Replacing an electricity meter in an apartment: who pays

In recent years, replacing the electricity meter has become more and more often a necessity. Many people want to install meters that can count electricity separately at different times (multi-tariff meters), in some cases it is necessary because the meter has broken or started to work incorrectly. To determine who should pay for the work and the meter itself, several factors must be taken into account.

In what cases it is necessary to change an electric meter

There are three main reasons why it is necessary to replace an electricity meter:

• Grid modernization or planned replacement of metering devices.
• Expiration of the service life (not the inter-test interval).
• Breakdown and failure, incorrect charging.
• The desire to install a multi-tariff meter.

It is worth explaining the second point – everything is clear with the others. Each meter has a certain working resource, after the expiration of which it begins to incorrectly keep track of consumed electricity. In most cases, this can be eliminated through repair, but the cost of repair is commensurate with the cost of a new one. Therefore, in such cases, most often decide to change the electric meter. And rightly so: after repair, it can quickly fail or start “lying” again.

The second point: if the meter has expired, it is most likely many years old and is not designed for the amount of electricity that we need now. This may be the reason why your fuses are often blown or the circuit breaker is tripped.

At whose expense

Private homeowners who change their electricity meter almost always pay for the cost of the meter and the work themselves. It is their property and their responsibility. With the owners of privatized apartments is almost the same story – if the meter is installed in the apartment, the homeowner pays for the replacement of the electric meter. But, in principle, there may be variants: you should carefully read the contract you signed with the energy supplying organization. There are clauses on who should pay for replacement and maintenance. If you signed a standard contract, then all responsibility falls on you. If you have made changes and the contract has been amended, the organization specified in the contract will pay.

If in an apartment building energy meters are located on the stairwell, the replacement of the electric meter is at the expense of the management company, since in this case it is common property. In case of damage, breakdown, end of service life, the replacement is paid for by the management company, which concludes a contract for the work with the energy supplying organization.

The same is the case with municipal (non-privatized) apartments. Maintenance and replacement of electricity meters is at the expense of the management company.

There is only one point: the management company pays for the replacement of the electricity meter only if it is not working, is obviously lying or they have a scheduled replacement. If you want to change the usual metering device to a multi-tariff meter, you have to pay for everything – both the meter and installation.

Who should install and the order of works

If the replacement of the meter is paid by the MC, they themselves conclude contracts for the work. Usually – with an energy supplying organization. If, according to the contract, replacement is your responsibility, you have two options – to replace the electricity meter with your own hands or to pay the same energy supplying organization. The option to hire a third-party firm is not the best, as problems may arise at the reception, because if you want, you can always find something to pick on.

In any case, the replacement of the electric meter is carried out with the permission of the power supply company. Even in the case of a complete malfunction and stopping the device, you can not do anything unauthorized. You need to notify the power supply company. After that, their representative should come to you, write off the meter readings and only then you can start working. For all the time when the meter does not work, you will be charged according to the norms approved in the region.

Upon completion of the work to replace the meter, representatives of the energy supplying organization must seal it and give you a certificate of completed work, which indicates the series and number of the meter, the number of the seal, the current readings. If you have concluded a contract with the energy supply organization, the act on rendering services and technical passport on the meter with signatures and seals. On the basis of all this you can conclude a service contract. After that you can consider that the replacement of the electricity meter is over.