The electricity meter has failed, what should I do?
Sometimes such a nuisance happens that the electric meter in the house fails. In this case, you should turn somewhere, but where?
If a meter burns out in an apartment or house, then the approximate algorithm of your actions should be as follows:
- First of all, you need to contact the sales company so that they replace the equipment. This can be done by calling the hotline or leaving a request in electronic format on the company’s website.
- Then 3 days will pass and an invoice for payment will be sent to the email address specified by the consumer.
- Then, within ten days after receipt of payment, you need to wait for a technician to come and replace the meter.
Of course, if the electricity meter fails, everything can be done much faster.
To do this, you should purchase the meter yourself and then replace it. But you will need to call the sales company so that they can come and seal the device.
Alternatively, you don’t have to install a meter at all. Then the energy will be calculated according to the norm. However, sooner or later an inspector will come, count all the appliances in the house and issue a fine.
Who will pay for verification of electricity meters?
From July 1, 2021, consumers will no longer bear the costs of both the purchase and installation of electricity meters and their verification. The consumer remains responsible for monitoring the safety of the meter if it is installed in his area of responsibility (for example, in an apartment or on a plot of land where a private house is located).
As follows from the law, all financial obligations for replacing and checking metering devices in houses and apartments will be assumed by energy workers. In the future, companies can compensate for the costs incurred through sales allowances. According to clause 6.3 of Art. 23.1 of the Law “On Electric Power Industry”, the costs of the supplier of last resort incurred by him to fulfill his obligations are included in the sales premium.
Who should install electricity meters?
This issue is controversial and relevant at the moment. Both parties do not want to burden themselves with such a responsibility. The answer is contained in the Civil Code. It states that it is the owner of the property who must ensure that electrical networks are used correctly, be responsible for malfunctions, maintain them, and the like. That is, the meter is the property of the home owner.
Free replacement of meters may be possible if the housing belongs to the state.
Now the question has been answered. It is the homeowner who solves this problem himself. The installation of the meter is entirely his responsibility. However, the management company is already dealing with this issue outside the premises.
At whose expense is the electric meter changed in the apartment or at the entrance?
We figured out who installs the meter. But now a new question arises: “If replacement is necessary, then at whose expense is it made?” It all depends on where the meter is located and what type of housing (private or privatized).
Read more: Notarized consent of the father to sell the child’s share
In a non-privatized or municipal apartment
Everything is very simple here. According to the law, this issue lies with the home owner. So, the tenant lives in the apartment under a social tenancy agreement. Therefore, the owner of the apartment is the municipality.
However, in fact, the responsible employer is required to pay for this procedure. After all, he is also a subscriber of the company that supplies electricity - this is the argument of the management company.
But the subscriber in a municipal apartment must be the management company, as established by Art. 539 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
At the staircase entrance
What to do if the location of the meter is a landing? Resolution No. 491 of the Government of the Russian Federation will help answer this question, which states that electricity meters located on staircases in the entrances of multi-apartment buildings are common property. Now it’s clear who should change the electricity meters on the landing.
This issue is dealt with by the residential company in whose department this residential building is located.
In a privatized apartment
Again, according to Russian Government Decree No. 530, the owner of private housing pays for the installation of electricity meters. After all, he is the rightful owner of the apartment.
Replacing electricity meters in an apartment building
Who replaces the electricity meter in an apartment building? If the meter is located on the staircase, then it is common property. Then you need to carefully study the contract with the management company, which states who is carrying out this work.
If there is no such thing in the agreement, then the residents organize a meeting where this issue is resolved, that is, who will replace the electric meters.
Who is responsible for replacing electricity meters installed in stairwells? And what are the requirements for the accuracy class of electricity meters? Two pressing questions to which we publish official answers (Rostov-on-Don).
Who is responsible for replacing electricity meters installed on staircase landings (in the interfloor panels) of an apartment building?
In accordance with Article 7 of the “Rules for maintaining property in an apartment building”, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 13, 2006 No. 491, the common property includes in-house power supply systems located before individual, common (apartment) electrical energy metering devices, as well as other electrical equipment located on these networks.
According to clause 5.6.2. Rules and norms for the technical operation of the housing stock, approved by the Resolution of the State Construction Committee of Russia dated September 27, 2003. No. 170, housing maintenance organizations must ensure the operation of common property with the exception of apartment energy meters.
Consequently, in cases where the subscriber is a citizen who consumes energy for domestic needs, the obligation to ensure the proper technical condition and safety of the intra-apartment wiring and metering devices located inside the apartment rests with the owner, unless otherwise provided by law, other regulations or contract.
According to clause 81 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 No. 354, the equipping of residential or non-residential premises with metering devices, the commissioning of installed metering devices, their proper technical operation, safety and timely replacement must be ensured by the owner of the residential or non-residential premises.
What are the requirements for the accuracy class of electricity meters?
According to the rules for organizing electricity metering in retail markets (hereinafter referred to as the Rules), approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 4, 2012. No. 442 in the “Basic Provisions for the Functioning of Retail Electricity Markets” (hereinafter referred to as the Basic Provisions), accuracy class metering devices must be used to account for electrical energy consumed by consumer citizens, as well as at the interface between electrical grid facilities and intra-building engineering systems of an apartment building 2.0 and higher.
In apartment buildings, the connection of which to electrical grid facilities is carried out after the entry into force of the Basic Provisions (06/12/2012), collective (common house) metering devices of accuracy class 1.0 and higher must be installed at the interface between electrical grid facilities and intra-building engineering systems .
In accordance with the Rules, for the metering of electrical energy consumed by consumers with a maximum power of less than 670 kW, metering devices of accuracy class 1.0 and higher must be used - for points of connection to power grid facilities with a voltage of 35 kV and below and accuracy class 0.5S and higher - for points of connection to electrical grid facilities with a voltage of 110 kV and higher.
Read more: Application for acceptance of inheritance sample Belarus
To account for electrical energy consumed by consumers with a maximum power of at least 670 kW, metering devices must be used that allow measuring hourly volumes of electrical energy consumption, accuracy class 0.5S and higher, ensuring storage of data on hourly volumes of electrical energy consumption for the last 90 days and more than or included in the accounting system.
Metering devices (measuring transformers) used on the date of entry into force of the Basic Provisions of an accuracy class lower than indicated above and (or) ensuring the storage of data on hourly volumes of electrical energy consumption for a smaller number of days can be used until the expiration of the calibration interval established for them or until such metering devices fail or are lost, if this occurs before the expiration of the verification interval. After the expiration of the verification interval or after the failure of metering devices or their loss, if this occurred before the expiration of the verification interval, such metering devices must be replaced with metering devices with characteristics no worse than those indicated above.
Metering devices of an accuracy class lower than those indicated in the first paragraph, used by citizens on the date of entry into force of the Basic Provisions, can be used by them until the expiration of the established period of their operation. Upon expiration of the established service life of metering devices, such metering devices must be replaced with metering devices of an accuracy class no lower than that indicated in the first paragraph.
Electric meters are mandatory electricity metering devices; they are installed in various rooms. Since modern apartments use more and more household appliances that use electricity, old meters often fail. But who is responsible for the electricity meter on site and pays for the replacement of the device? The solution to this issue depends on the type of housing (privatized, municipal), and on the reason for the replacement.
Changing the order of installation, verification and replacement of electricity meters
10.08.2020
In accordance with Federal Law No. 522-FZ dated December 27, 2021 and Government Decree No. 950 dated June 29, 2020, responsibility for organizing electricity metering in residential premises passed to energy companies: in apartment buildings - to guaranteeing suppliers, in relation to individual residential houses - to network organizations, which from July 1, 2021 are responsible for the installation, verification and replacement of individual electricity meters. The legislation also provides for the installation of smart metering devices, the replacement of which will occur in stages. New metering devices will be installed to new consumers as part of the technological connection, while the existing equipment will be replaced as it fails, breaks down, or expires the calibration interval. To replace the metering device, 6 months are allotted from the moment the above circumstances occur, and until January 1, 2022, the installation of conventional electricity meters is allowed. This work is performed free of charge for consumers.
What to do if the meter is broken?
If the electricity meter installed in relation to the consumer is out of order or the meter’s calibration interval has expired, then it is necessary to leave a corresponding request: -
residents of apartment buildings who have direct contractual relations
with the guaranteeing supplier Mosenergosbyt JSC must contact the company directly, -
residents of apartment buildings who do not have a direct contractual relationship
with Mosenergosbyt JSC must contact the company either directly or through their own utility service provider managing the apartment building;
residents of the private sector
must contact the network organization to whose networks the home is connected. You can send a notification to Mosenergosbyt JSC in any available way: - by calling the contact center +7 (499) 550-9-550; — in your personal account on the website my.mosenergosbyt.ru or through the “My Mosenergosbyt” mobile application; — send a letter by mail; — send a request through the “Virtual Reception” on the company’s website.
When will a faulty electric meter be replaced?
In accordance with the current legislation, the guaranteeing supplier and network organization are given 6 months to replace the metering device from the date of discovery of the failure of the metering device or the expiration of the calibration interval fixed during the inspection or in the contract, or the date of the corresponding request from the consumer. The meter will be replaced on a date previously agreed upon with the client.
How will accruals be made from the date of breakdown (out of MPI) to the date of replacement of the electric meter?
Charges for electricity in the event of a meter failure or for the inter-verification interval in accordance with the amendments made to the legislation will be carried out based on the average monthly consumption volume in previous periods (based on statistical information on consumption in previous months) or based on the consumption standard in case of absence the ability to calculate the average monthly electricity consumption.
Can consumers replace the meter themselves?
Yes, customers have the right to proactively replace electricity metering devices only in cases where the electric meter is working and there is no reason for its replacement on the part of Mosenergosbyt JSC or the network organization (expiration of the verification interval, failure, etc.). This can be done by ordering the appropriate paid one (or a network organization, if the client lives in a residential building (household)). Based on the provisions of the current legislation, the involvement of other organizations for the installation of electricity meters is not allowed. After receiving the client’s application, Mosenergosbyt JSC will notify about the procedure and timing for installing the electric meter. Independent dismantling of the electric meter, the seals installed on it, and other equipment is not permissible.
Who is responsible for the safety of metering devices?
The legislator divided the responsibility for the safety of electricity meters installed in residential premises as follows: - if the device is installed in an apartment/residential building, the consumer is responsible for its safety, - if the device is installed in common areas of apartment buildings (for example, on a landing) , responsibility falls on the guaranteeing supplier - if the device is installed outside the territory of a private household (for example, on a pole in the private sector), the network organization bears responsibility. At the same time, the need to ensure safety also applies to other equipment used in the metering unit (seals, visual control signs, etc.). Return to news list
What laws determine responsibility for metering devices?
The metering device can calculate the electricity consumption in the apartment, at the entrance, in the common area. Legislation in the public utilities sector regulates the issue of who should change the electricity meters on the staircase .
Electric meters are maintained by the electricity supplier and management company. Their actions are regulated by the Civil and Residential Code.
IMPORTANT! By law, both the management company and the owners of apartments (privatized) must ensure accurate and reliable operation of metering devices.
It is also mandatory to comply with Government Decrees No. 530 (08/31/2006) , No. 491 (08/13/2006), Federal Law No. 261 (11/23/2009) .
Residents of apartments and employees of the management company must act in accordance with the law. A damaged meter must be promptly replaced with a high-quality, modern and reliable device.
If apartment owners ignore the importance of this meter and do not allow electricians to replace it, they will pay for electricity at an inflated rate.
What meters are installed outside the apartment
Traditionally, in Soviet-era apartment buildings, heating, gas, cold and hot water were paid by residents according to the standard. Therefore, previously there was no need for such metering devices, and in those days there were almost no such meters.
The only resource that could be easily taken into account was electrical energy. Electricity meters were not in short supply; they were reliable, compact and had no special placement requirements.
We will not discuss the reasons for moving electricity meters outside of apartments. However, we note that when the meters are placed in the entrance, it is possible for energy sales employees to easily take readings. Perhaps this is why modern houses also accept the installation of electricity meters in common floor electrical panels.
By the way, the installation of other metering devices in the entrance - gas, water, heating - cannot be carried out without reconstructing the building's engineering systems - water pipes, gas pipelines, heating systems. Therefore, today the only individual metering devices located at the entrance are electricity meters.
Normal air temperature in an apartment during the heating season
Read
Will they provide a subsidy for utilities if there are debts?
Read
Features of meter maintenance in a privatized apartment
Electricity meters can be located in a privatized apartment . The owners of this property have the right by law to choose a convenient time to check and service the meter.
If the supplier plans to carry out maintenance work, he must notify the customer. Perhaps the apartment owner does not want to change his appliance, which is burnt out or broken and gives incorrect data, but electricity tariffs will be inflated in this case.
ATTENTION! According to Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 530, the financial costs of checking the electric meter in a privatized apartment, installation, dismantling, and maintenance are borne by the homeowners.
The owner will pay for the replacement of only the device that is located inside the premises. The devices on the site are common house equipment, work with it is financed by the management company .
