Hotline of power engineering specialists:
As part of Federal Law № 261 "On energy saving and energy efficiency" in 2014 IDGC of Centre - Lipetskenergo division provided consumers with 914 consultations and 2,934 services on the installation and replacement of metering equipment.
During the period from 2009 to 2014 Lipetskenergo’s experts installed and replaced 33,245 electricity meters. Currently, 98% of power installations of electricity consumers are provided with individual and communal metering devices. At this half of consumers use modern devices of electricity metering, high accuracy class of which allows to have reliable metering and rational use of electricity.
However, many residential customers continue using metering devices readings of which cannot be used for billing. These include meters with accuracy below 2.0, devices with an expired calibration interval or lifetime, electric meters without verification seals and stamps of a power supply organization. In these cases, consumers do not pay for the actual energy consumption, and based on the standards of electricity utilities consumption. It should be noted that from 1 January 2015 these consumers will have to pay for the amount of electricity calculated with the step-up ratio, which, moreover, will be increased twice a year. As a result, residential customers, who do not have installed electric meters, or use electricity meters that do not meet the requirements of the law, will pay for the electricity consumption much greater.
Consumers should remember that installation of meters is mandatory under the legislation and assigned to owners of a power installation or owners and users of premises and homes.
Responsibility for the metering device and its timely replacement of the law also imposes on its owner. The owner may install a metering device on his own, with the help of specialized organizations that have a certificate of admission to these types of work, but with mandatory participation of representatives of Lipetskenergo to put the metering device into operation. Specialists of Lipetskenergo should record meter readings prior removal of the seal and dismantling the old metering device, and then, after installing a new meter, take its reading, issue an act of putting it into operation and provide information about the replacement of the meter to the power retail organization. If the user installs a metering device with the assistance of third parties, does not record the reading of the old and new meters in the presence of a specialist of a grid organization, this fact is regarded as unauthorized interference with the operation of the metering unit, which involves the drawing up of an act of unrecorded consumption. In accordance with Article 7.19. of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation, unauthorized connection to power grids, as well as unauthorized (unregistered) use of electricity is punishable by an administrative fine on citizens in the amount of from three to four thousand rubles; on officials - from six to eight thousand rubles; for legal entities - from sixty to eighty thousand rubles.
In order to avoid incorrect installation of meters, as well as overpayments for these services, IDGC of Centre - Lipetskenergo division recommends checking representatives of commercial structures on availability of documents performance of work on the replacement of meters.
When ordering services from Lipetskenergo, the consumer receives a guarantee of quality execution of all phases of work, including the selection and purchase of a metering device, dismantling of the old metering instrument, checking circuits, sealing and making an act of dismantling the old meter and putting the new meter into operation. To do this, you should contact Customer Service Centres of the branch - in Lipetsk, Yelets and Dankov, or customer service points, operating in every Distribution Zone.
To get free advice on the purchase, replacement and installation of meters, consumers can call the direct line at 8800 50 50 115 or hot line of power engineers at 13-50, visit the Customer Service Centres of Lipetskenergo, as well as through the Internet reception on the company’s website at http://www.mrsk-1.ru.