How to install heating meters in an apartment: installation of individual devices

It is impossible to live in unheated rooms in winter and no one argues with this.Hot radiators during the colder months are a common benefit of modern life. However, the bills regularly calculated by heating management specialists are often inflated, aren’t they?

Have you decided to figure out how to install heating meters in your apartment in order to get a real chance not to pay extra, but don’t know where to start?

We will help you study this issue in detail - the article describes the procedure for installing a meter and the interaction of the owner with the heat supply organization. The main types of meters and their features are also discussed.

The article is supplemented with thematic photos and useful video advice from owners who, through the courts, proved their right to pay only for the heat actually consumed.

Purposes of installing a heating meter

Heating a house is expensive. But private homeowners at least have a choice of boiler equipment and fuel. Residents of high-rise buildings have no choice - central heating with tariffs set by the management company.

However, there is a tool for reducing apartment heating costs - an individual heat meter.

When there is no high-quality heating, it happens that malfunctions of the home heating network force you to look for alternative heat sources.

Or the cause of cold room radiators is the intention of the management of the housing office to save on general heating costs.

Then the plumber tightens the stop valve, reducing the flow of hot water in the heating network of the high-rise building. Residents get cold and warm heaters, increasing electricity bills. But this does not reduce the cost of heating.

Do you also have to freeze in your apartment? We invite you to view information about insulation of apartment walls, discussed in our other article.

When there is too much heat, the overheated air in the rooms is unpleasant, you have to open the window to lower the overall temperature level. But behind the seemingly simple methods there is money spent on “heating the street.”

You can save them by installing regulators for heating batteries and a heat meter - for the heating circuit of the apartment.

You may also be interested in information about comfortable temperature standards in residential premises, which you can read about In this article.

In winter, ventilating an overheated room is the only thing that comes to mind to reduce the uncomfortable room temperature

There are also hidden components of heating payments. This is when the coolant from the boiler room enters the main networks at one heating temperature, but at the entrance of the heating pipes into the house its temperature is different, lower.

The delivery of coolant through pipes is accompanied by heat loss due to poor insulation, this is understandable. But these heat losses are paid by the end consumer - owners of apartments in high-rise buildings that are not equipped with heat meters.

Monthly payments for someone else's living space

Each apartment building must be equipped with a heat meter - Article 13, paragraph 5 of Federal Law No. 261-FZ of November 23, 2009.

The management company fulfills this condition and, based on the results of each month, records the heat consumption for the high-rise building under its management.

The amount for thermal energy is simply divided between apartments according to their living space. Although this approach cannot be fair.

Good money is spent on heating bills. And half of them are wasted

The data on living space available in the Criminal Code are based on the technical passport of each apartment. However, such technical data sheets often do not take into account data on apartment redevelopments that increase the heating area.

It does not contain information about increasing connection points for heating radiators.

Meanwhile, apartments with redevelopment and an expanded number of heating devices consume more heat than others.

And since the general building consumption of thermal energy is divided according to the registered living space, residents of “ordinary” apartments pay for the heat consumed by residents of “improved” apartments.

Individual heat meter on the horizontal heating circuit of the apartment

A simple way out of the situation with paying for someone else’s heat is individual meters on the heating circuits of apartments.

Cost savings on thermal energy, the consumption of which is determined by a heat meter, will amount to over 30% of previous heating payments tied to the size of the living space (standard).

Types of residential heating system wiring

Apartments in high-rise buildings are equipped with either vertical or horizontal distribution of the heating system. In apartment buildings built before the beginning of the 21st century, heating systems were installed vertically.

Option #1 - vertical wiring

The vertical circuit of the thermal system is made of one pipe, less often two pipes.But always with a sequential flow of coolants through the interfloor levels - from bottom to top, then from top to bottom.

Vertical heating distribution is especially common in Khrushchev-era buildings.

The circuit of a single-pipe thermal system covers several floors and apartments. That’s why you can’t install a built-in heat meter on it

Heating with vertical wiring has serious disadvantages:

• Uneven heat distribution. The coolant is pumped along a vertically oriented interfloor circuit, which does not ensure uniform heating of rooms at different levels. Those. in apartments on the lower floors it will be noticeably warmer than in rooms located closer to the roof of a high-rise building;
• Difficulty adjusting the heating level heating batteries. The need to equip each battery with a bypass;
• Problems with balancing the heating system. The balance of single-circuit heating of vertical distribution is achieved by adjusting shut-off valves and thermostats. But at the slightest change in pressure or temperature in the system, the adjustment must be made again;
• Difficulties with individual heat consumption metering. There is more than one riser in the vertical heating system of apartment rooms, so conventional heat meters cannot be used. You will need several of them for each radiator, which is expensive. Although for vertical heating, another thermal energy metering tool is available - a heat distributor.

Constructing a vertically oriented heating pipeline was cheaper than horizontal wiring - fewer pipes were required.

Such savings in the era of mass standard development of urban areas of Russia in the 20th century were considered completely justified.

Option #2 - horizontal wiring in a high-rise building

When the heating system is laid out horizontally, there is also a vertical supply riser that distributes the coolant across the floors.

The pipe of the second riser, which serves as a return line, is located in a vertical technical shaft next to the supply riser.

From both distribution risers, horizontal pipes of two circuits are led into the apartments - supply and return. The return line collects cooled water, transporting it to a thermal station or heating boiler.

In a horizontal heating circuit, everything is simple - the coolant enters the apartment through one pipe, and exits through the other.

The advantages of horizontal distribution of heating pipes include:

• possibility of adjusting the temperature in each apartment, as well as throughout the entire highway (installation of mixing units is required);
• repair or maintenance on a separate circuit heating without completely shutting down the heating system. Shut-off valves allow you to close the apartment’s circuit at any time;
• quick start of heating on all floors. For comparison, even in a well-balanced single-pipe vertical distribution system, delivery of coolant to all radiators will take at least 30-50 seconds;
• installation of one heat meter per apartment circuit. With horizontal heating distribution, equipping it with a heat meter is a simple task.

The disadvantage of a horizontal heating circuit is its increased cost. The need to install a return pipe parallel to the supply pipe increases the price of residential heating by 15-20%.

Features of the main types of meters

A group of individual heat energy metering devices is designed to work in heating networks with a pipe channel diameter of 15-20 mm and a coolant volume in the range of 0.6-2.5 cubic meters per hour.

Heat meters and heat distributors perform calculations of consumed thermal energy independently, with data displayed on an electronic display.

Horizontal distribution of heating pipes allows you to install the heat meter covertly, in a communication niche or shaft

The computing module of the device determines the amount of heat consumption for a given period of time (hour, day or month), storing and accumulating this information in the device’s memory for 12-36 months.

The most convenient way is to install a non-volatile heating meter (i.e. with an additional power source - a battery).

Depending on the heat meter model, its measurement values ​​are displayed as kilowatts per hour, megawatts per hour, gigajoules or gigacalories. Management and other utility companies require heat readings in Gcal.

To convert to gigacalories, you must apply the appropriate conversion formula. For example, for kilowatts per hour - multiply the value by a factor of 0.0008598.

Each meter is a complex of several devices. Its kit may include temperature sensors, calculators for the volume of consumed thermal energy, as well as pressure, flow and coolant resistance transducers.

The exact configuration of the heat meter is set by the manufacturer for a specific model.

It is convenient to install a heat meter at the final stage of installing an apartment heating system

Depending on the principle of accounting for consumed thermal energy, heat meters are equipped with an ultrasonic or mechanical (tachometer) flow meter.

Models of devices with other types of flow meters (for example, vortex or electromagnetic) are also available, but they are not widely used. Heat meters are designed to collect information on heat consumption exclusively on the horizontal distribution of the heating circuit.

A separate group of heat meters are calculators and heat distributors that do not require insertion into the heating circuit. These devices are used to calculate the heat costs of heating radiators for any heating circuit diagram.

Type #1 - mechanical version of the flow meter

The simplest type of design, therefore the cheapest (about 9,000-10,000 rubles) is a device with two wired temperature sensors, a water meter and an electronic computer unit.

The main working element of the meter is a part (impeller, turbine or screw) that rotates as coolant passes through the device. The number of rotations determines the volume of coolant passing through the meter.

The installation procedure for a heat meter is seemingly simple, but the efficiency of the device depends on its quality.

Contact thermometers are built into the supply and return pipes of the heating circuit of the apartment. The first thermometer is placed in the meter, in a special socket.

The second is installed on the return pipeline, in a ball valve of a special design (with a socket) or in a tee equipped with a sleeve for a thermometer.

Advantages of mechanical heat meters:

• cost about 8,000 rubles;
• the design is simple and reliable;
• no external power supply required;

I am attracted by the fairly correct stability of the indicators and the permissibility of installation in a horizontal or vertical position.

Disadvantages of mechanical type heat meters:

• guaranteed work period no more than 4-5 years — verification is required every 4 years;
• high wear of rotating parts - however, all mechanical meters are repaired for little money;
• increase in pressure — the rotating element helps to increase the pressure in the heating circuit;
• susceptibility to water hammer;
• high need to match the actual coolant flow in the heating system to the nominal flow rate established by the manufacturer.

It is mandatory to integrate a coarse magnetic mesh filter into the circuit in front of the mechanical heat meter. The device is extremely sensitive to the content of mechanical suspensions in the coolant volume!

Type #2 - ultrasonic heat meter

These devices determine the coolant flow using an ultrasonic signal emitted by the emitter and received by the receiver.

Both elements of the thermal ultrasonic meter are mounted on a horizontal heating pipe, and a certain distance is established between them.

The signal from the emitter follows the coolant flow and reaches the receiver after a period of time depending on the speed of the coolant in the heating circuit. Based on the time data, the coolant flow rate is determined.

It has no rotating elements. Therefore, the service life of such a heat meter is longer, and the heat data is accurate

Over 10 versions of ultrasonic flow meters are produced - frequency, Doppler, correlation, etc.In addition to performing basic tasks, an ultrasonic heat meter can have the function of adjusting the flow of coolant.

Advantages of ultrasonic heat meters for apartments:

• low price in the basic configuration - from 8,000 rubles. (domestic models);
• heat consumption data is displayed on the LCD display by pressing one button, which is convenient;
• operation of the device does not cause an increase in hydraulic pressure in the heating system;

Significant advantages include a long service life - more than 10 years (verification is necessary every 4 years) and power supply from a built-in battery.

The main disadvantage of ultrasonic heat meters is their sensitivity to the composition of the coolant. If it contains air bubbles and dirt particles (scale, scale, etc.), the device readings will be incorrect, and in the direction of increasing heat consumption.

For ultrasonic flow meters, there is one installation rule - the section of the pipeline in front of and after the device must be straight (the required total length of the straight section is more than a meter). Then the meter will provide correct data on heat consumption.

Type #3 - calculator and heat distributor

These devices measure the relative costs of thermal energy. Their design includes a thermal adapter and two temperature sensors.

Every three minutes, sensors measure temperatures on the surface of the heating radiator and in the room atmosphere, determining the difference. The collected information on heat consumption is summarized and displayed on the device screen.

There is no need to hide such a heat meter - it looks perfect in the modern interior of the room

Heat computers are programmed to operate on a specific type of heating radiator at the time of installation on it.

You may also be interested in information about the types of heating radiators and their characteristics, discussed in our other article.

All necessary coefficients and power indicators of the radiator are entered into the meter’s memory, which allows it to display data on heat consumption in kilowatt-hours.

The numbers indicated by heat distributors are displayed in conventional units. To convert them into kilowatt-hours, you should multiply the value of the readings by the rated power of the heating radiator and the coefficient corresponding to the type of heating battery.

The coefficient numbers are provided by the meter manufacturer based on the results of laboratory tests.

A heat spreader is similar to a heat calculator. They are distinguished by the inability of the distributor to count heat as kilowatts per hour. In general, the heat distributor is simpler than the computer

Calculators and heat distributors are placed to measure thermal energy on one heating radiator. Those. in an apartment where heating is metered using such devices, there should be as many meters as there are heating radiators.

Both types of meters are effective regardless of the residential heating scheme and the operating characteristics of the coolant used in the heating circuit.

Advantages of heat distributors and calculators:

• cost is about 2000-2500 rubles. - i.e. their installation is beneficial in small apartments equipped with five heating radiators or less (but more than 2);
• long service life without verification - 10 years;
• simple and quick installation on or next to the radiator housing;
• transfer of data from several heat meters via radio to a single controller that sums them up (the presence of a radio module depends on the device model);

A convincing argument in favor of installing such devices is the complete independence of measurement results from the quality of the coolant.

Disadvantages of apartment computers and heat distributors:

• the relative measurement error is up to 7-12% (the greatest error is characteristic of heat distributors), which is higher than that of “mortise” heat meters;
• Energy consumption data is correct if calculated from the results of measurements of several devices within the apartment. One computer is not able to correctly determine the heat consumption of the atmosphere from one radiator. Summary data across multiple instruments is required;
• Effective operation only on factory models of heating radiators. Those. any modifications to the factory configuration of the radiator when measuring heat with such heat meters are unacceptable.

The installation kit for installing a calculator or heat distributor is selected according to the type of radiator on the body of which the meter will be installed.

Handicraft methods of installing the meter will worsen the quality of data collection. If there is no specialized mounting kit, it is more rational to mount the device next to the battery it serves.

The procedure for legal installation of a heat meter

The sequence of actions aimed at installing an individual heat metering device in an apartment consists of several stages.

Let's look at them in more detail:

1. Written appeal to the house management organization for permission to install a heat meter. Copies of documents on ownership of the living space and the technical passport of the apartment must be attached to the letter.
2. Obtaining technical specifications for installation of a heat meter at a heat energy supplier (usually a management company).
3. Project preparation individual heat metering and installation technical documentation. Performed by an organization that has the legal right to provide design services.
4. Approval of project documentation with the heat supply company.

You should not purchase a heat meter before receiving an agreed upon thermal energy project, because Failure is possible for various reasons.

Having all the documentation for the project, all that remains is to choose a heat meter - ultrasonic, mechanical or externally installed, for example, a heat calculator.

A device that is required to save up to 50% of heating costs - it must be installed by a professional. And with a guarantee

For the purchased model, you must obtain from the seller receipts (sales and cash receipts), instructions, warranty card and a copy of the current quality certificate.

The company installing the heat meter must have a license for this type of work.

Before choosing a contractor, it is necessary to evaluate the data on the candidates (Unified State Register of Legal Entities, certificates, SRO approvals), the professionalism of the installers (special equipment, list of installation work, availability of an installation kit), guarantees of the work performed.

The quality of the thermostat installed on the heating radiator is important. It is this that will allow you to control the heating of the battery, and therefore the cost of heat

Please note that in addition to the heat meter, you will need additional devices and accessories: bypass, radiator thermostats, pipe filters, tees, etc.

Sealing the heat meter or heat distributor after installation work is mandatory.

The seals are placed by representatives of the heat supply company.

When is installation impossible or unprofitable?

The management company will refuse to install an individual heat meter if there is no common house heat meter. To calculate the ODN coefficient, you need to know the heat consumption of the entire house.

Payments for a heat meter in the following situations will be higher than without it:

• the entry of the heating main into a multi-storey building was carried out according to an outdated scheme - through an elevator;
• the apartment is located at the end of the house, on the top or first floor;
• there are gaps in the window frames and in the front door frame;
• the loggia (balcony) is not glazed - in such a situation it can help insulation of the balcony;
• drafty entrance area (broken windows, ajar entrance door), etc.

Note that to minimize heat energy costs, it is not enough to install a common house and apartment meter. It is necessary to modernize the heating system of the building - replacing the elevator unit with AITP or AUU.

The ITP complex allows you to finely regulate the heating of the entire high-rise building. This means heating payments will decrease.

Only in such a high-rise building energy system will it be possible to achieve comfort in apartments with minimal heating payments.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Installation of a heat meter is a requirement of Russian legislation. But this rule does not apply to apartments in high-rise buildings.

The reasons why there may be problems with individual heat meters are discussed in this video:

In 2013, a St. Petersburg resident installed heat calculators on the radiators in his apartment and became convinced of a 30% overpayment for heating.

But ZhSK-3 is in no hurry to compensate for his expenses. Watch the video:

Legislation requires that the heating network in a high-rise building be equipped with a house meter, but only a common one (for the whole house).

And for managers of multi-apartment households Individual meters are beneficial in the only case - if the house is new or reconstructed (thermal insulated) according to modern standards.

Have you installed a heating meter for yourself or have valuable information on this issue that could be useful to our other readers?

Perhaps your experience will help solve a difficult situation or inspire you to actively fight with the heat supply company. Share your story or ask questions on this topic - leave your comments under this article.