Water heating and what it means in the payment slip: characteristics, meaning

Heating water in receipts means paying not only for heating itself, but also for cold water, which as a result turns into hot water. Moreover, heating is usually determined according to the standard, based on which the amount can be calculated and checked independently. How to do this is described below.

What does "water heating" mean?

It is intuitively clear what “water heating” means in the payment order. This is a payment for thermal energy that is spent on turning cold water into hot water. This is exactly the approach that was used until 2015, when changes were made to the rules for the provision of utility services. According to the new government decree, the payment for water heating began to consist of 2 components:

1. Tariff per cubic meter of cold water.
2. Tariff for thermal energy spent on heating this water.

Since now the price includes, in fact, 2 services, the tariff has increased. Moreover, the amount depends on the type of heating:

1. Central heating is the most common option, when a thermal power plant generates heat for an entire area at once, i.e. tens or hundreds of houses.
2. Central heating distributed to several houses (local boiler room). It costs payers more than in the case of thermal power plants due to the smaller number of consumers.
3. Due to individual equipment, which is located on the roof of the building or in the basement. It also happens that the boiler is located in a separate room not far from the microdistrict.In any case, the cost of heating water increases due to even fewer consumers.
4. Also, the source of water heating can be the apartment owner’s own equipment, for example, an electric heater, boiler and others. In this case, the fee increases due to the use of electricity or gas.

How is the cost calculated?

To determine the amount you need to know:

• cost of one cubic meter of cold water;
• heat consumption standard.

These 2 quantities must be multiplied. It is clear that the volume of hot water can be accurately determined by the meter. As for the standard, it depends on the specific region. Usually this value is written down on the receipt and can change 1-2 times a year.

In rare cases, the standard is not approved, and then the management company applies the previously valid value or takes as a basis the option that has been agreed upon with the organization supplying the heat.

For example, in Moscow in 2023, a fee of 243.16 rubles will be charged per cubic meter of hot water, and 50.93 rubles for the supply of 1 m3 of cold water. Since the tariff has become two-component since 2015, both values ​​must be added together. And then it turns out 243.16 + 50.93 = 294.09 rubles. This is the fee for heating one cubic meter of water. If a family spent 10 m3 in a month, then 294.09*10 = 2940.90 rubles. This is the amount that will be shown on the receipt.