Today, one of the main items of family budget expenditures is the payment of utilities. Most have already installed metering devices, the rest (mainly residents of apartment buildings) pay according to tariffs. The norm of consumption of utilities affects the limit spent for which after a month the bill will come.
In the capital, the Moscow government sets a fixed price, while in St. Petersburg a special committee is involved. Government regulation indicates that tariffs are a reflection of the quality of life of the population, so they must satisfy the minimum level of demand for these services.
Why do I need a fixed rate?
Consumption standards for communal utilities are necessary to determine the following values:
- The volume of services provided to the population (for each type of utility services, the indicator is calculated separately).
- Tariffs having an economic justification.
- The rates for services provided by the housing and communal services.
- The amount of compensation payments (subsidies).
- The generalized amount of financing the housing sector.
- Needs for additional funds from the state budget.
What is included in the tariffs for the population?
The utility consumption standard is set for all types of services that the housing and communal services provide. Depending on the method of consumption, the services provided are divided into two categories:
- Individual or family-wide consumption services. This category includes all those services that are used in a private house or apartment. This may include water supply, sanitation, heating, electricity, gas.
- Public services These are the services that utility workers provide to all residents. In apartment buildings, this is the maintenance of the proper condition of common areas (elevators, stairwells, staircases). For the local area - the work of the janitor, the disposal of garbage and household waste. The good work of utilities can be noted throughout the city in the form of clean streets, repair work on roads, bridges, sidewalks, urban landscaping and street lighting.
What are common house needs?
The norm of consumption of utilities for general household needs is a whole range of indicators and determines the minimum set of services that the population needs. Tariffs are set according to several values:
- the number of square meters laid by social standards;
- volume of consumed water, gas and electricity.
Tariffs are calculated relative to one person, and then the arithmetic average of any territory (district, city, region) is displayed.
How is the level of consumption set?
The border within which the standard for the consumption of utilities is established has two expressions: natural and numerical. In addition, the tariff may fluctuate depending on the economic, political and demographic situation in the state. Also, the standards are heterogeneous, and are set separately in each region of the Russian Federation. The granting of such rights to local self-government was influenced by the large extent of the country and, as a result, various climatic conditions.
The level of utilization of housing and communal services is also significantly affected by subjective factors that show the productivity of enterprises. But the formation of tariffs occurs only with respect to objective factors. This process is carried out in two stages:
- Setting a standard for individual regions, which are usually located in the same climate zone.
- The division of tariffs into groups, taking into account the peculiarities of the terrain for each settlement.
How are tariffs formed?
Utility consumption standards (2017) are calculated according to one important indicator, namely the number of square meters. The norm of the social area of housing is determined per person. Relative to it, the amount of compensation payments for the payment of services provided by the housing and communal services is also calculated. Factors affecting the establishment of this minimum are determined by representatives of the Government of the Russian Federation. These indicators include:
- degree of housing provision;
- number of members in the family;
- type of premises from the reserves of the housing stock.
An individual approach in this matter to each citizen is of particular importance for society and the economy of the state.
The fact that the establishment of standards is carried out at the state level gives the population guarantees for providing not only housing, but also the ability to pay for it on time and in full. The indicator characterizing the size of the prescribed housing area depends on the level of development of the economy, the housing supply of people and the expansion of the housing stock due to the replenishment of new public facilities.
An all-Russian standard is also provided for this amount, according to which at least eighteen square meters of housing area (for families of three or more members) should be per person, forty-two for a family of two. The social minimum of housing for one person is thirty-three square meters. Given the average for the Russian Federation, it will be eighteen square meters.
Calculation of tariffs according to the norms for the area of housing is the easiest and less labor-intensive. Particular attention is paid only to special circumstances, for example, benefits.
How are water tariffs determined?
The norm of consumption of utility services for water supply is calculated according to the list of standard household procedures. This means that the calculation is based on the use of water, the availability of centralized water supply and basic plumbing equipment. Specialists collect statistics on quantitative results, which are calculated by analyzing user and expert profiles.
What indicators affect water consumption?
Sanitary conditions are established in accordance with building codes and rules. The minimum water consumption is affected by:
- An indicator reflecting the average value of the use of a resource by one housing unit or, in other words, the household needs of the population. This includes the use of water for both drinking and household needs. Individual needs include a person’s need for hygiene, washing and cooking. General procedures include washing dishes, plumbing, cleaning, and caring for plants.
- Super limit consumption. The value is calculated per person per day.
- The flow rate required to increase the pressure. The process is launched for continuous and intermittent water supply to the apartments.
To calculate the water consumption as a whole for the entire housing stock, it is necessary to add more social needs, that is, services that are provided to the population of residents. These include cleaning the porches, watering the green spaces and the territory in front of the houses. If at least one of the indicators taken into account changes, then the tariff will need to be recounted.
Reducing the volume of water consumption can be due to proper maintenance of plumbing equipment (both personal and public use) and minimizing waste.
In those places where the housing stock has a reduced level of well-being, the standards for the consumption of public services for cold water supply are reduced.
How are electricity tariffs determined?
The electricity tariff is the most important standard for the consumption of utilities. Just like water supply, it is divided into two types depending on the method of use.
Individual consumption includes home lighting, the cost of operating small and large household appliances. Public consumption is paid from housing reserves. In some cases, public consumption of electricity may include air conditioning, providing the population with heating and hot water. By averaging the data obtained, average values of electricity consumption are derived.
What affects the heating tariff?
The norm of consumption of communal heating services includes two components: maintaining a normal room temperature and providing the population with hot water. The level of heating is regulated by sanitary standards. This tariff is correlated not only with the area of the room, but also with actions to prevent the wasteful use of heat.
What features influence the determination of the need for heating?
The need for heating is equal to the product of the specific heat consumption during the year by the social norm of housing size. The size of heat consumption is also affected by the technical and structural characteristics of the building itself (the material from which the building is made, the number of floors). The formula takes into account climatic and meteorological indicators. Specialists of the relevant organization submit data on the ambient temperature, average air temperature during the heating period, and the temperature inside the buildings.
An important parameter in calculating tariffs is the type of development. If the housing stock is capital-intensive, then heating costs will be lower.
Thus, the issue of approving utility service consumption standards is raised in city administrations very often due to constant changes in the components of tariff calculations.