water meter readings if the management company changed 2 years ago and the old management company does not communicate?
16.1. At Vodokanal, you give your testimony to them when concluding a direct contract for the provision of services. Your receipts must be kept for at least 3 years.
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17. Housing and communal services from June 2020 to June 2020 sent receipts without taking into account heating, cold, hot water and sanitation. I paid these receipts and provided meter readings. And suddenly, in February 2020, a receipt arrived with an additional charge of 23,000 rubles for heating services, cold, hot water and sanitation, all in the total amount without taking into account the meter indicators transmitted by us. What do i do? Is this legal on their part?
17.1. Good afternoon, Irina Evgenievna! This is not legal! Write an application to the housing supervision inspectorate, they will conduct an inspection and give you a reasoned answer. Based on the results of the answer, decide whether to appeal the decision of the RCA in court.
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18. The cold water meter became unusable, we changed it ourselves, the day before the replacement of the meter we notified the management company, during verification it was found that it had become unusable, the company that carried out the verification drew up a report on the integrity of the seal and the latest readings at the moment I am accused of violating the law, and about the need to pay for sealing the meter, what should I do?
18.1. Hello. Demanding payment in your case is not legal.
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19. I bought an apartment with cold and hot water meters, which were sealed. But the seller did not give me the passports or the entry certificate. There is only the latest payment from the seller with meter readings. I checked the meters, they are in working order. The readings on the meters differ from the data on payment receipts. The housing cooperative does not want to recalculate.
19.1. We are required to do a recalculation, I speak as a former utility worker (9 years of experience). Write a written application, receive a written refusal - then file a complaint with the housing inspectorate.
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20. What to do if in 2020 Ex. the company installed a meter on the mountains. water, which in fact was cold. This was discovered after meter readings were taken in December 2029. I do not live in the apartment, and due to my disability I was not able to come to take testimony. There is a certificate stating that I have been living in the monastery since 2020. What should I do and where should I go?
20.1. Can not understand anything. The counter is coming.
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We bought an apartment, the previous owner did not provide meter readings. We checked them.
The cold water meter verification period has passed. For the last 2 years I have been paying according to the standard.
We bought an apartment in 2012, all this time we did not provide cold water meter readings,
At the time of the overhaul, the management company welded up the garbage chute and now they have bricked it up.
Wanted to ask. The cold water meter was replaced. It was removed and replaced by a mechanic from our management company.
For October 2019 and December 2020, I paid the receipt for housing and communal services according to the average, i.e.
Is it legal for the energy sales receipt to require payment for heating and thermal energy for heating water?
Such situation. For 4 years, no one asked me for readings of water supply meters, and I myself did not indicate.
We calculated the consumption of hot and cold water according to the tariff (in the recalculation column).
The essence of my question is this: I bought an apartment in a hostel (we have a common kitchen for 3 apartments).
The cold water meter did not pass verification (shows more readings), we were advised to replace it, we replaced it.
How to fill out a receipt correctly
To reliably provide information about the consumption of water resources, it is not enough to know how to take water meter readings; you need to correctly fill out all the lines in the receipt. If the data entered in the receipt does not correspond, or if errors or unreadable entries are detected, the submitted information is considered invalid, and the payment for the month is calculated based on average readings.
The values are entered on the receipt in legible handwriting, in strict accordance with the columns of the table. Information on the consumption of hot (DHW) and cold water (CW) is entered according to a single principle.
Important! In the payment receipt, the meter readings are indicated in full, all five digits along with zeros.
The “Current” column contains the counter data received at the moment. “Previous” indicates the meter readings received for the previous month. The number of cubic meters consumed per month, the difference between the first two columns, is entered in the “Consumption” line.
In the “Water disposal” line, the consumption of hot water and hot water in cubic meters is entered, the sum of these readings is indicated in the “Total” column.
How to transfer data
The method of transmitting readings may differ depending on the conditions accepted by the management company or resource provider. Data transfer is possible via:
- telephone calls - the consumer calls the specified number and reports his full name, address and current water meter readings;
- SMS messages;
- Email;
- mobile application - a program is installed on the smartphone, by logging into which the consumer is taken to a personal page and enters data on a set date;
- website with a personal account – the home owner registers and creates his own account;
- collecting paper messages in a designated place is a method convenient for older people who have poor knowledge of modern means of communication.
Transfer of readings for Moscow:
Methods of transmitting readings for the city - Moscow
- Unified service department -.
- Mobile application - downloaded from the official website.
- City service portal – Login to your personal account.
The date for transmitting the readings depends on the region, but must be determined with the condition that payment for consumed resources is made no later than the 10th day of the following month after the reporting month. It is important that all owners of apartment buildings submit readings in a timely manner to minimize the difference between the total data of individual and general building meters.
Transferring readings via the Internet:
Article: Until what date to transmit meter readings
We recommend: Who is exempt from contributions for major repairs of an apartment building
How not to overpay for water
Knowing how to take water meter readings, you can control its monthly consumption, and also notice in time if water consumption, and therefore payment costs, has increased for no apparent reason.
One of the most common reasons why you may be overpaying for unused water is due to leaks in the pipeline. Moreover, the presence of malfunctions can be detected using a water meter. This can be done as follows: close all the taps in the apartment and record the readings on the meter dial for an hour. Before reading the water meter for the first time, you need to make sure that the toilet tank is fully filled and all faucets are turned off. If the readings of the counting mechanism display have changed within an hour, it means that the tightness of the water supply system is broken and repairs are required.
Another reason for the meter to not work properly is blockages in the pipes that occur over time due to hard water. Due to the difficult passage of water, the pressure in the pipe increases, and, as a result, the meter display spins faster. In this case, you should also take care of timely repair or replacement of the problem section of the pipe.
You can check the operation of the meters yourself. Having recorded the meter readings, you need to take a measuring canister with a volume of 10-20 liters and use it to collect 100 liters of water. The meter reading should increase by exactly 100 liters. If the difference in readings exceeds this amount, this is a reason to contact a specialist to check the pipeline and the meter itself.
How to check the water meter yourself?
If the values of the devices seem suspiciously large to you or, conversely, unreasonably small, you need to check the correctness of their operation. To do this, you need to take a 20-liter canister and fill it with water five times and pour it out, after writing down on a piece of paper how many liters are on the water meter (red numbers).
In fact, it turns out that you used 100 liters of water. Compare the current values with those recorded earlier and calculate the difference - it should be exactly 100 liters.
If there is a discrepancy, try checking the system for leaks.
Turn on the water and pay close attention to the water pipes in the places where press fittings, adapters, taps, and washing machines are installed. At the point in the water supply where the seal is broken, there will be drops of water on the surface.
You should also check all plumbing fixtures.
, especially the proper functioning of the drain tank. To do this, close all the taps and see if the gears on the device rotate.
If everything is in order, then the problem is clearly in the water meter and it needs to be repaired.
