What to do if the electricity meter breaks down

Any technique can break. And the more complex the device, the more likely it is that a malfunction will occur. The electricity meter may also stop working. But this is a commercial device, according to its indications, the payment for the consumed electricity occurs. It cannot be kept inoperative for a long time. Therefore, every landlord should know what to do if the electricity meter breaks down.

What are the electricity meters

The purpose of any electric meter is to determine the amount of electricity used. And then, based on the results of these measurements, the power grid company issues an invoice for payment. Different meter models are installed for different consumers. Naturally, at industrial enterprises, electricity consumption is much higher than at home, and the meters are used there differently. There is another significant reason for the difference in counters. Electricity consumption is different for different periods during the day. At night it is consumed less, you can reduce the performance of power plants, spend less fuel. Power generation is getting cheaper. You can also take a lower payment from consumers. This means that it is beneficial for some consumers to turn on some of the electrical mechanisms at night. So, in domestic conditions, for example, it is beneficial to turn on the washing machine at night. The developers of electricity meters took this situation into account and created two-tariff and multi-tariff meters for electricity consumption, which take into account the time at which the readings are taken. Naturally, they cost a little more, but for some, the transition of the peak of consumption intensity to the night gives significant savings.

PHOTO: avatars.mds.yandex.net

The meter readings are sent to the power supply company. This information is also delivered in different ways. It can be crawler-controllers, or it can be automatic telemechanical data transmission. This is a more modern method and is being widely implemented at the present time.

A few years ago, electricity meters had a completely different principle for calculating electricity. A metal disk spun in a magnetic field between two magnetic coils, which transmitted its rotation to a counter made on gears and cams. The speed of rotation of the disk was proportional to the flow of consumed electricity, the numbers changed accordingly. Such counters broke down quite often.

PHOTO: avatars.mds.yandex.net

PHOTO: avatars.mds.yandex.net

Now the electricity is counted by an electronic circuit, the accuracy class of the device has increased, the reliability and service life have also become higher.

Who should monitor the health of the electricity meter

The electricity meter serves one apartment. But it belongs to an energy company. In this regard, there is the Federal Law of December 27, 2018 No. 522-FZ and the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of June 29, 2020 No. 950. And the responsibility for organizing control and metering of electricity in apartment buildings is borne by guaranteeing suppliers, and in individual houses - by network organizations. This is determined on July 1, 2020. They are also responsible for the installation, verification and replacement of individual electricity metering devices. And responsibility for the safety of devices is also distributed among the three participants in the process. The owner of the apartment is responsible for the meters installed in the apartment. The meter installed in the electrical panel on the staircase of an apartment building is under the responsibility of the supplier of last resort. For private homeowners, all electrical equipment installed on a pole behind a fence is guarded by a network organization.

If the owner of an apartment or private household discovers a malfunction in the meter himself, he must report this to the service organization. Specialists will come from there and professionally deal with the situation. Trying to fix something yourself (especially to remove the seals) is not allowed.

The country has legislatively provided for the planned replacement of existing metering devices with intelligent ones. These measures will be carried out in new buildings, as well as as old devices fail and when their passport service life expires. These works for consumers will be performed free of charge. But unscheduled replacement of equipment, initiated by residents, can be performed on individual requests for a set fee.

Transmitting readings

The readings of the electricity meters for the formation of a notice of payment can be taken and transmitted remotely by a special inspector-crawler or by the electricity consumer himself. In the latter option, the consumer receives a receipt indicating the dates of the previous and last readings, the amount of electricity consumed, benefits and the amount of payment. You can pay at the bank or via a computer connection (via the Internet).

PHOTO: skr.sh

Conclusion

The electricity meter is a tool for the commercial relationship between the consumer and the electricity supplier. It is in the interests of both participants in this process to monitor the health of the device. But in the event of a failure, the consumer only has to report the failure to the supplier. No independent repair actions should be taken.