When frosts crackle outside, often in apartments multi-storey buildings the temperature leaves much to be desired. Residents are forced to constantly wear warm clothes, turn on electric heaters, and sleep under layers warm blankets which causes significant discomfort. What to do if it is very cold in your apartment? Where to turn in such situations?

The problem of insufficient heat in the room can be solved in two ways: on your own or with the help of utility services. Don’t know how to properly cope with the current situation and what to do?

If your apartment is cold in winter, try to resolve this issue first. on our own. Perhaps heat leakage is due to old windows or defects in the design of entrance doors.

What temperature is considered normal for a home?

Payment for heating in full can be made if a stable temperature is maintained in the apartment throughout the entire month. There are standards that indicate how warm your home should be in winter.

In accordance with the law of the Russian Federation, the temperature in the apartment must be maintained from 18 to 20 degrees, if the temperature outside is -30. When the thermometer readings are within -31 and below, heating of apartments should increase to 20-22 degrees Celsius.

It is also worth considering that during emergency work your home cannot be left without heating for more than a day. One-time shutdowns of radiators are allowed for no more than 16 hours, and the average temperature in the apartment should not fall below 12 degrees.

The law provides for minor deviations from the standards. Temperature increases are allowed within 4 degrees. It can be 3 degrees colder in the apartment only at night, strictly until 5 o’clock in the morning.

It's cold in the apartment: reasons

What to do if the temperature in your home is lower than specified in the standards? First you need to find the causes and eliminate them.

Heat loss is facilitated by:

• old windows, the cracks of which let the cold in;
• insufficiently insulated balcony;
• thin walls prone to freezing at low outside temperatures;
• worn out old type batteries;
• very cold floor or ceiling;
• poorly installed front door;
• drafts;
• insufficient heat supply to the boiler room.

We replace old windows

Wooden structures of the old type have already become obsolete. Such windows have impressive gaps, and even closed windows fit so loosely that in a strong wind you can see the curtains fluttering. Here we have found one of the reasons why it is cold in the apartment. What to do? Of course, it is worth replacing the old window frames.

Modern double-glazed windows can protect your home from drafts, low temperatures and retain heat. You should not install them yourself - in this case, there is a high probability of incorrect installation, which will lead to their depressurization and the formation of cracks - trust the professionals.

If you already have plastic windows, but there are clear signs of drafts, you should call a professional. Perhaps there is some kind of defect, or the reason lies in the destruction of the mounting foam from the outside under the influence of precipitation. The rubber seal or any structural element may also be deformed. All these problems are easily eliminated and can be corrected.

Wooden window

If it is not possible to install high-quality double-glazed windows, you can try to insulate the old window. The simplest, but short-lived method is to use cotton wool and regular tape. Very easy and economical. Cotton wool is carefully pushed into all the cracks, and tape is placed on top of the cleaned and dry window.

Also, adhesive foam insulation will help in the fight against heat leakage from windows. It is also easy to use. All problematic window joints must be sealed with insulation, pressing it well. This ordinary material is capable of retaining heat efficiently, but has significant drawback- its strength is destroyed under the influence of moisture.

You can also try using silicone caulk, window putty, or rubber sealant. These are more reliable ways to retain heat.

Is the apartment still cold? What to do? The best thing to do would be to install new plastic windows or look for another cause of the leak.

Wall insulation

A cold apartment can cause a lot of trouble. What should residents do? Think about high-quality wall insulation. They can be finished both inside and outside. And it is best to carry out this work during repairs.

Insulation is glued to clean, dried surfaces at the junctions of ceilings and walls. This procedure should be done in all corners. If there are visible gaps between the panels, they should be sealed with cement, polyurethane foam or gypsum mortar. Tow is packed tightly into very large recesses, and a layer of plaster or foam is applied on top.

External insulation is carried out only by specialists - industrial climbers. The procedure is carried out using polystyrene foam and mesh, which are attached to the wall with special glue. A layer of high-quality façade paint is applied on top.

Problem - cold balcony?

Do you feel constant drafts and don’t know what to do? If the apartment is cold, pay attention to the balcony - most likely the problem is there.

Contact a reliable company that will take care of the heat in your home. The balcony is covered with foam plastic from the outside and inside. First, they sheathe its facade, and then insulate the internal walls. Also, as materials that will perform heat-saving functions, some companies choose mineral wool or polystyrene foam.

On the balcony, the areas under the window, floor, ceiling and walls are mainly subject to insulation. The procedure is carried out simultaneously with glazing the window with high-quality double-glazed windows, which will retain heat in the apartment for a long time and eliminate the appearance of any drafts.

High-quality radiators - comfort and warmth in your home

The cause of a constant lack of heat may be old batteries. What to do? If the apartment is cold and the radiators are barely warm, it is better to replace them. It is better to opt for cast iron or bimetallic products. These radiators are very strong, durable, and corrosion resistant. They are distinguished by high power, dissipate heat well and have a temperature regulator.

Good radiators can quickly solve the cold problem in your apartment. In addition, the service life of some of their types reaches 50 years. By replacing radiators just once, you will enjoy the warmth and will forever forget the time when you saw cold radiators in your apartment. What to do and what products to choose is up to you to decide.

Cold from the ceiling and floor

It happens that even with new radiators, windows and an insulated balcony, the temperature in the room still remains low. What to do? If your apartment is cold in winter, heat may be lost due to a thin ceiling or floor. This is especially true for the first and last floors of houses.

The ceiling may freeze due to insufficient insulation of the attic or deformation of the roof. Due to these factors, water may seep into the room, leading to mold and mildew. To solve this problem, you need to repair the roof and insulate the ceiling on both sides.

The problem of cold floors is solved in the same way. It must be insulated or the coating must be replaced with a warmer one. The best option keep the floor warm - install modern system heated.

Checking the door design

With a poorly fitting front door and the gaps in it, you can lose about 40% of the heat. And in most cases, this is precisely why the apartment is cold. What to do in such a situation?

It is urgent to insulate yourself, otherwise winter cold will take you by surprise. First you need to make the door itself airtight. To do this, its inner lining is removed, and the empty space is filled with insulation.

Single layer finishing metal door It is produced in the same way, only in this case a layer of material or foam is glued to its surface, and fiberboard or plywood is laid on top.

Eliminating drafts

The door leaf is insulated, but it’s still cold in the apartment? What and how to do next? Proceed with insulation of other sections of the structure. It is necessary to seal cracks and gaps. Most often they occur when incorrect installation doors or during building shrinkage. The resulting space can be finished with a rubberized sealant by gluing it to the frame.

To prevent the cold from penetrating into your home, it is very important to choose the right material for sealing cracks. Buy a sealant optimal thickness- too thin will not have any effect, and the large width of the material will not allow the door to close.

All insulation procedures have been completed, but it’s still cold in the apartment? What to do? Solve this problem with utility services.

What to do if there are cold radiators in the house?

Before running to the utility company, you should talk to your neighbors. This problem may only occur in your home.

If there is a sudden shutdown of heat in the entire entrance, immediately call the housing and communal services department. Perhaps there was an accident on the heating mains, and utility workers were forced to turn off the heating to carry out repair work.

If the temperature has dropped only in your apartment, you should take this situation seriously. Most likely, the problem is related to a malfunction of the heating system in your area. Where to go if it’s cold in the apartment? Apply to the company that services your home.

After receiving the signal, a technician is sent to the problem apartment to inspect the heating system and find out the reason for the lack of heat. If minor problems can be eliminated, they are repaired immediately. By law, utility workers are given 24 hours to do this.

More complex problems are corrected within a week, after which heat should be supplied to the apartment within the standards.

Complaints and claims

If you are provided with low-quality services or after repairing the heating system in the apartment it does not become warmer, you need to make drastic decisions. You have the right to write a complaint and take it to the company responsible for supplying heat to your home.

After the phone call, you must make a written statement regarding your problem. It is usually provided in duplicate. Next, you need to go to an appointment with a company employee to consider your complaint.

You must keep one copy of the application for yourself. The second must contain notes on the date of submission of the document and the serial number of its consideration. These nuances are necessary in case you have to resolve your issue in higher authorities or judicial authorities.

Recalculating heating costs

According to the law of the Russian Federation, a written complaint is considered within three days. During this time, a specialist should visit your apartment and take the necessary heat measurements in each room. Please note that the measuring device must be located 1.5 meters from the floor and 1 meter from the walls. Based on the results obtained, an act is drawn up in two copies. This document is the main basis for recalculating heating costs in the event of poor quality work by the service company.

Despite modern approach Many management companies are committed to solving citizens’ problems related to heating; it will not be possible to restore order in the housing and communal services sector any time soon. Therefore, all residents need to know where to go if it’s cold in the apartment, how to properly resolve controversial situations and how to correctly fill out their applications.

Take care of the warmth in your home, because your comfort, mood and health depend on it!

If the apartment is cold, then there is no need to wait. The first thing you need to do is measure the temperature yourself. If the low temperature persists for more than one day, you should call a specialist.

If the room is cold

“Cold” is a subjective opinion. In order to justify it, you need to measure the temperature in the room. The thermometer is placed a meter from external wall and 1.5 meters from the floor level. Professionals must also adhere to this standard. Norms temperature regime set out in SNiPs and GOSTs.

If the temperature in the room has dropped, you need to call the control room. A team or one specialist leaves to check the signal. Based on the results of the inspection, a report is drawn up, and if possible, problems are eliminated immediately. If the situation is complex, then within a week the service organization must take action and solve the problem. In the meantime, one copy of the act with a seal and signature remains with you.

During this period, you must change the tariff for this service. A tariff reduction is possible if the temperature deviates from normal. Payment is reduced by 0.15% for each hour when these standards are not met.

If measures are not taken, the tariff is not reduced, or the work has been carried out, but the result does not satisfy you, then you can send a complaint:

• to the prosecutor's office;
• to the consumer protection society;
• to the housing inspection (a government organization that not only controls the implementation of redevelopment, but also compliance with sanitary standards).

During this time, if the problem situation is stable, it is necessary to draw up an act yourself. For this you need witnesses (2-3 people, maybe neighbors). Over a certain period of time, you can take a whole month, take control measurements of the temperature and record it. As a last resort, if all other possibilities have been exhausted, this act will serve as proof that you are right in court.

It is better to start your appeal from the housing inspection department, where you can submit a statement and request to review the situation. The application always, especially in such cases, must be written in 2 copies. One is marked, the other remains in the organization. This is done so that if it is lost, you can prove the fact of circulation.

If the situation becomes conflicting, the air temperature in the apartment remains low and no measures are taken, then you need to act through the court. Why do you need to collect all the documents?

You need to assemble the package from the following documents:

• copies and originals of all applications that were submitted (with marks);
• a documented application accepted by the dispatcher of the service organization;
• an act that established and recorded a certain temperature regime;
• title documents for the apartment;
• documents confirming the identity of the applicant.

If the documents are collected correctly, then there is a possibility of a positive court decision. The fact of measuring the temperature and signatures of witnesses is especially important if you do not have the document that the specialist issues at the first visit. It is also advisable to have duplicate applications marked by the secretary.

Standards for temperature in the apartment

All standards for temperatures and other parameters in a residential area are prescribed in SanPiN (“Sanitary Rules and Norms”), SNiPs and GOSTs. These standards must be observed, and in case of violations, measures must be taken. The temperature that will be comfortable when living in an apartment is taken as a basis.

This norm is different for each room. On average, the temperature in the apartment should be between 20-22 degrees. The same temperature is considered normal in corner rooms. Exceeding the temperature is also not advisable. Although about elevated temperature no one is complaining, there is a limit above which the thermometer should not rise.

An excess of more than 4 o C is considered an unacceptable deviation from the norm. Of course, a lot depends on how the house, corner apartment is insulated or not, how well the windows and doors are ventilated, and what the temperature is in the entrance. But if public utilities do not “heat” enough or the pipes have defects, then no matter how you insulate the living space, until desired temperature it won't last.

Standards in different areas of residential premises:

• corner apartments - +20 o C;
• all rooms - +18 o C;
• kitchen - +18 o C;
• bathroom - +25 o C;
• elevator - +5 o C;
• lobby, staircase - +16 o C;
• attic and basement- 4 o C.

In order to keep the rooms warm, the radiators are turned on when there is constant cold, but not frost. If there is a stable minus, utility workers turn on the boiler room. This happens under certain weather conditions outside.

When the outdoor temperature drops to +8 degrees and lasts without rising for 5 days, the heating season begins.

The heating is turned off, on the contrary, when the temperature remains above +8 o C for 5 days. At this time, you need to carefully monitor the temperature both in the rooms and the batteries themselves. If the air does not heat up enough, then you need to contact either through the dispatcher or directly to the Management Company.

In order to keep your apartment warm, you need to prepare for winter. Corner apartments are not in great demand on the real estate market. The temperature in them is always colder than in others, so insulation measures have to be taken, first of all, there.

Video about filing a complaint

All complaints and statements must be submitted in writing. The documents must be preserved. This is a guarantee of the success of your appeal to higher authorities or courts. If the request is ignored, you can write a collective complaint. This solution will be more effective.

If you don’t know what the air temperature in an apartment should be in winter, how to measure it and increase it, then this article is for you.

Normal temperature in the apartment

Name of premises	Air temperature, C	Resulting temperature, C	Relative humidity, %	Air speed, m/s
Cold season
Living room	18-24	17-23
The same, in the areas of the coldest five-day period (minus 31 degrees and below)	20-24	19-23
Kitchen	18-26	17-25	n/n*
Toilet	18-26	17-25	n/n
Bathroom, combined toilet	18-26	17-26	n/n
Inter-apartment corridor	16-22	15-21
Lobby, staircase	14-20	13-19	n/n
Storerooms	12-22	11-21	n/n	n/n
Warm period of the year
Living room	20-28	18-27

• In ordinary rooms - 18 degrees.
• In corner rooms - 20 degrees.
• In the bathroom - 25 degrees.
• Battery temperature is a maximum of 35 degrees.

It is assumed that the apartment may be warmer established norm by 4 degrees and colder by 3. Temperature fluctuations over a larger interval at night are also allowed.

The apartment may not be heated in winter for a maximum of 24 hours per month. However, no more than 16 hours at a time. If this condition is not met, then for every extra hour residents must pay less for heating.

If any of the above does not correspond to the norm, then you can complain to the DEZ, HOA or management company. If they do not take action, then you need to complain to the city branch of the State Housing Inspectorate. In this case, there is a hotline and an online application form. However, first you need to prove that the low temperature in the apartment is due to the fault of the management companies. And to prove this, it is necessary to carry out measurements.

Infrared thermometers are usually used for this. They must be registered and have a certificate. Otherwise, the data will not be taken into account.

To measure temperatures with an infrared thermometer, you need to install a massive object a little more than one meter high in a place that is the center of two planes:

• The 1st plane is located away from the battery and outer wall half a meter
• 2nd plane - intersection of room diagonals

The picture shows this place more clearly.

After placing a massive object in the desired place, wait a while for it to take on the temperature of the room. Then point the beam of the infrared thermometer at it (the beam should be at a height of 1 meter from the floor).

You need to measure the temperature in this way at least three times. The time between approaches should not be less than 5 minutes. Then the average temperature value is calculated.

If the apartment has several rooms, then measurements are taken in the room with the largest area.

If the average temperature of the measurements corresponds to the norm, then you will not be able to make a claim to the management company. Just as you cannot do this if the temperature is below normal and there are heat leaks. By the way, by eliminating heat leaks, you will increase the temperature in the apartment by at least 3-5 degrees.

How to increase the temperature in the apartment and eliminate heat leaks

Seal cracks in windows and doors. If the balcony is not glazed, then insulate the door leading to it. This is discussed in more detail in the articles:

• Insulate an apartment and save 3-10 thousand rubles on electricity

Other leak locations can be detected using thermal imaging.

If you have fixed the leaks, but the apartment is still cold, you should pay attention to the heating radiators. Their surface should have the same temperature (but not - one end is warmer than the other). Also, the riser with the battery should be approximately the same temperature.

If this is not the case, then there may be several reasons:

• heating system worn out at home
• any radiator is faulty
• you yourself limited the temperature on the thermostat

In the first two cases, you again need to contact the HOA or management company. True, you will have to wait until the end to replace the batteries heating season.

If you decide to start renovations in winter, then you don’t have to wait for the end of the heating season. Entrust it to us, and we will also replace the heating system.

Heating bills are getting higher and higher: heat tariffs are rising, but the quality of heating does not always keep up with the price. Probably, many people would like their apartment to be warm and cozy, and the price for this would be small.

But what to do when the apartment is NOT warm (and maybe even cold), but large heating bills continue to arrive regularly. Agree, this is an offensive situation when you are actually required to pay for services that were provided improperly.

In any area of ​​civil legal relations, issues of interaction between buyer and seller when delivering low-quality goods are determined by the civil code and the law on the protection of consumer rights. Necessary actions buyers when buying a bad product are well known. For example, if you purchase a faulty TV in an electronics store, then returning the faulty product and getting your money back for it is not particularly difficult.

In the housing and communal services sector, consumer rights are also protected. But the interaction between the consumer and the supplier or provider of public services when delivering low-quality services will differ from the usual interaction between the buyer and the seller. This is due to the fact that if Management Company supplies poor quality service regarding heat supply (for example, there are cold radiators in the apartment or the air temperature is too low), then the consumer does not have the physical ability to accurately control the heat consumed.

But in this case, he has the right to pay less for the consumed heat. Or maybe you won’t pay for heat at all this month.

Unfortunately, few people know how to act in a situation where there are cold radiators in the apartment: where to complain and go to change the situation. Let's look at how the legislation stipulates the actions of the consumer when such a situation arises.

Standard values ​​of air temperature in residential premises are defined in clause 15 of Appendix 1 to the “Rules for the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings”, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 No. 354. It is indicated that: there must be “security standard temperature air in residential premises - not lower than +18 °C (in corner rooms - +20 °C), in areas with the coldest five-day temperature -31 °C and below - in residential premises - not lower than +20 °C (in corner rooms - +22 °C)" .

In other words, the minimum temperature in apartment rooms should be no less than 18 degrees for non-corner rooms and no lower than 20 degrees for corner rooms. In areas of severe winter and cold weather - even higher by 2 degrees, respectively. That is, the temperature of the coolant in the radiators is not legally regulated: the apartment may have cold radiators and heating risers, but the temperature must be within the approved norm.

It is worth noting that in accordance with the same paragraph 15 of Appendix 1: “the permissible excess of the standard temperature is no more than 4 °C; the permissible decrease in the standard temperature at night ( from 0.00 to 5.00 hours) - no more than 3 °C ;
decrease in air temperature in a living room during the day (from 5.00 to 0.00 hours) not allowed.

What to do and where to complain if the radiators in the apartment are cold and the above temperature standards are not respected? On the pages of the portal we have already described how to calculate the heating fee in an apartment according to the law.

Here we will tell you how this board works in law can be reduced.

The law defines in sufficient detail the procedure for the consumer’s actions when providing him with public services poor quality. In the previously mentioned “Rules for the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings”, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2011 No. 354, there is an entire section devoted to this problem. This section is number X and it is called “The procedure for establishing the fact of provision of utility services of inadequate quality and (or) with interruptions exceeding the established duration (clauses 104-113 of the Rules).

If the apartment is cold, then you need to do the following:

1. Call the telephone or hotline or the emergency dispatch service of the utility service provider (management company or HOA). A complaint about cold radiators must be registered by an employee of the hotline or emergency dispatch service and inform you of his name, surname and position and the registered number of your complaint about the low temperature in the apartment. You can apply in any other way, but you need to keep in mind that you may need to prove the fact of notification in the future.

2. If the employee of the emergency dispatch service of the contractor does not know the reasons for the cold in the apartment, he is obliged to agree with the consumer on the date and time of checking the fact of a violation of the quality of the utility service.

The time for the inspection is set no later than 2 hours from the moment of receiving a message from the consumer about a violation of the quality of the utility service, unless a different time is agreed upon with the consumer.

In other words, employees of the utility service provider must arrive at the apartment to draw up an act at a time convenient for the consumer or no later than 2 hours from the moment of application.

3. If for some reason the employees of the utility service provider did not arrive by the scheduled date to draw up an act, the consumer can draw up such an act independently. However, in this case, the act must record the air temperature in the apartment, and the act must be signed by the chairman of the council apartment building, as well as 2 neighbors - apartment owners.

4. After drawing up such an act, the contractor is obliged to take measures to provide public heating services of adequate quality. These measures may be: resolving necessary issues with heating networks (boiler room) to increase the temperature of the coolant, repairing heating risers in apartment building, booster pumps and more.

If no action has been taken by the end of the month, and the consumer has not been informed about the start of the supply of heat of adequate quality, then the consumer has the right to apply for a recalculation of the cost of heating for the month.

If the apartment is cold, then the amount of recalculation of the cost of heating is determined as follows: for each hour of deviation in air temperature in the residential premises in total during the billing period in which the specified deviation occurred, the amount of the utility fee for such billing period decreases by 0.15 percent for each degree of deviation.

For clarity, let's give a simple example. The air temperature in the apartment at the time of drawing up the report was 16 degrees. Therefore, the deviation from the norm is 2 degrees. The period during which this temperature was maintained was 10 days or 240 hours.

The size of the reduction in heating costs will be: 2 degrees x 240 hours x 0.15% = 72%. That is, the cost of heating this month should be reduced by 72%. With the usual average monthly payment for heat being about 3,000 rubles, this month the consumer must pay 3,000 rubles - 2,160 rubles = 840 rubles.

To do this, the consumer must write a statement to the utility provider, attach a copy of the completed report, indicate the date and registration number of his initial complaint regarding the cold in the apartment.

An example of a complaint about poor heating in an apartment.

After receiving the complaint, the contractor is obliged to recalculate the cost of heating.

If for some reason he does not want to do this, then you can contact:

1. To the state housing inspectorate with a complaint about the actions of the contractor.

2. To the authorities of Rospotrebnadzor.

3. Go to court with a claim to reduce the cost of heating and force the utility provider to properly fulfill its obligations to supply utility resources.

At the end of the article, I would like to wish you to live in a warm apartment with hot radiators, and the heating fee will not break your pocket.

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