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This is shown by the common house heat meter. Ultrasonic thermal counter. Who conducts calibration of the heat meter

In modern conditions, payments for utilities, including heating, take most of the family budget. To survive, people are constantly looking for ways to save. One of the effective solutions will be to install a home heat meter. The amount for payment for heating is calculated according to the established tariffs and theoretical standards of heat consumption. Heat meters for heating are installed in order to accurately fix the used resource in a particular apartment, which can significantly save.

Installation of heat meters in apartment house is not a simple procedure. In addition to the difficulties with the installation, Russians are waiting for a long way of reconciliation and bureaucratic delays. The situation is simpler for those who live in new buildings. The houses of the modern type are equipped with a separate input of heat, which does not prevent to install an individual heat meter in the apartment. The situation is more complicated with the construction of Soviet times, where a vertical pipe distribution system is used.

In the majority of MKDs, a house heat meter is installed and operates. Communal users take off the meter reading and divide the result by the number of residents, in proportion to the residential area of each. This method does not inspire confidence among citizens, and the distribution of payments is also questionable. All this in the aggregate makes Russians think about how to install a heat meter in an apartment, and how far this measure is effective.

Before putting individual meters on heating batteries, you need to think carefully, weigh the pros and cons, and assess the prospects. It is possible that a house heating meter is doing a very good job, and buying an apartment accounting device will be a waste of money. Put one device at home - this is the most budget option. The decision to install a meter must be taken at a public meeting of all tenants.

If citizens decide that this measure will be sufficient, their opinion should be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. The next step will be to contact the management organization, which is engaged in servicing the MKD. With the managers it is necessary to agree on the installation, and it is on their shoulders that they will have a duty to collect evidence, which is carried out monthly. The main feature that distinguishes the common house heat meters for heating, is their size and power.

The installation of a heat meter in the apartment is an opportunity to obtain more accurate results of measurements of the consumed heat. This option is much more expensive, besides, it can be associated with various technical difficulties. For example, vertical piping implies that the meter should be installed on each riser. The solution of the problem can be the installation of special meters directly on each radiator, but this solution is not available to everyone, since it implies substantial material investment and difficulties in taking readings.

Another option for Russians living in multi-apartment buildings of the old type will be the installation of distributors. These devices work and conduct measurements, focusing on the difference in temperature of the surface of the battery and air. If the house uses a horizontal method of distributing heating pipes, then citizens are available any, a wide variety of devices and appliances that the law permits to use in a private residential building.

What are

Today, there are many types of heat meters. Each version is characterized by its features and performance characteristics. Among those that can stand in the apartment, it is necessary to distinguish:

Mechanical device. Also they are called tachometric counters. To install such an element, it is necessary to shut off water, cut into the pipeline, while observing the technical requirements and standards. Among the variety of equipment, mechanical meters are considered the cheapest and susceptible to the quality of the coolant. Another characteristic feature of this equipment is the possibility of impact on the device in order to reduce the reading.
Ultrasonic measuring instruments. Such elements are also difficult to install, but much more accurate and reliable in operation. The heat is measured by passing ultrasound through the working section. The cost of ultrasonic counters in comparison with mechanical devices is higher by 15-20%.
Surface sensors. Electronic components that are installed on each radiator. Measurement of the heat used is based on air temperature, battery and radiator power data, which are entered manually into the device.

To put an individual meter of heat consumption in an apartment, it is necessary to agree this issue in various instances and departmental structures. Before installation, you must obtain permission from the communal services, the heat supplier, the management company. The absence of permits may cause serious problems, imposition of fines, etc.

You can obtain permission to install an apartment meter if a number of conditions are met, namely in the MKD there is a common heat meter, and individual meters are installed in all apartments.

Modern realities are such that installing a heat meter in an apartment is a rather complicated procedure. If the use of this device is fundamental to you, before buying and installing it, you need to consult with specialists of the heat supply organization who know how much the device costs and whether it can be used specifically in your case.

Checking counters

It is best that a professional specialized organization be involved in the installation of the heat metering device. Masters will initially develop the project, coordinate the necessary aspects with the supervising authorities and will take care of the system in the future. Prior to installation, a check of the heating meters is mandatory.

Initially, the equipment is checked at the manufacturing plant. The device is checked, which is marked with a special mark on the device and in the accompanying documentation. Specialists set a certain time interval between the verification interval. When the time passes, the device will need a second inspection. To do this, the owner will have to contact the Rostest department, a service center from the manufacturer or a specialized company licensed to carry out such activities.

The readings from the heat meter are taken in accordance with the same principle as with the electricity meter. When filling out the receipt, the result is multiplied by the current tariff. Paid for heating in the offices of Sberbank. The recipient of funds is the heat supply company. If the heat indicators in the apartment are below the established standard, citizens are entitled by law to require a reduction in the amount of payment.

The owners of the living space located in the apartment building before the installation of the house heating meter are installed, is interested in how much it is profitable and how, if this heat meter is available, the amount of the monthly payment will be calculated. The fact is that, starting from July 2012, installation of house heat meters became mandatory for all Russian regions.

The need to install a heat meter

First of all, consumers of services provided by utilities need to know that the heat meter for heating does not save heat and money, it is only a metering device.

After installing the heat meter, you can receive invoices with much lower amounts for payment only if a number of activities have been carried out, among which:

high-quality insulation of the house;
good glazing in the porches;
replacement of window frames with metal-plastic products;
closing of facades with a "coat" made of foam or mineral wool.

Undoubtedly, the most beneficial for owners of housing is the installation of heat metering devices individually in each apartment. Provided that the entrance to the building is not insulated and there is heating of the street, and the apartment is poorly insulated, the payment for heating will be higher.

Subscribers using district heating services apartment building, it should be understood that regardless of whether the installation of house counters is beneficial or not, such as in the photo, this does not affect the need for the use of heat metering devices, since according to the Russian Federal Law No. 261, residential houses must necessarily be equipped with them.

This law was adopted for a number of reasons:

To ensure a more accurate and fair distribution of payment amounts.
In order to stimulate tenants apartment buildings more economical to heat supply. Economic levers of influence are more effective than persuasion. When people know that a thrown open door or broken glass in the entrance, will affect the family budget, they will be more careful about common property.
Now, consumers of utilities should take care of the state of the entrances and the house as a whole, and not the municipal services. Previously, problems with the insulation of lofts and basements were handled by employees of management companies for a fee.

Procedure for calculating payment

There are several ways to calculate the payment, when the house heating counters are installed.

Option one - there is no individual heat metering device in the apartment. A similar situation can be observed in houses built in Soviet times.

Then in the arrangement of heating systems rack systems were used, in which heat meters should be counted on each radiator, which from the financial point of view is very expensive.

First you need to determine the cost of heating for one "square". The heat consumption recorded by the general heat meter according to the current tariffs is divided into the entire area of the building, taking into account residential and non-residential premises that are heated.

Since the share in the common property depends on the area of the apartment, it is necessary to calculate it. Then they summarize the area of the apartment and the area of its share in the house property. The result is multiplied by the heating price of one "square".

Option Two - in the house are individually installed meters of heat consumption. In new buildings and buildings erected after 2000, the wiring from the risers inside the apartment has become horizontal, which makes it possible to install one apartment heat meter. In this case, the heating of the apartment is paid by the owners after taking the readings from the individual meter.

To determine the amount of heat used for heating the common area (entrances, attics, etc.), calculate the difference between the data recorded by the house heating counters and all individual meters. The share of each apartment in the cost of heat spent for general needs is calculated in the same way as it was done in the first variant.

Option Three - if there is no individual heat metering device in one apartment, but in others there is. An individual heat meter, even without paying for installation services, costs consumers a considerable amount, so this device is not available for all.

In this case, the payment calculation scheme is as follows:

fix the heat consumption according to the indications of all individual and general house meters;
the difference between them is equal to the cost of heating the common area and apartments without heat meters. Proceeding from these data, it is necessary to determine the amount of payment for heating one "square";
then it is necessary to calculate the amount of payment depending on the area of the apartment in which the heat meters are not installed, and from the share in the common property.

Measures to save on heating

What actions can be taken to achieve real savings? First of all, install an individual heat meter plus thermostatic heads or throttles. In this case, the consumer will pay for the heat, which he really needs to provide comfortable living conditions. At the same time, the owner of the apartment becomes less dependent on the behavior of neighbors.

To implement such measures, it is possible to mount a heat meter at the place where heating is put into the apartment, which the employees of the heat supply organization must seal. On podvodkah to devices of heating put thermostats or throttles. Cheaper ones are throttles. In some cases, it is possible to entrust adjustment even to conventional valves. But to adjust the temperature of the coolant in the radiator with their help is quite difficult. Specialists do not recommend using screw valves for these purposes, since rubber gaskets in them can block the clearance and leave the room without heat.

Ideal devices are mechanical or digital thermostats. Their head should be installed so that they do not get into the flow of hot air rising upwards from the heating device. After the calibration, the thermostatic head is able to maintain the required degree of connection necessary to maintain the room temperature.

Many owners of apartments with rack-mounted heating systems are interested in how to solve the problem in view of the consumed thermal energy, because installing radiators on each radiator will cost a considerable amount of money. In addition to significant initial costs, the customer will have to periodically pay for their maintenance, verification and repair in the event of a breakdown.

Perhaps, the special heat distributor shown in the photo will help solve this problem. It is an electronic thermometer that constantly records and records the temperature that the surface of the battery and the air in the room have. This device is inexpensive for the price and it can be installed independently, attaching directly to the surface of the radiator.

Based on the thermal capacity of each battery, the temperature of the radiator and air for a month and the total heat consumption of all heating appliances, calculate the heat costs in a separate apartment. As a result, the owner of the real estate has an incentive to save heating costs, since he needs to pay only his own expenses.

Automatic heat points

One of best solutions, allowing to lower the cost of heat supply, is the installation of an automatic heat point. Usually such devices are in demand with enterprises and organizations, since their cost for ordinary consumers is almost inaccessible. The heat point significantly reduces the cost of heating the entire building, but for individual consumers the problem with saving remains.

Such equipment operates as follows:

remote sensors fix the temperature of the air on the street (sometimes taking into account the degree of warming the structure and its thermal inertia);
depending on the actual demand for heat energy, the heating of the heat carrier and the patency of the thermal unit are automatically regulated.

When applying automatic control over the heating system, house heating counters really bring significant benefits.

Problems with heat

The implementation of the federal law under the number 261 is fraught with a lot of problems. The fact is that the initiators of innovations were the Russian government, but the material costs are borne by the tenants - they must pay for the cost of house-building heat meters and services for their installation. The costs that must be paid to the owners of real estate, sometimes make huge amounts. If there are not enough apartments in the house, their owners will have to invest a lot of money in installing a common house meter. The smaller the apartments in the building, the greater the amount that each tenant must pay.

This law does not include structures that are subject to demolition and are in emergency condition and those houses in which the cost of the meter and its installation is comparable to the 6-month payment for heat consumption. If the apartment is not privatized, its tenants do not pay for the installation of meters. These costs are borne by the municipality.

Maintenance of the heat meter includes periodic cleaning of filters and muders, repairs of the stop valves located in front of the meter and after it. After the completion of the 12-month guarantee, the payment for repair work also falls on the shoulders of consumers of thermal energy. This item of expenses is included in the receipt for the maintenance of housing. Thus, the owners of apartments, regardless of whether the meter is faulty or broken, are forced to pay for the repair of the device.

As a result, after the installation of a house heating meter has been installed, the management organization is in a difficult situation. On the one hand, it needs to pay monthly for the consumed thermal energy, because in the absence of payment, the heat supplier has the right to stop its supply by closing the valves in the well. With the onset of severe frosts, the heat cutoff in the house will inevitably lead to serious consequences.

But on the other hand, among real estate owners there are always defaulters. In each management company, problems with late payment are decided in different ways. As practice showed, there were cases when the arrears for heat were distributed among the apartments, the residents of which regularly paid monthly payments.

In addition, the adopted law does not provide a clear instruction on the actions of consumers in the event that the device has failed. In the media there was more than one time information that as a result of the device failure, consumers were billed for inflated amounts. As a result, the problem with their payment was resolved by the authorities in the following way: the tenants were granted installments to pay the debt that had been formed.

The heat meter refers to complex devices and can fail at any time. Therefore, in order to eliminate the negative consequences of the breakdown, an additional control system is needed. But this moment in the law has not been reflected.

Additional technical information

If the heat consumption is insignificant, and in the heating system a large head, the installation of inexpensive mechanical meters is allowed. When, on the contrary, the flow is significant, and the head is small, the consumption of thermal energy will more accurately be fixed by an electromagnetic or ultrasonic device. By the way, in the majority the general house ultrasonic devices are established.
In addition to heat meters record the flow hot water, now modern models of devices take into account a coolant having a temperature of less than 40 degrees, as cold, which is reflected in the amount of payment for heat supply.
A useful exercise for an apartment building will be an energy audit, which will identify the causes of heat loss. After that, measures should be taken to eliminate them. Of course, such work will be expensive.
When it is decided to install a mechanical counter, in addition to installing filters coarse cleaning, it is necessary to use a magnetic-mechanical filter in steel pipes to delay scale and rust. It is able to filter out the metal particles that are so small that they pass through the mesh.

Apartment heating meters allow you to strictly monitor the actual consumption of thermal energy, so when paying for the heat consumed, significant savings are achieved. When installing an individual measuring device, apartment owners have an interest in economical use of thermal resources, as well as in carrying out measures to warm their homes. The benefit is so obvious that many people think about how to put a meter on heating in their apartment. Naturally, what worries citizens and the price of the issue, as well as the payback period of the funds invested in the installation of a heat meter.

The essence of the meter is to take into account the thermal energy by measuring the difference in temperature and volume of flow of the coolant. There are two main ways to carry out flow measurements: tachometric and ultrasonic. For each of them, manufacturers produce different types of household meters that can record heat energy. Ultrasound models are more reliable in operation, more accurate and more durable. Tachometric instruments are inferior to these indicators, and therefore cheaper.

So how much does the meter cost for heating? The price of the measuring device, including the control valve, filter and stop valves, averages about 9,000 rubles. However, to this amount, it is necessary to add the costs for the installation of measuring equipment, which should be carried out by a company that has all the necessary permits for the implementation of this type of service. Therefore, costs increase to 18-20 thousand rubles.

This is how the heat meter looks - the main components

Important! Please note that heating meters in the apartment must have passports and certificates, like any other measuring device. After the completion of the installation work, the meter must be sealed. Periodic verification of the device is also necessary. Usually this operation is carried out after four years.

Technical limitations

Unfortunately, practically in all houses of the old building, a vertical system for distributing heating pipes has been made. This means that through the apartment there are several risers and put on each of them a separate counter, of course, is not profitable. For such a heating system, the manufacturers of meters are offered to install valves that measure the flow of coolant based on the difference in air temperatures in the room and on the surface of the radiator. The price of one such distributor fluctuates within a thousand rubles. The cost of installation can be 2-6 thousand rubles, depending on the configuration.

Installation of apartment heat meter

In apartment buildings, erected in recent years, provides for the construction of a horizontal installation of heating pipes. Therefore in such apartments one heat meter is put. Compact models of heat meters are usually mounted on a straight pipe, through which the coolant flows into the apartment. In some cases, installation of return line.

Here you see a correctly installed counter

Registering your device

If heat meters are installed by a specialized organization specialized in the design, installation and subsequent maintenance of heat meters, its specialists:

prepare the project;
will coordinate it with the organization responsible for heat supply;
register the established accounting unit;
will put into operation a supervisory organization.

What to do with the testimony?

The heat meter readings are taken in the same way as with the electric meter. Further, fill in the receipt, which indicates the difference in readings and multiply it by the current tariff. Pay in the branches of the Savings Bank, indicating as a recipient of funds to the heat supply organization.

Who conducts calibration of the heat meter?

A new apartment heating meter must be sold with a primary calibration performed at the factory. Confirmation of the primary verification is the stamp, a special label, the corresponding record, indicated both on the device itself and in the documentation accompanying the heat meter.

The next verification of the device is carried out after the expiry of the established interval between calibration intervals. What is the owner of the apartment for?

to the local department of Rostest;
in the commercial organization having these powers;
in the service center of the manufacturer.

Important! Many companies that offer installation of meters, carry out further maintenance. At the same time, the specialists of the companies undertake the next verification.

Criteria for choosing a company to install a counter

When selecting a company for the installation of a meter for measuring heat energy, pay attention to the following points:

free departure of the engineer to the site, during which the inspection of communications is carried out and the assembly of the accounting unit is proposed;
the implementation of the entire list of installation works, the presence in the company of special equipment and qualified specialists;

availability of authorization documents (certificates, certificates, SRO permits);
availability of information about the company in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities;
providing a guarantee for ongoing work;
granting benefits to certain categories of citizens;
payment by installments and its term;
the possibility of providing service.

To tame the growth of tariffs for housing and communal services can and should be done. And not complaints to higher authorities, but real cases, to which the installation refers individual devices accounting. If all citizens start paying according to the testimony of their counters, the communal workers will have to put things in order on their farms, as there will be no one to write off losses. Controlling expenses and defending their interests will force utilities workers to take into account with each consumer, supplying a quality service.

Payment of heating on the meter allows each citizen to save family budget, directing the released funds for other purposes. Even the installation of a house-count meter allows for savings, provided that the apartment building is managed by an honest company that correctly directs cash flows for the benefit of all residents.

In Russia, the law "On Energy Saving" was adopted. The document obliges all owners to install meters in their homes. To monitor the consumption of water, gas and electricity has long been a habit among most landlords. Many mistakenly considered heat to be an unrecordable factor, so heat meters for them became a real novelty. How to install the device that is mandatory for all? Let's understand.

Variants of installation of metering devices

The benefit of installing meters is obvious. The owner of the housing will pay only for the heat received, without forking over the payment of losses when transporting it. To save the maximum it is necessary to remove all sources of possible heat loss in the house: install airtight window frames, insulate the room, etc. There are two options for setting the counter.

Method # 1 - house counters

Residents of high-rise buildings can solve the problem of accounting for heat by installing a common house metering device. By the way, these are the most inexpensive option. After all, the price of a heat meter, which is not cheap, and its installation will be "scattered" on the owners of several apartments. The amount received as a result will be quite acceptable. The readings of such a device are taken once a month. Payments are distributed to each apartment in accordance with its area. At the same time, if the service provider does not fulfill its part of the contract in good faith and does not ensure the agreed temperature in the house, it will be obliged to return the paid money to the residents.

It should begin with the holding of a general meeting of apartment owners. It should discuss all the nuances of the upcoming installation and determine who will take the meter reading, and write out receipts for payment. The decision of the meeting must be fixed in the protocol, after which it is possible to contact the management company with a written application for connecting the device.

The most inexpensive method of accounting for heat is a house count. However, for a number of reasons, the economic effect of it can not wait

Method # 2 - individual measuring instruments

The main advantage of a house-building device is its cheapness. However, the economic effect of its use may be much lower than expected. And there are many reasons for this. For example, insecure entrances or apartments neighbors, resulting in heat loss are prohibitive. Therefore, many choose individual meters for heating, which are installed directly in the apartment. This is a more expensive, but very effective option.

Distributors are installed on each radiator in the apartment. Within a month they fix the temperature of the batteries, keeping track of the slightest drops. Based on this information, the heat fee is calculated

Before planning the installation of an individual accounting device, you should familiarize yourself with some technical limitations. The heat meter is mounted on the riser leading to the apartment. In old multi-apartment buildings, vertical piping of heating pipes was most often performed. This means that the apartment can have several risers, each of which must be installed device, which is extremely disadvantageous. The solution to the problem could be the installation of special meters for heating batteries, but such equipment is not used in our country, although in European countries it is a common practice.

Manufacturers of meters offer to install in houses with vertical wiring so-called distributors, which measure the flow of coolant based on the difference in temperature on the surface of the battery and in the air of the room. Another solution to the problem is a house-keeping meter. In buildings with horizontal wiring installation in the apartment of any heating meters is not complicated. Compact models of devices are mounted on a pipe supplying coolant to a room or, in some cases, to a return pipeline.

Classification of instruments

Heat meters work with flowmeters of different types. Depending on the operating conditions, you can choose from four options.

Mechanical devices

Relate to the most simple counters. Can be screw, turbine or vane. The principle of the device is based on the transformation of the translational motion of the coolant into the movement of the measuring element. The most affordable equipment. Can not be used if hard water is selected as the coolant, or if rust particles, scale or scales are present. They clog the mechanical parts of the device, so it is recommended to install special filters before it. Besides mechanical devices poorly tolerate sharp fluctuations in flow.

Mechanical heat meters are considered to be the simplest measuring instruments. However, they are very sensitive to the quality of the coolant, they quickly clog and go out of order

Electromagnetic equipment

Electromagnetic counters for heating in an apartment in their work use the factor of the appearance of an electric current when passing a liquid in a magnetic field. The instruments have a sufficiently high metrological stability and are successfully operated. The inaccuracy of the devices increases when impurities appear in the water and poor connection of the wires during installation.

Vortex counters

The equipment estimates the vortices formed behind the obstacle located in the coolant path. Can be installed on both vertical and horizontal pipelines. Instruments are sensitive to the presence of air in the system, the quality of welding and impurities in the water. For their functioning, it is necessary to install a magnetic-mesh filter. Deposits in the pipes do not interfere with their operation. Devices are demanding on the dimensions of the straight sections of the pipeline in front of the flow meter and beyond it.

Ultrasonic devices

Measure the time that the fluid passes from the source to the signal receiver. Devices are divided into Doppler, frequency, time and correlation. In any case, the equipment works flawlessly, measuring in a homogeneous clean liquid without impurities of sediment or scale. Distortions occur when air bubbles, scale or scale appear in the coolant. The most durable and reliable option.

Like any measuring device, the meter must have a certificate and a passport. The documents must include the information on the primary verification carried out by the manufacturer. The same information should be applied to the meter body in the form of a special stamp or sticker. During operation, the devices must also be subjected to regular verification. The timing of its implementation depends on the model of the device. On average, the event is held every four years.

The first step to saving money spent on heating a home is the organization of heat energy accounting. The issue is especially relevant for residents of apartment buildings with central heating, where charging for the provision of services occurs in accordance with the established tariff. The problem is to correctly determine the amount of heat expended by each apartment. This raises questions: is it possible to put an individual meter on heating, how to do it correctly and how much it is beneficial to the owners of housing. You will find detailed answers to them in this article.

Is it profitable to put a meter for heating

On the question whether it is beneficial or not, there is no unequivocal answer, since the installation of a heat meter in an apartment and its operation depends on many factors.

You are guaranteed to receive savings, and the spent money will pay off fairly quickly if:

get permission for installation and technical conditions from the heat supply organization;
agree with the person in charge, the elected meeting of the owners of the apartment building;
you can install 1 heat metering unit for the entire apartment;
agree project documentation with the supplier of thermal energy;
hand over the mounted device to it in operation, which will be completed by sealing the heat meter.

In fact, it is rather difficult to comply with all the above conditions, in order to establish an apartment heat meter and make payment according to his testimony. The most successful option when you live in a new building, where each apartment has a separate input of heat. And then, there may be obstacles in the form of different legislative acts. For example, in Russia there is a decree according to which the testimony individual counters for heat are subject to accounting under the following conditions:

heat metering devices are in all apartments;
input central heating in the building there is a house heat meter.

Almost all Soviet-built high-rise buildings have one-pipe heating system with vertical risers. Imagine how much it costs to put the device on each connection to the riser. Not to mention the fact that you will not be issued a permit, and justified. After the pipes of the risers also give off heat, which the individual node will not take into account.

If the building is heated with staircases and other technical premises, even with individual accounting you will have to pay your share for their heating. That is why it is necessary to coordinate their actions with the management of AJOAH. It turns out that the installation work on the installation of a counter is the simplest stage of the procedure, most of the time it will be necessary to spend on the preparation of permits and approvals.

Council. You can put the meter in the apartment yourself, but then you expect difficulties when putting it into operation of the management company. So it's worth considering the option of hiring a contractor, it can take on all the coordination for a fee.

Heat meter selection

There are several types of accounting units according to the principle of operation, but the most suitable for installation in an apartment are 3 of them:

mechanical (otherwise - tachometric);
ultrasonic;
overhead sensors on batteries.

Mechanical counters for heating are so called that the flow of water in them is determined with the help of an impeller immersed in the coolant. By means of 2 sensors, mounted in the supply and return pipes of the heating devices, the temperature difference is calculated. On the basis of these data, the electronic unit calculates the consumption of thermal energy. Tachometric heat meters are the lowest cost, but they are sensitive to the quality of the coolant.

For reference. Heat supply organizations do not favor the mechanical nodes of the account, not only because of incorrect work with a poor heat carrier. According to experts, the design of the device does not protect it from external interference in order to understate the readings.

Ultrasonic heat meters are good in all respects. They do not care what the quality of the liquid medium in the pipe is, because its flow is determined by the ultrasound passing through the working section. The difference in temperature is shown by the same sensors on the feed and return. The cost of such a device is at least 15% higher than that of a mechanical one, but they are recommended for installation management Company. The reason is clear - you will not be able to intervene in the ultrasonic apartment meter.

Thermal meters installed on the battery measure the temperature of its surface and air inside the room. After that, the electronic unit calculates the amount of heat consumed, based on the data on the radiator's rated power input manually. Such devices are hardly likely to be put into operation by the company - the service provider, but in the presence of a common house accounting unit, they will help calculate the share of each apartment in the total energy consumption. But for this it is necessary that the heat-insets should be in all rooms.

How to install a heat meter in an apartment

The easiest way to put an overhead device, for this you do not need to hire or cut pipes. It is enough to attach it to the battery. Another thing - mechanical heat meters, you have to block the risers, drain the water and dismantle the pipe section. The same applies to ultrasonic devices that are cut directly into the pipeline. As already mentioned above, for carrying out such work it is necessary to have a permit and a ready project on hand. And for successful commissioning the installation must be carried out by a licensed firm, which will be confirmed by an appropriate act of work performed.

In the event that you decide to start working on your own, first carefully read the instructions of the heat meter. There are recommendations for installation and operation, which must be maintained rigorously. By the way, for tachometric and ultrasonic devices it is necessary to provide a measuring section of a certain length. That is, before and after the apparatus should be a straight pipe without twists and bends.

For reference. The length of the measuring section for the mechanical counter is 3 pipe diameters to the flowmeter and 1 diameter after it. The requirements for ultrasonic flowmeters are higher, there is a straight line of at least 5 diameters and 3 - after (depending on the manufacturer) to the meter.

Now about whether it is possible to put an apartment heat meter on the return pipeline. Most manufacturers offer models that are placed on any mainline, the main thing is to install thermal resistance transducers (temperature sensors) correctly. They are usually screwed into a tee or a special tap, which has a separate branch pipe for this purpose.

Conclusion

The current reality in the countries of the post-Soviet space is such that it is very difficult to install and put into commission the apartment heat meter in most cases. It is possible that the efforts directed to this and the spent means will exceed all conceivable limits of the payback period. Therefore, before organizing an individual account it is worth consulting with specialists of your heat supply organization.