How to save on utility bills. How to save money on utilities. Modernization of sanitary equipment

Hello, friends!

From next year, Russians will expect another increase in the cost of utilities, and even more than once. I will not argue about why this is happening and on what basis they are trying to equate us with the level of payments of residents of other countries. Let's leave this thankless task to politicians for the next election race.

I believe that advice on how to save on utilities will be useful not only for low-income citizens, but also for well-to-do families who want to save theirs for something more valuable than housing and communal services.

The main point that I want to convey at the very beginning is about self-discipline. Until you, together with all members of your family, make a decision for yourself to save money, then no advice and methods will help you to radically change the amounts in receipts.

For example, I constantly struggle with my children to turn off the lights when they leave their room. Unsuccessful so far. It can burn there for hours until I notice. Well, what kind of light bulbs can help with this?

How can you save money in an apartment? I have collected a lot of tips. Some will seem trivial, some impracticable in specific conditions. But there is definitely something to use.

Savings on water

By law, you are required to have hot and cold water meters. But for various reasons, some citizens have not yet done this. For such categories of deviators, the state has imposed sanctions.

If you do not have a meter installed in your apartment, then when you pay for water supply and sanitation, utilities calculate your consumption according to the standards. The standards are approved by a special decree local authorities authorities. In addition, a multiplying factor will be applied to you. Since 2017, it is equal to 1.5.

For example, in the Ivanovo region, where I live, the standards are:

• cold water supply - 6.996 cubic meters m per person per month;
• hot water supply - 3,950 cubic meters m per person per month;
• for sewerage - 10.946 cubic meters m per person per month.

Until the end of 2018, the following tariffs have been set in Ivanovo:

• cold water supply - 20.14 rubles. per cubic meter m.
• cold water disposal - 15.87 rubles. per cubic meter m.
• hot water supply - 124.75 rubles. per cubic meter m.
• hot water disposal - 15.87 rubles. per cubic meter m.

So how much will a family of 3 people pay with and without a meter:

By counter (real receipt data):

• cold water supply - 7 cubic meters m. x 20.14 rubles. = RUB 140.98
• cold water disposal - 7 cubic meters m.x 15.87 rubles. = 111.09 rubles.
• hot water supply - 3 cubic meters m.x 124.75 rubles. = RUB 374.25
• hot water disposal - 3 x cu. m.x 15.87 rubles. = RUB 47.61

Total: 673.93 rubles.

According to the standards:

(6.996 x 3 x 20.14 + 3.950 x 3 x 124.75 + 10.946 x 3 x 15.87) x 1.5 = 3 633.18 rubles.

Savings: 3 633.18 - 673.93 = 2 959.25 rubles. per month. For a year, this will be approximately 35,511 rubles.

It turns out that, according to the standards, a family of 3 people uses (6.996 + 3.950 + 10.946) x 3 = 65.676 cubic meters. m of water. In fact, the consumption was (7 + 7 + 3 + 3) = 20 cubic meters. m. Less than 3 times.

The cost of meters for hot and cold water is not great: from 500 rubles. Plus the necessary accessories and installation. After installation, you must call the representatives of the water supply organization for sealing. Be sure to pay attention to the period for checking the meters. It is often written on a receipt.

Please note that the standards and the multiplying coefficient will also be applied to those tenants who did not check the meters in time or use faulty devices.

Why have not all citizens installed water meters until now? This can be beneficial when 1 person is registered in the apartment, but more lives. If this person is also a beneficiary, then the benefits become tangible.

What can threaten for non-installation? Only higher standards and coefficients, not the most pleasant communication with the HOA or the management company.

Modernization of sanitary equipment

This tip combines several at once:

1. Install a toilet that provides 2 drain modes, basic and economical.
2. On many models washing machines there is a half load mode. This is very convenient, because then less powder and water are also required. For example, in my family of 4 people it takes weeks to save up laundry to fill our car to the limit. Only changing the bed linen on all beds at once allows you to turn on the normal mode.
3. Similar advice for a dishwasher. Choose a model with different modes and do not run a couple of plates for hours on a standard sink.
4. Replace the two-valve valve with a lever valve. The fact is that during the regulation of the desired temperature with two valves, much more water flows out.
5. Install a shower head with fewer holes for less water.

Good habits

Get yourself and your family members into good habits:

1. Take a shower instead of a bath. Turn off the water while soaping your head and body.
2. Turn off the water during direct brushing of your teeth or even collect water in a glass.
3. Check the serviceability of all taps, mixers, valves, etc. Are there any leaks? Over a long time, it can drip a lot in cubic meters and in rubles.

I'll tell you about Crimea. What does he have to do with it? Residents there from early childhood learn to save water, because they live in an acute shortage of it due to natural features. It was a shock for my friend when she came to visit her grandmother in Nizhny Novgorod and saw how she turned on the water and went to do other things. Water poured out just like that.

When we realize that resources are not unlimited, and more than one generation of people will live after us, we will learn to use water as carefully as the inhabitants of Crimea, Europe and many other countries of the world. While they are trying to teach us this with the help of laws and regulations.

Saving on electricity

Two-rate and three-rate meters

Not only “night” residents can save on electricity during the day. Install meters with different energy consumption rates depending on the time of day and turn on energy-consuming appliances (washing and dishwasher) in nighttime. There are counters:

• two-tariff: day zone (from 7 to 23 hours) and night zone (from 23 to 7 hours);
• three-tariff: peak zone (from 7 to 10 am and from 17 to 21 hours), half-peak (from 10 to 17 hours and from 21 to 23 hours), night zone (from 23 to 7 hours).

Let's calculate the savings for a family of 3 people according to their real data from the receipt. A two-tariff meter is installed. In September, consumption was:

• daytime - 85 kW,
• night - 74 kW.

Payment by 2 tariff meter = 85 x 4.64 + 74 x 2.74 = 597.16 rubles.

Payment for a single-rate meter = (85 + 74) x 4.28 = 680.52 rubles. The savings amounted to: 680.52 - 597.16 = 83.36 rubles.

The cost of a two-tariff meter is from 1,500 rubles.

Modern household appliances

The more power your home assistants have, the more electricity they consume even when they are not working. Therefore, experts recommend unplugging unused devices from the sockets. Some of the most powerful are the kettle, heater, washing machine and electric stove. Computers, refrigerators, televisions are considered low-power. For each model, you can find information about the power in the instructions.

Buy modern household appliances with an energy class of at least A. Now there are A +, A ++ and A +++. What does this letter mean? Each letter corresponds to a specific energy consumption index. The more +, the lower the index, i.e. the less energy the device will consume.

The hand does not rise immediately throughout the apartment to change ordinary incandescent bulbs to energy-saving ones. Their cost varies widely. And cheap options of Chinese origin do not always justify the costs.

Experts say that energy-saving lamps have a number of advantages:

• service life is almost 20 times higher than that of conventional ones;
• luminous efficiency is several times higher than that of incandescent lamps;
• you can choose the color of the glow: daytime, natural or warm;
• low heat generation, therefore fragile parts of the lamps do not melt or turn yellow from overheating;
• even distribution of light throughout the room, as a result of which the eyes are less tired.

Good habits

There are some tips for making efficient use of your home appliances. Good habits and here will help you save on electricity bills:

1. Replace the electric kettle with a regular gas kettle. If this is unacceptable for you (as for me, for example), then always boil exactly as much water as you need. In addition, I recommend that you regularly descale the kettle, so that less energy is consumed for boiling.
2. Defrost the refrigerator in time if you do not have automatic defrosting. This way it uses less energy.
3. Do not place the refrigerator near batteries or on the sunny side.
4. Do not put hot food in the refrigerator.
5. Use an iron less often. Firstly, it is a rather energy-consuming apparatus. Second, the quality and appearance of many fabrics deteriorate.
6. Unplug appliances when not in use.

Other ways to reduce your rent

So far, all of our advice has been about the economical use of our invaluable resources. But there are ways to reduce rent that have nothing to do with water or electricity.

Don't pay for the extra ones. If one person lives in the apartment, but more is registered, then for some housing services you will have to pay for all, especially if you do not have meters installed. Therefore, write out extra tenants or agree to share the burden of payment.

The opposite situation is when only one is registered, but the whole family lives. Here you win on all utilities. Often there are situations when a tenant with benefits for housing and communal services is specially prescribed, but a large family actually lives. In this case, counters are not needed either. Will turn out to be unprofitable.

Find out what benefits or subsidies you are entitled to. No one will come and tell you that you can count on a discount of up to 50% or compensation from the state for part of the payment for utilities.

Benefits are granted to veterans, disabled people, large and low-income citizens, pensioners, etc. Subsidies are received by those whose monthly payment for utility services exceeds a certain percentage of the income of all family members. In most regions, this is 22%.

If you do not live in an apartment for a very long time, then:

• disconnect all electrical appliances from the network;
• defrost the refrigerator;
• shut off gas and water;
• apply for a recalculation if you have been absent for a long time for a good reason (business trip, vacation, medical treatment, etc.)

Please note that you can count on recalculation only if there are no meters in the apartment and it is technically possible to install them there.

Conclusion

As my husband said when I spoke about the topic of my future article: “ The main way saving is not allowing water to pour out just like that, lighting empty rooms and burning a gas burner without a pan. " And I completely agree with him.

Therefore, dear readers, we take ourselves and our household members as a tightrope and learn how to use resources rationally. Our descendants will thank us for this. May be…

By the way, it is possible not only for utilities.

The cost of housing and communal services is increasing every year. Kommersant will tell you how to pay less for utility bills, what payments you can save on and optimize your expenses for communal services.

General Tips

• Installing lever taps can save water as it takes longer and more water to set the temperature with a two-valve system.
• Due to the leakage of taps, several hundred liters of water can be lost per month, so it is worth taking care of the condition of the plumbing and calling the technician if any malfunctions are found.
• Owners of cast iron batteries can call a plumber for free to clean them in the summer.
• The batteries can be equipped with control valves to control the amount of heat supplied, thus saving it whenever possible.
• Due to poor insulation of pipes in boiler rooms and basements of houses, a lot of heat energy is lost. With the consent of all residents of the house, you can contact management company and to a contractor for the installation of a general house meter, which can save up to 30% of heat energy.
• When buying new household appliances, it is worth choosing economical A-class models, as they consume less electricity.
• Taking care of your refrigerator is also a way to save money, as a freezer with frozen ice on it consumes more electricity.
• To save up to 30% of electricity in the apartment, you can install automated motion control sensors that control electric lighting.
• When going on vacation, in order to avoid wasting resources, it is worth unplugging all electrical appliances. For more efficient savings, you can turn off the water and electricity.
• When paying for housing and communal services, it is worth carefully checking the receipts to avoid unnecessary expenses.

If an error is found, you need to contact the appropriate organization that issues the receipt, and, if necessary, to the state housing inspectorate, which checks the correctness of the calculation of the amount of payment for housing and communal services.

Who is entitled to benefits

Many consumers can count on government support in paying for housing and communal services, provided for by federal or regional regulations.

Benefits are provided to specific categories of citizens, regardless of the level of income, the size of the area of ​​the apartment and its belonging to a certain housing stock. With the help of benefits, consumers can pay for up to 50% of housing and communal services, but only for one residential facility.

State aid in the form of benefits can be claimed by:

1. Large families with four or more children.
2. People with disabilities, as well as the families where they live.
3. Employee families.
4. Heroes of the Russian Federation and the USSR with distinctions in the field of labor.
5. Veterans, participants, relatives of those killed in the Second World War.
6. Donors marked with a special sign.

To obtain benefits, you can contact the department of social protection of the population at the place of residence, providing the following documents:

1. Applicant's passport.
2. A document proving the applicant's attitude to a certain preferential category.
3. Certificate of the composition of the family living at a specific address.
4. Help showing the size of the living space.
5. Title deed.

Subsidies

Unlike benefits, subsidies can be provided to those citizens whose costs of housing and communal services exceed a certain percentage of the income of all family members (from 10% to 22% depending on the region). The payment plan for subsidies is determined by law and is not always limited by the framework living wage... Accruals are made in advance for the next six months.

Only citizens of Russia, Belarus or Kyrgyzstan who do not have debts for housing and communal services can apply for state aid in the form of subsidies. It can be:

• Owners of housing (apartment, residential building or part thereof).
• Users whose housing is classified as municipal or government housing.
• Members of a housing cooperative or housing construction association.
• Citizens renting a separate private living space under a contract.

To obtain state support, you can contact the city center for housing subsidies at the place of residence, providing the following documents:

• Passports of all family members of the applicant.
• A document confirming the ownership of the property.
• Certificate confirming the composition of the family.
• Certificate confirming the level of income of each family member.
• A certificate proving the absence of housing and communal debt for the past months.
• Bank account details.

Counters

Individual meters are devices that measure and account for the amount of resources supplied to an apartment (water, electricity, gas). Having installed them, the consumer will be able to pay for housing and communal services at reduced rates, without overpaying for what he does not use.

To install a water meter, you should:

1. Contact the management company at your place of residence to obtain required documents(technical installation conditions, water supply schemes).
2. Purchase meters depending on how many risers (stopcocks) are in the apartment.
3. Install meters by contacting specialists.
4. Draw up a tripartite act for the introduction of meters into operation (the document is signed by the installer, the owner of the living space and the representative of the management company).
5. Conclude an agreement with the management company to pay for water meters.

To install a meter for electricity, you should:

1. Contact any organization that installs electricity meters.
2. Purchase and install a multi-tariff meter (unlike the usual one, it takes into account the time of day).
3. Contact the power supply or power sales organization that serves the house to seal the meter (you can determine the required organization in the management company).
4. Conclude an agreement with the management company to pay for electricity by meters.

To install a gas meter, you should:

1. Submit an application to an organization that has a license to install gas meters (in Moscow - Mosgaz).
2. Pay for the installation of the meter by a specialist (during installation, you may need to rearrange gas appliances, change in the intra-apartment gas distribution).
3. Contact the representative of the gas supplier to seal the meter and take readings.

If the payment for housing and communal services is carried out not according to metering devices (meters), but according to approved standards (based on the number of people registered in the house), you should pay attention to who is registered in the apartment. It often happens that people are registered (as a rule, relatives) who have actually not lived in the living space for a long time, but the payment for them is charged and grows every year. It is possible to write out “phantom tenants” without their personal consent only through the courts.

Recalculation

If the consumer is absent at home for a long time (more than five days), he or she has the right to use the recalculation of the cost of payment for certain LCD services by contacting the appropriate center or management company at the place of residence. Such a request can only be made if the housing is technically impossible to equip with meters. To carry out the recalculation, you will need:

• Application for recalculation.
• Inspection certificate confirming the impossibility of establishing individual meters.
• A document confirming the fact and duration of the absence of the applicant or at least one of the family members registered in a particular housing.

Radio point and antenna

Many citizens still spend money on those housing and communal services that they have not used for a long time.

The radio point, which is equipped with every house (except for new buildings), is designed to notify residents of emergencies. Today there is an SMS notification, nevertheless, the "radio and notification" service is still found in many housing and communal services receipts. Consumers have the right to turn it off by contacting the management company, the district department of engineering services or the city radio broadcasting center.

Cable and satellite television has long replaced the need for collective TV antenna, for which some tenants are still paying. To disconnect the antenna, you need to write a statement and contact the management company.

Energy-saving lamps

Energy saving lamps can save up to 75% energy. They shine in the same way as incandescent lamps, but consume several times less energy and last much longer. For example, a 20-watt energy-saving lamp shines in the same way as a regular 100-watt lamp. There are two types of energy saving lamps - fluorescent and LED, which can work properly for up to six years. There are several light temperatures of lamps:

• from 2700 to 3500 Kelvin - warm yellow light;
• 4000 to 5000 Kelvin - cold white light;
• from 6000 Kelvin - daylight.

Home phone

Consumers of housing and communal services are increasingly abandoning the use of a home telephone, preferring mobile communications. In order to save money, you can contact the city telephone center and terminate the contract for the provision of the service by writing a statement before this and submitting a receipt confirming the absence of arrears on home phone payments.

A significant part of the family budget of the average Russian is "eaten up" by paying bills for gas, electricity, water and other utilities. But you still need to buy groceries, pay for the Internet, buy seasonal clothes and put off at least a little for a vacation or a "rainy day". How to save on utility bills? What methods should be used to reduce the numbers on monthly bills?

We save water

In some families, a quarter of all utility costs accounts for the payment of water and sewage. If we take into account that the world's water reserves are gradually drying up, then the respect for this vital liquid is global in nature.

Harsh forecasts say that by 2035, more than three billion people on Earth will not be able to access fresh water.

This perspective makes the issue of saving on utility bills even more urgent. Several ways to reduce bills from the water utility:

• Drinking water. Today, not everyone dares to drink liquid from a tap. Buying bottled water is the same expense. Therefore, it is recommended to use liquid from nearby sources (pump rooms, wells). This water is often much better and healthier than bottled liquid. If water filters are involved, then it is better to use household systems, rather than cassette devices.
• Domestic water. To drain the toilet, you can use the water in which the dishes were washed or the laundry was washed.

If there are faulty taps in the apartment, then about 380 liters of water flows through them per day (if the flowing stream is not thicker than a match). If you do not take a bath, but use a shower, then the savings will be significant. In the first case, about 130-150 liters are needed, and in the second, only 35-40 liters. The fluid consumption will be reduced by approximately three times. When brushing your teeth, it is better to use special sink plugs. You should also not allow food to dry in the plate, because in this case, you will have to spend a lot of water on washing the dishes. Better to wash the accumulated kitchen utensils straightaway.

If you install aerators (a special nozzle) on the taps, the efficiency of the fluid flow increases. In addition, with the help of such a device, it is easy to wash berries and fruits. A special regulator can be installed on the toilet tank, which adjusts the amount of drained water depending on needs. This saves 20-30 liters per day. Lever faucets on taps in the kitchen and bathroom will allow you to mix water more quickly, which reduces unnecessary waste.

The dishwasher uses less H2O than hand washing. In addition, the device uses only cold liquid, which saves hot.

It is imperative to install a meter, because standard calculations assume payment for water utility services based on the number of residents (officially registered) residents, regardless of whether they have used up so much liquid in a month or not. For example, there are about 400 liters of water per tenant per month. If you use a counter, then this figure can be reduced by three times.

It is possible to save water resources outside the city by collecting precipitation in special containers and subsequently selling them for watering the garden, washing, bathing and other household needs.

We save heat

You can save on heating utilities if you are smart about saving heat. This requires:

1. Insulate the loggia and balcony. Special attention must be given to the balcony door.
2. Insulate windows and floor. If the apartment is on the ground floor, then up to 15% of the heat goes through the floor. Walls can be made warmer with foam or expanded polystyrene.
3. Ventilation should be as efficient as possible so as not to release heat.
4. Warm curtains can prevent heat leakage. To do this, you need to close them at night and move them apart during the day.
5. Replacing old windows with three-chamber plastic windows will significantly save on utility bills for heating.
6. If you install a temperature controller on the batteries, you can regulate the level of heat in the room.
7. The heat-reflecting shield on the radiators will direct the heat towards heating the room rather than heating the wall behind the radiator.
8. A carefully thought-out system of supply and exhaust ventilation will allow you to direct warm air to heat the room.

Owners country house or summer cottages can install a geothermal pump, which allows you to receive up to 75% of the energy for heating the house from natural resources... And, of course, it is worth installing a heat meter so as not to overpay, as they say, "for the neighbors."

How to save on utility bills

If you install special day and night meters, you can save on utility bills. "Night" rates are much lower than "day" rates. In this case, it is better to postpone both the charging of appliances and washing overnight. Household appliances must be operated correctly:

• Do not run the vacuum cleaner at full power. It should be cleaned after every cleaning.
• Do not overload the washing machine. When buying this technique, you need to pay attention to the level of its energy efficiency.
• The air conditioner should be turned on only with the windows and doors closed and also cleaned regularly.
• The use of an electric heater is an extreme case, because such devices are famous for their "gluttony" in terms of absorbing electricity.
• It is worth turning on additional devices to the computer only through a surge protector.

It should be remembered that almost all electrical appliances consume electricity in standby mode. Together, this represents about 10% of the total electricity consumption in the apartment. Therefore, to save money, it is better to turn off all "waiting" electrical appliances.

Replacing conventional heating lamps with economical options will save the volume share of the family budget. Energy saving bulbs consume 80% less electricity than conventional bulbs. It is advisable to install an automatic lighting shutdown system on the staircase and in the hallway.

If an electric stove is used in the house, then you can turn it off ten minutes before cooking, because during this entire period it will still generate heat. It is worth remembering that a refrigerator with a built-in freezer "burns" up to 20% of all electricity, so when buying it you should pay attention to the unit class - it must be at least "A".

The refrigerator should be installed far from heat sources, in this case it will use less electricity by 20-30%. Do not allow ice to freeze in the freezer, so you should defrost the appliance more often. It is necessary to teach the household to save - they should always turn off the light after themselves.

Utility bills refer to the mandatory monthly expenses of the family. This expense item is not just constant, but, unfortunately, is constantly growing. Nevertheless, a communal apartment is not a verdict, and if you approach it wisely and systematically, you can significantly reduce the cost of paying for it.

So, a little reminder.
How to save on utility bills without prejudice to yourself

1. Saving electricity

2. Saving water

3. Saving heat

4. Saving is control

5. Don't forget about recalculation

6. Don't pay for what you don't use

7. Subsidies and benefits