Is it possible to pay the rent less. How to pay less for an apartment: useful tips

Utility bills have long been a significant expense in the family budget. And the amounts are growing every year. You can, of course, pay for them without looking. And you can start counting and saving. Let's see how real such savings are.

We save on heating

Let's start saving on heating. For Russia, this is relevant: here the heating period lasts at least six months. The first thing to do is to put a heat meter (on the entrance or on the whole house). The main plus from the installation: you will only pay for the actual amount of heat supplied to the apartment. Whereas in houses without metering devices, the heating bill includes the costs of the service company for heat loss even before it reaches the house.

To install a heat meter, you need to pay a visit to the HOA or the management company. But first you need to persuade the neighbors to support the idea.

But believe me, the game is worth the candle. By the way, in most new buildings, meters are installed immediately. But in most houses (especially for the old fund), the service company is responsible for the calculations.

After you have achieved the installation of a heat meter, it makes sense to put thermostats on the radiators. These devices allow avoiding overheating of the apartment, bringing additional "income" to the owner of the apartment.

We save on gas

If the house has a gas stove, but there is no gas meter, then the gas consumption is calculated according to special standards, the numbers in which are almost always overestimated. If fewer people live in the house than it is prescribed, then the standards will differ even more from the actual gas consumption.

Here are the calculations: if in an apartment with hot water supply, where one gas stove is installed, the standard is 12 cubic meters per person at a gas price of 6.41 rubles. per cubic meter, then for a family of three people 231 rubles a month comes out, which is 2772 rubles annually. In practice, such a family spends on average up to 7 cubic meters of gas per month. If you pay by the meter, it will be about 2 times cheaper. If the apartment has additional gas equipment (water heater or gas boiler), then the savings will be even more significant.

However, in practice, everything is not as simple as it seems, the average cost of installing a meter is 4500 rubles. Paying 134 rubles a month, a family of three will start saving only from the fourth year of operation. Plus the cost of verification, however, unlike water meters, the calibration interval for gas is 10 years.

Another weighty argument in favor of gas meters is the tightening of legislation, since January 1, 2015, all Russians are obliged to install gas meters in their apartments. In practice, no one is in a hurry with this, but here everything depends on the will of the authorities. Exactly the same situation has recently been with water meters. Now, for those who have not yet installed metering devices in their apartment, increasing coefficients have been introduced. In 2016, the multiplying coefficient was 1.5, and from January 1, 2017, the coefficient will be raised to 1.6.

We save on water

Now about the water. The water consumption rate for apartments without meters is the same for the whole country. For one person, the standards are as follows: for cold water - about 7 cubic meters, for hot water - 4.7 cubic meters. m. For an apartment without meters, the payment for water is set as follows: the total volume of water consumption in a particular house is taken as the basis. From this volume, water is subtracted, recorded by the readings of the residents who have meters installed. To this add the costs established for general needs - cleaning common areas, watering flowers, and so on. The size of these costs is approximately 5% of the total. The remaining volume of water is divided between apartments without meters.

Numerous studies have shown that residents of megalopolises consume 3 cubic meters of cold water and 2 cubic meters of hot water every month. A simple arithmetic calculation shows that tenants without meters overpay for 6 cubic meters, which is almost 2.5 times more than the real costs.

How quickly do water meters pay off? Installation of two meters will cost an average of 3 thousand rubles. This is, if there is one riser in the apartment, if there are two risers, then the amount can be multiplied by two. The costs are paid off, on average, in six months. And do not forget about the multiplying factor, for those who do not want to save.

We save on electricity

The easiest way to save money in this case is, again, to install multi-tariff meters. This is not beneficial for everyone. To save on two-rate electricity bills, you will need to change your normal electricity usage. All energy-consuming procedures: the use of a washing machine and dishwasher will have to be carried out at night, more precisely after 23.00. And with a multi-tariff plan, you need even less electricity during peak hours. This is inconvenient and not suitable for everyone.

There is one more subtle point. If you have a noisy washing machine, then there is a high probability that the neighbors will be unhappy and the night experiment will have to be stopped.

The second point is the cost of installing meters (buying, installing, sealing and setting tariffs), on average, 5-6 thousand rubles. And tariffs are also constantly growing. So is it worth bothering?

Here's what Ivan told us from Moscow:

A multi-tariff meter has been operating for us for the third year. Last year, according to the multi-tariff plan, during rush hour we paid 6, 41 rubles, in the half-peak: 5, 32 rubles, and at night: 1, 64 rubles. In November, we spent 232 kW, including 67 kW at peak (429.47), 93 kW at half-peak (494.76) and 72 kW (118.08 rubles) at night. In total, we paid 1042 rubles and 41 kopecks.

It was possible to put a two-tariff counter. Peak values ​​are estimated there at 6.19 rubles and 1.64 rubles for night readings. In this case, we refer to the peak as daytime readings - 160 kW, the same 72 kW at night. The total is 1108 rubles.

The cost of a kilowatt of electricity for a single-rate meter in Moscow: 5.38 rubles. The same 232 kilowatts would cost my family 1248 rubles.

In total, we saved 206 rubles for a multi-tariff meter and 140 rubles for a two-tariff meter. With such savings, the installation of the meter begins to pay off from the third or fourth year of operation.

Energy saving light bulbs

However, it is rather unreasonable to limit savings by installing meters; there are other ways, proven over the years, to reduce the specific weight of a receipt. For example, the installation of energy-saving lamps. They both last longer and use less electricity, so your electricity bills will be significantly reduced. In addition, due to their low heat transfer, such lamps do not melt the base.

Cons of energy saving paws:

1. They are several times more expensive than usual,

2. Have a mercury "filling", which is why they need special disposal,

3. Decreased service life due to power surges that occur in new homes.

Another type of bulbs that save you money is LED bulbs. They are even more expensive than energy-saving ones, but they can burn without shutting down for up to 6 years.

1. If your gadgets or batteries are constantly plugged in, then this increases the consumption of electricity. In addition, it is best to turn off all this at night.

2. When buying large household appliances, choose a product with a low energy consumption, special icons are installed on the body of the product.

3. Energy efficiency is indicated by classes - from A to G. Class A has the lowest energy consumption, G is the least efficient. It is clear that products with low energy consumption are more expensive, but this approach will pay off anyway.

4. Advice for owners of electric stoves: the bottom of the cookware must match the diameter of the hotplate, otherwise most of the electricity is wasted.

5. Incorrect calculation of the load of laundry into the washing machine leads to an overconsumption of electricity by 10%.

Anton Sveshnikov

Yes, with a few simple steps you can noticeably reduce your utility bills. For example, install meters, use energy-saving lamps, check what services you pay for without actually getting them.

2. Apply for a subsidy

If you are a citizen of Russia, Belarus or Kyrgyzstan, you have a permanent registration in Moscow and more than 10% of your family's total income is spent on paying for housing and communal services, and the income itself does not exceed the level set for receiving a subsidy, you can claim compensation for part of your expenses for housing and communal services ... You can find out more about how to get a subsidy to pay for housing and communal services in ours.

3. Make a recalculation

If it is technically impossible to install meters in your apartment and you have been absent for more than five full days, then you can request a recalculation of utility bills at the center of public services or in your management company, depending on who sends you a receipt for utilities. To recalculate, you will need:

• inspection certificate confirming that meters cannot be installed in your apartment;
• a document confirming your absence;
• a statement that you can write at the reception in the center "My Documents" or in your management company.

You can read more about how to arrange a recalculation in ours.

4. Install counters

• water meters will allow you to pay only for the water that you used, and, for example, not pay for hot water when it is turned off in the summer to prevent pipes;
• make sure you have a multi-tariff electricity meter. With it, you can pay for electricity at reduced rates during the half-peak zone (from 10:00 to 17:00; 21: 00-23: 00) and the night zone (from 23:00 to 07:00);
• general house heat meters In accordance with Part 5 of Art. 13 Federal Law No. 261 of November 23, 2009. "> must stand in all residential buildings, if technically possible. If, in addition to such a counter, regulators are installed on the radiators in the apartment, then in winter you will be able to set a comfortable temperature in the apartment not with the help of an open window, but with the help of these regulators, thus saving heat. Do not cover radiators with screens, furniture, blackout curtains so that the heat can freely spread in the room. Do not leave doors and windows open. The more the heat loss in the house is reduced, the less you will pay. Consult with your management company about the possibility of installing regulators. You can find her contacts on the portal.

You can learn how to install and register meters from ours.

5. Disable the radio

If the radio point does not work in your apartment, but the “radio and notification” service is indicated in the receipt for the payment of housing and communal services, you can refuse to pay for this service by submitting an application to turn off the radio point.

If you receive a single payment document (UPC):

• apply to turn off the radio point at the center of public services.

If instead of the ENP you receive another receipt for housing and communal services:

• contact FSUE Russian Broadcasting and Alerting Networks;
• check the possibility of applying with your management company. You can find her contacts on the portal.

Attach to the application a receipt for disconnecting the radio, a certificate from the center of public services "My Documents" about the absence of debt. Be sure to take your passport with you.

6. Disable the shared TV antenna

If you pay for cable or satellite TV, or don't watch TV at all, you may not pay for a shared TV antenna. To do this, check with the management company who is the provider of these services for you, and write a statement, be sure to take your passport with you. You can find the contacts of your management company on the portal.

Housing and communal services increase the cost of their own services every year. In order not to spend most of the budget on paying for the apartment, you should think about how to save money.

You can also think about installing metering devices that will help you avoid unnecessary expenses for renting an apartment.

There are many options to solve this problem:

1. It is possible to reduce the number of people registered in this living space. But this method will lead to disagreements with relatives;
2. To reduce the rent, you can register a person who has available benefits to pay the rent. However, in the case when a person has absolutely nowhere to live, he will have to share free space;
3. You can get a subsidy. You can get it in the case when the payment for utilities will be more than half of all incomes of people living in the apartment.

There are many ways. However, they solve the problem in order to reduce the rent for one family only.

There is one fairly effective method that is suitable for solving the communal issue of all residents of a multi-storey building, but only if they act together. The thing is that services for the maintenance and repair of public property in a high-rise building are paid for.

Reduction of payment

So how else can you save money and make less utility bills besides the above methods:

• Electricity bills. To do this, you will need to use devices that will consume less energy. When choosing home appliances in a store, pay close attention to the energy class of the appliance. It is best to take those with A, A +, A ++. There will undoubtedly be a difference in price, but over the years of use it will quickly pay off. It is also worth doing with lighting. Use purely energy saving light bulbs. They will perfectly work out their own cost due to the saved energy and long service life.

Do not disregard the "sleep modes" and "standby modes" that many devices are equipped with lately. At such moments, the supply of energy does not end, but remains as it was. You should unplug everything unnecessary from the outlets when you are away for a few days.

• Heating service bill. In this case, the main thing is good insulation of the living space. The door leading to the balcony should not give drafts, and the windows, if the financial situation allows, it is best to put plastic ones. In the absence of this opportunity, the frames are insulated for the winter in an old-fashioned way. A door or window that has not been insulated is a kind of hole where funds from the family budget are slowly flowing;
• Water service bills. Initially, it is best to install meters, and after installing them, get used to constant savings. It is worth loading things into the washing machine to the maximum, since this saves not only water, but also electricity. Turn off the tap when soaping the plates. You don't need to keep the water open when brushing your teeth. Some of the most voracious are water bills;
• If you speak little on your home phone, then you can refuse the unlimited tariff. It's even better to use Skype, as there you don't have to pay for all calls;
• You can also ask to recalculate the rent if at least one family member has not been at home for more than 5 days. You will need to write a corresponding statement and bring documents confirming this fact. This document will serve as a travel certificate, a certificate from a hospital, a train or plane ticket, invoices for staying in a hotel or a regular certificate of temporary registration;
• Extract. It happens that there are people registered in the apartment who have not lived in the apartment for a long time. They may be relatives who are not alive, or he simply moved. You should just go and check them out of the apartment, which will give you the opportunity to save additional money.

You should be aware that the discharge of such tenants can be carried out only through the court, if there is no their consent. A very real case is when an apartment has already been privatized, and the person who has left does not have a lifelong right to live there, that is, he himself abandoned the privatization process.

Why pay for something that isn't

Why pay for services you don't get? If, for example, your home is not running hot water, but slightly warm.

In this case, you should call the employee of the housing cooperative and make an act-claim. The second copy is certified by the housing cooperative, and if there is a refusal to recount, it is necessary to file a statement of claim in court. After that, you should pay less for hot water supply.

Lawyers say that it is best to apply such a plan at any time when the housing cooperative refuses to perform duties. Then you will have a reputation as a person who is not silent and all services will be performed at the proper level.

The third option applies only to those families who have benefits or who can benefit from a subsidy for utility bills.

This category includes:

1. Families, whose "communal apartment" takes more than 15% of income, and for families where there are disabled citizens - 10%;
2. Families with disabilities of the first and second groups, as well as children under 18 years of age. In this case, the monthly income should not exceed 50% of the subsistence level per person;
3. Families with a large number of children who are entitled by law to a discount (at which you can save on utilities in the amount of at least 50%);
4. All kinds of veterans, children of war, participants in the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident, rural teachers and doctors, as well as people who have lost their breadwinner are included.

What to do next

In the event that the benefits in your case refer to the first two points, you should go to the commission located at the district administration and give them the three necessary papers:

• A statement that will indicate the subsidy that the main tenant is counting on. Also, the numbers of personal accounts, names, along with the addresses of those organizations that provide utility services, are entered;
• Declaration of income. You should know that if during the last year you made a purchase for a large amount or you earn money from renting out an apartment, then you will not receive a subsidy;
• A certificate of your own income from your place of work.

When you want to receive a benefit with which savings on utility bills will be available, as a family with a large number of children, in order to save money, you should also bring birth certificates for each individual child, due to which there will be a decrease in payment for services.

For special categories, the list of documents for obtaining benefits that will help you save money without extra costs will be much longer. What is included in it can be found in the administration of your area.

Many people are not satisfied with receipts for payment of utilities, which residents regularly receive: the numbers are impressive. But experts believe that you can save up to 20% of funds per year, and without compromising your own comfort. To do this, you should use the following recommendations.

Control over HOA expenses

In most apartment buildings, management is now entrusted to HOAs and management companies. Not all of them work in good faith, so you need to check if tenants are being charged for non-existent services. It is advisable not only to analyze all items of expenditure in the accounts, but also to compare them with the indicators in the receipts of neighbors.

Sometimes bills include services that do not have to be paid additionally, but are included in the payment for home maintenance. This is, for example, emergency work or snow removal. In the event of violations by the HOA or the Criminal Code, you must write a claim. If this does not help, you can complain to the State Housing Inspectorate.

It is worth asking what amounts are spent on the maintenance of the management company itself, and also pay attention to what is happening with the common areas. Sometimes part of the basement is rented out for a store or warehouse, which can increase the costs of homeowners.

Checking the correctness of calculations

Recently, the requirements for the quality of the services provided by housing and communal services have become stricter. Currently, the permissible emergency interruption in cold water supply is 8 hours per month - this is the maximum value. The hot water shutdown time due to accidents is slightly longer - 24 hours. If the water was cut off for a longer period, utilities are obliged to recalculate.

In addition, the hot water must be at a certain temperature. She is supposed to heat up a maximum of three minutes after switching on, otherwise it can be paid as cold.

Heating bills will be recalculated if the room temperature does not reach 18 °. In corner living quarters, this figure is 20 °. The total interruption in the supply of heat cannot exceed 24 hours for the entire month.

Refusal of useless services

Often people, out of habit, continue to pay for services that they have not needed for a long time. As an example, we can cite a landline telephone, which, in the presence of mobile communication and other means of communication, few people use. Even if no one is on the phone, you will be charged for providing the line. If you write a statement and refuse it, you can save about three thousand rubles a year.

Another irrelevant service is a radio station. There are not many people who constantly listen to the radio, but some still pay for it. You can disable the point in the Office of Engineering Services. There they will issue an appropriate certificate, which must be provided to the management company.

Savings on departure

For some reason, few people use the opportunity to save money while going on vacation, although it is not so difficult. You can recalculate for the following services:

• Water supply.
• Gas supply.
• Electricity.
• Wastewater disposal.

For this, it is necessary that the person does not live in the apartment for more than five days. Here we mean a full day, the days of arrival and departure are not included here. To save money, you need to write an application and attach documents confirming the absence: round-trip tickets, hotel bill, voucher to a sanatorium. True, you will still have to make general housekeeping payments for the time of departure.

So that utility costs do not eat up a significant part of the salary, it is worth remembering the little things. For example, some pay bills in banks, which charge up to 3% commission for their services. If you switch to Internet banking, you can get rid of these costs. The washing machine must be turned on when fully loaded, and the refrigerator must be placed away from the stove and defrost in time. Such measures allow you to save a good amount every month.

It is growing from year to year, but there is a real chance to reduce these payments. Further - more than 20 practical and effective tips that will help you to reduce the cost of water, heating, gas and electricity.

Electricity:

1. Multi-tariff meters at home. Especially beneficial to those who are rarely at home during the day, stay up late or get up very early - all those who often consume electricity at night (from 23.00 to 07.00). Nighttime nighttime electricity costs are several times lower than daytime ones.

Advice: it is important to conclude an agreement with the payment for multi-tariff meters.

2. Replacement of all lamps with energy efficient ones. They will help you consume 5-10 times less electricity.

3. Household appliances of high eco-class. When choosing household assistants, it is worth focusing on the energy consumption class: in order to avoid overspending, it must be at least A.

4. Regular disconnection of electrical appliances, chargers must be removed from sockets. Do not leave equipment in standby mode for a long time. If the device is not needed in the near future, it is better to turn it off, the same applies to chargers.

5. Motion sensors. They will not only save the people living in the apartment from the need to turn on and off the light, but also help to save money (forgotten light is a serious article of excessive consumption of electricity). An important point: if there are animals in the house, the sensitivity of the sensors must be reduced.

6. Modern windows. Old windows, with cracks and insufficient thermal insulation, seriously increase heat loss, forcing one more time to turn on the electric heater in the winter and the air conditioner in the summer. Modern double-glazed windows will correct this situation. Moreover, if necessary, you can choose models with an increased level of thermal insulation.

7. Turn off the radio and TV antenna. There is no need to pay for something that is not used in the house. You need to contact the management company and find out the procedure for refusing to use a radio channel and a collective television antenna (relevant for those who do not watch TV or pay for the services of other television operators).

8. "Fast programs". When using a washing machine and dishwasher, it makes sense to choose the fast setting whenever possible. So the cost of electricity for the course of washing or washing will decrease by 1.5-2 times.

9. Lighting regulators. They will reduce the brightness of the bulbs and reduce costs and give you more flexibility in lighting your home. In addition, do not forget to regularly wipe dust from the bulbs (otherwise it will seem that the light has become dimmer).

10. Induction hobs. They use the energy of a magnetic field, due to which the dishes are heated directly (and not the hotplate or the air around it). This avoids waste of heat. For example, 2 liters of water on an induction cooker boils in 5 minutes, while on a glass-ceramic it takes about 10 minutes.

Water supply:

1. Counters. On average, installing meters can reduce water supply costs by up to 50%. It is necessary to conclude an agreement with the management company for the payment of water by meters and remember that once every 5 years the devices must be removed and given for testing.

If there is only one shut-off valve (and riser), you need to buy two meters: for cold and hot water. If there are two shut-off valves, four counters will be needed.

2. The right mixer. Single-lever mixers are more economical than taps with two valves. Moreover: modern mixers can save water: models equipped with an aeration system consume up to 40% less water, which does not affect the flow rate in any way. Well, if you do not plan to change your mixer, special nozzles on the faucet will help out.

3. Elimination of leaks. Even a simple dripping tap can increase water overruns by 1000 liters per month, not to mention more serious leaks. You should not watch how money is flowing away in the literal sense of the word: it is important to eliminate faults immediately.

4. Shower instead of a bath. Taking a shower, rather than a bath, is much more economical in terms of water consumption.

5. Turning off the water. The taps must be closed if the water is not being used at the moment. This is especially true for regular procedures: brushing your teeth and shaving.

6. Dishwasher with low water consumption. Washing dishes by hand requires several times more water than a “dishwasher” consumes.

7. Household habits. There are small household tricks that help you save money. For example, you can water flowers with water that has been rinsed with fruits and vegetables.

Heating:

1. General house heat meter. Due to old pipes, poor insulation and leaks, sometimes an overconsumption of heat is formed, which is paid from the wallets of all residents of the house. Installing a common house meter will avoid this situation. The issue is resolved exclusively by agreement with the management company.

2. Thermostat on heating batteries. This will not only reduce costs, but also make it possible to adjust the comfortable temperature in the apartment.

A few more tips:

1. If there is a gas pipeline in the house, it is worth installing a gas supply meter. In this case, you need to focus on the average level of gas supply when cooking. You can try to reduce the cooking time (porridge can "reach" under a closed lid after turning off the stove, and the beneficial properties of vegetables are preserved only if they are not overcooked).

2. In the absence of meters and departure for more than 5 days, you can get a recalculation for housing and communal services: you just need to provide documents confirming the absence (a certificate from a hospital or sanatorium, travel documents, a travel certificate, and so on). The recalculation can be obtained in no more than six months of absence. At the time of departure, you need to turn off the water and turn off electrical appliances, this will not only help save money, but also protect the apartment.

3. It is worthwhile to carefully study the procedure for granting benefits for housing and communal services in Russia as a whole and in the region of residence in particular: pensioners, military families, large families, and disabled people have the right to preferential rates. In some regions - the poor (if 10 to 20% of a family's income goes to pay for utility bills), doctors, teachers.

Based on materials from www.inmyroom.ru