Electricity consumption is one of the types of utility bills that many would like to save on. To do this, you can follow a huge number of tips, ranging from energy-saving lamps to the rational consumption of electricity.
First of all, I would like to recall that a tariff is a payment for a unit of consumed products. If we talk about our case - then electricity. In the Russian Federation in urban and rural areas different approach to tariff formation - in the second case, you can pay 30 percent less for consumed electricity. However, the discount only applies to rural areas. If you live in a cottage or holiday village that does not have the status of a rural municipality, or is not located on the territory of a rural settlement, then in this case the discount is not available. By the way, this also applies to urban-type settlements - the tariff for electricity consumption for them is calculated in exactly the same way as for citizens.
The tariff is also different for households with gas and electric stoves - the latter pay 30 percent less. But the benefit in this case applies only to apartments in multi-storey buildings located in the city, the project of which does not provide for gasification.
Single, two-zone and three-zone tariff in 2018-2019
Meters are used to account for consumed electricity. For residential consumers, these devices can account for the used electricity at three different rates:
- single;
- two-zone;
- three-zone.
A single, or, as it is also called, a single-rate tariff provides for the same cost of electricity, regardless of the time of day. A two-zone tariff is a more interesting metering device for consumers, since here the cost of electricity consumed is different at night and during the day. More specifically, electricity costs less at night than during the day. The night rate is valid from 11 pm to 7 am, the day rate is from 07:00 to 23:00, respectively.
This meter helps to significantly save on electricity consumption. In this case, everything is simple, since electrical appliances that consume a sufficiently large amount of electricity can actually be used during the period when the night tariff is in effect. In particular, you can use washing machine, or, for example, an electric oven at night, and pay less than during the daytime.
The third option - a three-zone tariff - provides for different rates for 3 zones of the day. In the so-called peak zone (from 7 am to 9 am, as well as from 5 am to 8 pm), the cost of electricity will be as high as possible. Half-peak (from 9 am to 5 pm) and night (from 11 pm to 7 am) rates will be lower.
Here we should note several points that reduce the apparently so obvious attractiveness of multi-rate tariffs. To switch to them, you need to have an electronic meter - if you still have an old induction meter, then you will have to pay about 2-3 thousand rubles to replace the meter.
In addition, earlier the owners of two-tariff meters had to face such a problem as the transition to summer and winter time, or rather, with the decisions adopted on this issue by the government of the Russian Federation. In particular, in 2010, after the transition to winter time was canceled, most of these metering devices became single-tariff. The problem arose due to the fact that the daily intervals previously programmed in the counters no longer coincided with real time. In order to continue to pay for electricity consumed at night, cheaper than during the day, it was necessary to take the device to a rather expensive reprogramming procedure.
Unfortunately, tariffs for energy resources are rising with enviable constancy, for this reason, energy efficiency and energy saving are becoming more and more relevant. One of the most simple ways to save electricity is to install a multi-tariff meter.
The principle of multi-tariff electricity metering
Residential buildings and industrial facilities consume electricity very unevenly during the day. At night, its consumption is minimal., since most people are sleeping, almost all offices are closed, and there are not so many enterprises working at full capacity in three shifts.
By morning, the picture changes - people woke up and are going to leave the house, turning on the lights, electric stoves, hair dryers, boilers, irons, toasters, multicookers and much more. Computers are turned on in offices, machines are launched in factories, and the movement of public transport powered by electricity is intensified. By evening, people who have come home from work turn on even more electrical appliances, street lights are lit, and entertainment establishments open.
As a result, during the day the level of electricity consumption can change significantly, causing peak loads on the power grid, which requires a certain power reserve for all power equipment.
In this regard, it seems reasonable to introduce separate tariffs for accounting for energy consumption for day and night hours. Indeed, in this case, the consumer By changing your daily routine, you could save a lot of money reducing electricity consumption during peak hours.
It would all be unambiguously profitable if the companies selling electricity set the tariff for night time lower than for daytime. However, not everything is so simple, energy companies have not only reduced the night tariff, relative to the one-rate, but also increased the daily one. How to save money under such conditions?
How to save money with a multi-tariff electricity meter?
The equipment for accounting for consumed electricity, operating in several tariffs, may be different. There are both two- and three-tariff counters. For them separate tariff grids have been developed and, before buying such devices, you should carefully study the prices for electricity in different time days and calculate which accounting system will be more profitable in this region.
Accounting system using two tariffs
First you need to understand the principle of operation of a two-tariff meter. This equipment divides the day into two zones:
- Daytime (from 7 am to 11 pm).
- Night (from 23 to 7 hours).
Let's do a simple calculation. Let us take as a basis a one-part tariff of 3 RUB/kWh, a daytime tariff of 3.30 RUB/kWh and a night tariff of 1.80 RUB/kWh. With this ratio, for so that the costs of the multi-tariff meter are at least equal to the single-rate meter, it is necessary that for every nightly kilowatt spent there should be no more than 4 daytime ones. Therefore, the threshold for nighttime consumption should not be less than 20%. However, for different regions of the Russian Federation, different ratios of electricity tariffs are set by local administrations, respectively, and the threshold value will be different, for example, for Moscow it is 0.9%, and for the Rostov region - 27%.
But, nevertheless, for most Russian regions this figure varies from 26% to 31%. Electricity trading companies set this threshold after monitoring consumption, which showed that night hours accounted for 25% to 31% of electricity consumption.
Accounting system that works using three tariffs
Counters, in the scheme of which three tariffs are laid down, divide the day into the following zones:
- Night (from 23 to 7 hours).
- Semi-peak (from 10 to 17 hours and from 21 to 23 hours).
- Peak (from 7 to 10 hours and from 17 to 21 hours).
Oddly enough, the counting system with three tariffs is not much more complicated than with two. This happened because electricity companies equalize night tariffs 2 and 3 zone meters, and the semi-peak tariff was leveled with the usual one-rate tariff. Due to this, the semi-peak zone is simply not taken into account in the calculations.
For example, in the Rostov region the following tariffs work:
- Peak zone - 3.58 rubles / kWh.
- Semi-peak zone - 3.23 rubles / kWh.
- Night tariff - 2.68 rubles / kWh.
With this ratio, electricity consumption at night should be at least 39% of the total per day. And, tariffs are calculated based on the average electricity consumption in the region. Respectively, average consumer, installing two or three tariff meters for himself and continuing to consume electricity in the same mode will not receive any benefit.
Is it possible, in principle, to save money when installing multi-tariff meters for consumed electricity?
The easiest way to find out whether the transition to a multi-tariff accounting system will be justified is to enter special energy consumption log and enter the meter readings there at 7 and 23 hours for a device that takes into account two tariffs and at 7, 10, 17, 21 and 23 hours for a three-tariff one for one month. Then carry out a simple calculation and draw a conclusion.
As a rule, for the average tenant who does not have square meters a lot of programmable household appliances, which will turn on in accordance with the specified schedule, the payment will only increase. But who can get some savings if desired and able to turn on their equipment at night, these are the owners of a large number of powerful electrical appliances:
- Breadmaker.
- dishwashers.
- Boilers.
- washing machines and so on.
Although in this rhythm of operation of electrical equipment there are also disadvantages:
Is the potential savings worth the sacrifice? You can calculate and draw a conclusion. The average electricity consumption per family is about 300 kWh per month, and now, having strained, using all the possible advantages of the night tariff, a person achieves savings of 50%. And this is just a great result, to achieve which you will need to radically change your habits. In monetary terms, it turns out, in the conditions of the Rostov region, 52.50 rubles. And the price of a simple meter operating on two tariffs is 1,500 rubles. Therefore, it will pay off for almost two and a half years.
Video: Multi-tariff meter
But there are also "pitfalls" of electricity metering:
- Reprogramming the meter, which must be done in case of a change in electricity metering or time metering (the boundaries of the division of day and night tariffs may change, as well as transitions to winter and summer time). The price of the procedure for equipment operating at several tariffs is from 400 to 500 rubles, which is why it will pay off later for another 10 months.
- Regular verification of meters, the cost of which may vary in different regions of the Federation.
Considering all the positive and negative factors of replacing a meter operating with one tariff for a multi-tariff unit, we can conclude that this way to save money on electricity bills suitable only for households equipped with truly powerful consumers. Such as a large yard or greenhouse lighting system, borehole or sewage pumps, air conditioners or electric heating systems. In addition, all this equipment must work around the clock, or even better - at night and, most importantly, autonomously, without human intervention, so as not to turn all his free time into a race for savings.
Every year humanity becomes more and more dependent on various kinds energy, one of which is electricity. Demand is growing and, accordingly, the cost of this type of product is regularly increasing. Due to the fact that the number of electrical receivers for each person in the domestic environment is increasing, as well as the capacities of manufacturing and industrial companies are growing, electricity suppliers have switched to a new type of service for tariffing these products. Now the day is divided into certain periods - zones. The more loaded electrical network the more expensive it is. For example, at night, electricity is much cheaper than in the evening, when most of the population gathered at home and turned on numerous electrical appliances.
All existing types of zones
Each region has its own zones, but their essence is common and consists in dividing the day into certain zones according to the load of the network by consumers. There are three types of zones:
- Peak. It is located in the daytime, then the electrical network and, accordingly, the equipment generating electricity is loaded to the maximum. Due to this, companies that are electricity suppliers not only unload the network and balance the frequency of the alternating current, but also earn more, since the cost is the highest during such a period.
- Semi-peak zone. It occupies the rest of the time between peak zones during the daytime.
- Night zone. The load on the network is minimal, as well as the cost of electricity, for this some enterprises switch to a completely night mode of operation, while saving a lot of money. Recently, the majority of the population has been using this innovation in the pricing of such products.
The figure below visually shows all existing zones indicated by the hour dial
How is the accounting
In order to use this type of tariffication of electricity as a commodity, it is necessary to install a special electronic device to account for the consumed electrical energy, it is called a multi-tariff meter. It provides the ability to account for the consumption of electricity, depending on what time of day this energy was taken from the network.
For the population and enterprises, the price of the night tariff from 23.00 to 07.00 is very favorable, since its cost is 3-4 times different from the cost at peak time. The peak zone of electricity occupies the most common time for the population.
Before proceeding to the purchase of this meter, it is worth determining the most important factors of the network and, accordingly, the model of the accounting element. For this you need to know:
- Type of supply voltage, it can be three-phase, 380 Volts, and single-phase 220 Volts;
- The number of tariff regimes existing in the region and their number in this counter. Some of them have only a two-rate system day and night;
- The current for which the energy metering element should be designed can be found by marking the power supply;
- The presence of additional functions in the meter, such as data transmission at a distance, measurement of frequency and voltage, as well as protection against surges in the network.
Most often, in apartments of multi-storey buildings, standard single-phase electricity meters are used, and in private houses, many people switch to three-phase power to increase the possibility of connecting various electrical equipment. Basically, this is equipment operating on the basis of asynchronous three-phase motors with a squirrel-cage rotor.
Therefore, it turns out that the transition of companies that provide electricity as a commodity to a multi-tariff metering regime, and as a result of consumers using these services, contributes to a more efficient consumption and use of this type of energy, while even getting savings.
