24 simple and effective ways to save money that will reduce your utility bills

Ways to save on water

Practice shows that a reasonable approach to resource consumption helps save money if you always adhere to it:
10 proven and effective tips that will help you reduce your electricity costs

• Installation of individual meters . Thanks to this manipulation, you can reduce water costs by 60%. To install two devices, you will need 3,000 rubles. The amount will pay off within 4-6 months, after which there will be net savings.

Installing individual meters is unprofitable in cases where 2-3 people are registered, but in reality 4 or more people live and use water.

• Timely plumbing repairs . A dripping faucet or a leaking toilet cistern steals your money. If you bought a budget option for plumbing, it is recommended to inspect it for integrity 3-4 times a year. Expensive plumbing will last longer, but there are always exceptions - so periodic inspection is recommended.
• Bottle in water tank or double flush . The first option is for those who don’t want to spend money at all, but need to save. It is not necessary to drain 5-6 liters of water each time (depending on the type of tank). In most cases, 2 liters of water is enough for the toilet to function properly.

Two drainage modes allow you to save money. You can buy a toilet with a built-in system, or purchase it separately and install it in the tank. This helps reduce water costs. For example, a family of three can save up to 10 cubic meters per year, which is equivalent to 380 rubles.

• Aerator . This is a divider that is installed on the faucet. It saturates the liquid with oxygen, which increases the volume of the jet. With this product you can save up to 30%. The cost is about 250 rubles. Payback time is 2-3 months.
• Mix with thermostat . When you adjust the water temperature, a lot of precious liquid is lost. The built-in device prevents losses and saves money. When you turn on the water, you immediately get a comfortable and desired temperature. The temperature can be adjusted. More expensive devices set the temperature for each family member.
• Shower, not bath . To fill a bath, you need about 250 liters of water. And during a 5-minute shower, the consumption is 100-150 liters, which is much less. In addition, after a bath, many people rinse off in the shower, which again increases consumption.
• Regular verification of meters . Individual metering devices require regular verification. Meters for hot water - once every 4 years, and for cold water - 6. Often, companies that install devices, under the guise of verification, recommend replacing the device, and this costs about 1,500 rubles.

As long as the meter's shelf life has not expired (this is 10-12 years), you are not obligated to agree to replace the device if it functions normally and has been verified.

Turn off the radio

We recommend refusing to pay for unnecessary utilities. However, in order to stop charging for a specific service, you must write an application to the appropriate organization.

If your apartment is still connected to a radio point, apply to turn it off through State Services or during a personal visit to the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian Broadcasting and Notification Networks”.

The application must be accompanied by a receipt for payment for the disconnection service and a certificate of no debt. It should be remembered that only a person registered at a given address can write an application to disconnect the service, in other words, the person who must pay for housing and communal services. Therefore, when contacting a utility organization, you need to have your passport with you.

Purchasing a dishwasher

Such a household appliance, on the one hand, consumes quite a lot of electricity, and on the other hand, it allows you to significantly save on water. Regular dishwashing uses about three times as much water as using a dishwasher.

The benefits will be even more obvious if you adhere to a number of rules:

• It is recommended to purchase a dishwasher that has the highest energy efficiency class.
• You should run the dishwasher once a day, having accumulated dishes for the whole day.
• If a multi-tariff electric meter is installed, it is better to use the machine in the evening, when electricity is cheaper.

Installation of meters

To reduce the amount of monthly payments, it is necessary to install measuring instruments. They will show the exact amount of resource consumed. Such regulations are also recommended by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 776 of September 4, 2013[3] The installation of meters must be approached responsibly. A low-quality device will quickly fail and display incorrect data. It is also better to call a specialist to install the device. Since incorrect installation will lead to unnecessary expenses.

Is it possible to save on gas?

Gas consumption is not the most expense item in bills for housing and communal services; it is a fairly economical type of fuel, but it can also be spent many times more efficiently, and you pay less for consumption. There are several ways to reduce gas consumption:

1. The most reliable method is to install a meter. Without metering devices, payment is made according to standards that are inflated: according to them, each tenant spends 10 cubic meters of gas without a gas water heater, and with one - 26.2 cubic meters per month.
2. If you have a geyser, you can use economical shower heads and taps.
3. Replace the gas water heater with a wick with an automatic model. The first has overconsumption of gas per month of up to 20 cubic meters, that is, money literally burns with a blue flame.
4. In a private house, it is necessary to insulate walls and windows and install a boiler with an automatic thermostat. You can also think about purchasing a condensing gas boiler - compared to a conventional one, it saves up to 35% of fuel.
5. During cooking, it is necessary to place the dishes on a burner of a suitable size so as not to unnecessarily heat the air.

In apartments, gas consumption is reduced mainly to cooking and heating water, so the most effective method of saving would be to install a meter.

A gas stove, depending on the model, frequency of its use and family size, consumes from 5 to 40 cubic meters of gas per month.

How are utility bills calculated?

The legislation of the Russian Federation clearly defines the methods for calculating amounts for utility bills. However, not all consumers turn to the regulatory legal act to be aware of what they are paying for in the amounts recorded in utility bill receipts.

So, the amount of payment for utilities is that the volume of consumed utilities, which is based on the readings of metering devices, and if they are absent, then from the standards for the use of utilities (including standards for the accumulation of solid municipal waste), approved by government authorities subjects of the Russian Federation in the manner established by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Owners of premises in apartment buildings that are required to have water and electrical energy meters, as well as in those premises where these meters are not equipped, in this case, increasing coefficients are used to the consumption standard for the corresponding type of utility service in the volume and manner that are established Government of the Russian Federation.

The amount for utility services is determined according to the tariffs that are established by government authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the regime established by federal law. Local government bodies themselves are sometimes vested with separate state powers in the area of ​​determining tariffs, in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the Russian Federation. In cases established by the legislation of the Russian Federation in the field of heat supply, the amount of payment for utility services for heating is calculated according to prices characterized within the framework of the maximum value of the cost of thermal energy (power).

Don't want to be charged more utility bills? There are several legal ways to reduce utility bills:

Examination

All devices fail over time, so meters, wiring and pipelines need to be checked occasionally. If you do not notice a breakdown in time, you can pay for non-existent services for a long time.

Therefore, every month it is necessary to carefully inspect the entire system; if any breakdowns or leaks are detected, they must be repaired immediately. People are in no hurry to fix many problems (breakage of the faucet, leaking pipes, violation of the integrity of the wiring), considering it a trifle. But in practice it has been established that they lead to an increase in utility bills.

Refund of overpayment of insurance premium

Throughout 2018-2019 While working with various HOAs/TSNs and Management Companies, we identified a trend of overpayments on insurance premiums for 2021 -2018.

“Where could the overpayments come from if we pay everything strictly according to calculations?” - you ask.

From 2021 Preferential rates for insurance premiums are applied to management organizations/homeowners' associations/housing cooperatives. Many managers and accountants were not aware of this possibility and, thus, an overpayment occurred, which can be returned to the accounting account of the MA.

Example: Homeowners' associations from the city of Pushkin turned to us for an audit. During the audit, it was found that for 2017-2018. more than 100 thousand rubles were overpaid. The overpayment was successfully returned to the organization's account.

Our specialists are ready to help you in identifying the presence or absence of overpayment FREE OF CHARGE

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Leave a request or at [email protected]

Complete the recalculation

It will not be possible to completely avoid paying housing and communal services for an apartment. However, if the service was not provided to the consumer within a certain period, the payment amount can be significantly reduced.

In most cases, utility companies independently make recalculation based on standard acts. However, if you received a receipt for payment of housing and communal services without taking into account the recalculation amount, you need to contact the management company at your place of residence.

In addition, recalculation can be made if all residents of the apartment have not been at home for more than 5 days in a row. It should be noted that heating in such a situation will not be recalculated. This is due to the fact that this utility service is calculated based on the square footage of the living space. The number of registered persons does not affect the amount of payment.

Wash at lower power

We often choose a washing mode without looking at the product label.

Heating water to 60°C requires four times more electricity than heating water to 30°C.

Hot water (60 °C and above) is not always needed to remove dirt. Keep this in mind the next time you do laundry.

Another way to save money is to spin at lower speeds (600 or 800 instead of 1,200). Yes, you will get damper laundry, but you will save energy.

Reduce your consumption overall

The last recommendation is to reduce the consumption of resources paid according to apartment meter readings (electricity, water). Here we can recommend the use of energy-saving lamps, “diffusers” and pressure regulators in showers and faucets, respectively, the installation of toilet cisterns equipped with a “small” flush button, and the use of home appliances with energy consumption class “A”. It will also be useful to promptly inspect taps and pipes for leaks and minimize energy consumption in passive mode, for which you should turn off electrical appliances when leaving the house.

Lawyer for utility bills in Yekaterinburg

As practice shows, each individual chooses the method of saving utilities that he likes, however, situations arise that the consumer did not use one or another method quite correctly and problems arise. A considerable amount of utility bills comes and it is often difficult to prove that a particular amount of consumed types of utilities exceeds the limits actually used.

In view of the fact that consumers cannot figure out such situations themselves, the Law Office “Katsailidi and Partners” will come to the rescue. Our employees will help you understand the current situation, give professional advice and will be able to organize multifunctional assistance without harm to the client, including installment payments for utility services in negotiations with management companies, housing cooperatives, and homeowners associations.

Our bureau has extensive experience in the field of housing and communal services; by studying the practice of such cases, a lawyer can easily identify several options for the development of the situation and together with him you will find a solution that fully suits you.

Splitting a personal account

A room in a communal apartment, an individual residential building, even an apartment - in such residential premises it is simply necessary to separate the personal account so that each consumer pays exactly for the square meters in which he lives. This is very convenient and beneficial from the point of view that the consumer will not be responsible for debts that have accumulated with a co-owner or another consumer living in the same territory, but on his own square meters.

When several people live in an apartment who are not relatives or relatives, but who are not in very good condition in relation to each other. Here it is necessary for such people to agree among themselves on who will pay for their half of the utility needs and how.

Useful : more information about the personal account section via the link on the website and in the VIDEO

Saving on heating

These recommendations will be useful to those people who live in their own house or apartment equipped with individual heating meters:

1. Checking the thermal insulation . Gaps in windows and doors let in precious heat, which is not cheap. The problem can be solved by insulating the window and using heat-saving film.

If the room is still cold despite constant heating, and the heat leak is not visible to the naked eye, you can use a thermal imager. This device is expensive, so it is rented - it will help detect heat leaks.

1. Thermostat for heating radiators . It helps regulate temperature.
2. Heat reflective screen . When radiators do not heat very well, a specialized screen helps to increase heat transfer into the room - it is located behind the radiator.

When your radiators do not heat enough, and you do not have personalized heating devices, you can contact the Housing Office. They are obliged to accept the application and record the violation. Your payments will be recalculated later.

Check the thermal insulation

Wooden frames have been replaced by plastic double-glazed windows.
They are more reliable, but over time the polyurethane foam dries out and the rubber seals become rough. Check if there is any draft from your windows. If so, seal the cracks, otherwise you will heat the street in winter. Also check the insulation of the front door. The Lifehacker Telegram channel contains only the best texts about technology, relationships, sports, cinema and much more. Subscribe!

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Refusal of imposed services

These include security/video surveillance services, a concierge at the entrance, and home insurance. But it should be taken into account: the decision to pay for insurance is made by each resident individually, and payment for the concierge, etc. is a collective decision within the framework of a meeting of homeowners. In this case, if the decision is positive, those who opposed it are also required to pay for the services. Here we can only advise you to make sure that the meeting is held correctly: if there are violations, this decision can be appealed.

Please note: additional services can often be included in the general receipt; if they are not paid, a general debt for the apartment arises. As a result, the owner, who is entitled to subsidies (compensations) for paying for housing and communal services, is deprived of the opportunity to take advantage of them. If the need arises, to exclude additional services from the receipt, file a claim in court.

What affects the amount of utility bills

Every month, people using housing and communal services, according to the order of the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation dated January 26, 2018 No. 43/pr [1], receive payment documents indicating the amount to be transferred. In addition, the receipt contains information about how the calculation was made, the tariff and readings of resource meters. Based on the data specified in the payment slip, residents can find out where they can start saving effectively.

You can reduce the amount of payments as follows:

1. Install measuring instruments. Meters allow you to control heat and energy consumption. If there are no locking devices in the house or apartment, the owner will pay a certain amount depending on the number of people registered in the housing.
2. Check water meters within the time period regulated by clause 1 of article 13 of Federal Law No. 102[2].
3. Conduct monthly inspections of apartment pipes and appliances.
4. Use provided resources economically.
5. Review receipts carefully.
6. Install devices and equipment of a special economical class.

Careful use of resources will help reduce the cost of the service.