The first step to saving money spent on heating your home is organizing heat energy metering. The issue is especially relevant for residents apartment buildings with central heating, where payment for the provision of services is calculated in accordance with the established tariff. The problem is to correctly determine the amount of heat consumed by each apartment. This raises questions: is it possible to install an individual heating meter, how to do it correctly, and how beneficial it is for homeowners. You will find detailed answers to them in this article.

Is it profitable to install a heating meter?

There is no clear answer to the question whether it is profitable or not, since the installation of a heat meter in an apartment and its operation depends on many factors.

You are guaranteed to get savings, and the money spent will pay off fairly quickly if:

• obtain permission for installation and technical specifications from the heat supply organization;
• agree with the responsible person elected by the meeting of owners apartment building;
• you can install 1 heat metering unit for the entire apartment;
• agree project documentation with a heat energy supplier;
• hand over the mounted device to it for operation, which will end with sealing the heat meter.

In reality it is quite difficult to comply with everything listed conditions, in order to install an apartment heat meter and make payments according to its readings. Most good option, when you live in a new building, where each apartment has a separate heat input. And then there may be obstacles in the form of various legislative acts. For example, in the Russian Federation there is a decree according to which the readings of individual heat meters are subject to recording under the following conditions:

• Heat energy metering devices are available in all apartments;
• on input central heating A common building heat meter is installed in the building.

Almost all Soviet-built high-rise buildings have a single-pipe heating system with vertical risers. Imagine how much it costs to install a device at each connection to the riser. Not to mention the fact that you will not be given a permit, and for good reason. After all, riser pipes also give off heat, which individual node will not be taken into account.

If the building is heated landings and others Technical buildings, then even with individual metering you will have to pay your share for heating them. That is why it is necessary to coordinate your actions with the management of the condominium association. It turns out that installation work installing the meter is the simplest stage of the procedure; most of the time will have to be spent on obtaining permits and approvals.

Advice. You can install the meter in the apartment yourself, but then you will face difficulties when commissioning it to the management company. So it’s worth considering the option of hiring a contractor, who can take care of all the approvals for a fee.

Selecting a heat meter

There are several types of accounting units based on the operating principle, but 3 of them are most suitable for installation in an apartment:

• mechanical (otherwise known as tachometer);
• ultrasonic;
• clip-on sensors for batteries.

Mechanical heating meters are called that because the water flow in them is determined using an impeller immersed in the coolant. Using 2 sensors installed in the supply and return pipelines of the heating devices, the temperature difference is calculated. Based on these data, the electronic unit calculates the thermal energy consumption. Tachometer heat meters are characterized by the lowest cost, but at the same time they are sensitive to the quality of the coolant.

For reference. Heat supply organizations do not favor mechanical metering units not only because of incorrect operation with poor coolant. According to experts, the design of the device does not protect it from external interference in order to underestimate the readings.

Ultrasonic heat meters are good in all respects. They don’t care what quality the liquid medium in the pipe will be, since its flow rate is determined by ultrasound passing through the working section. The temperature difference is shown by the same sensors on the supply and return. The cost of such a device is at least 15% higher than that of a mechanical one, but the management company recommends them for installation. The reason is clear - it will not be possible to interfere with the operation of an ultrasonic apartment meter.

Heat meters installed on the battery measure the temperature of its surface and the air inside the room. After which the electronic unit calculates the amount of heat consumed, based on the data on the radiator’s nameplate power, entered manually. Such devices are unlikely to be put into operation by a service provider company, but if there is a general building metering unit, they will help calculate the share of each apartment in total consumption energy. But for this it is necessary that heat meters be installed in all rooms.

How to install a heat meter in an apartment

The easiest way is to install an overhead device; you don’t need to hire anyone or cut pipes. Just attach it to the battery. Mechanical heat meters are another matter; here you will have to shut off the risers, drain the water and dismantle a section of the pipe. The same applies to ultrasonic devices embedded directly into the pipeline. As mentioned above, to carry out such work you must have a permit and finished project. And for successful commissioning, installation must be carried out by a licensed company, which will be confirmed by a corresponding certificate of completion of work.

In the event that you decide to get to work on your own, first carefully read the heat meter instructions. There are recommendations for installation and operation that must be followed strictly. By the way, for tachometer and ultrasonic instruments it is necessary to provide a measuring section of a certain length. That is, before and after the device there should be a straight pipe without turns or bends.

For reference. The length of the measuring section for a mechanical meter is 3 pipe diameters before the flow meter and 1 diameter after it. The requirements for ultrasonic flow meters are higher; a straight section of at least 5 diameters is needed before the meter and 3 after (depending on the manufacturer).

Now let’s talk about whether it is possible to install a residential heat meter on the return pipeline. Most manufacturers offer models that can be installed on any highway; the main thing is to correctly install resistance thermal converters (temperature sensors). Usually they are screwed into a tee or a special tap that has a separate pipe for this purpose.

Conclusion

The current reality in the post-Soviet countries is that in most cases it is very difficult to legally install and commission an apartment heat meter. It is possible that the efforts aimed at this and the funds spent will exceed all conceivable limits of the payback period. Therefore, before organizing individual metering, you should consult with specialists from your heat supply organization.

Who has the right to change the settings of the heat meter (heat meter). All our answers will be based on the new “thermal energy, coolant” dated November 18, 2013 N 1034. First, an answer for those who are always in a hurry. The right to make changes to the heat meter , and correctly speaking, the heat meter has:

• representative of the heat supply organization;
• representative of the organization that carried out the installation and commissioning of the input. There is only one reason for this - the configuration database entered into your heat meter and agreed upon at the design stage of the heat metering unit.

As you can see, a new term has appeared here - heat calculator. Let's explain what this is.

Heat meter calculator or simply heat calculator — compound element a heat meter that receives signals from its sensors and provides calculations of data on the amount of thermal energy (exactly those Gcal for which you pay) and coolant parameters.

Accordingly, the heat metering rules state that a heat meter is a device designed to measure thermal energy and is either a single whole or consisting of individual elements included in its composition in accordance with the design. These elements are flow converters (flow meters, water meters), temperature and pressure sensors, and also a heat calculator.

Let us explain - there are two options for installing heat meters.

Heat meter - as a single device, fully factory assembled and configured, and a heat meter consisting of individual elements, the composition of which is selected.

Representatives of fully factory-assembled heat meters are ESKO-T, Karat-compact, Elf, Multikal and some others. Block TSK7 (VKT7 computer), Vzlet, TMK-N, etc. For the consumer there is no difference between them. Block heat meters are selected at the design stage, due to the fact that the circuit on them is more flexible, and the components can be selected to suit, they are more widespread. For offices and apartments, heat meters are mainly used that are fully pre-assembled, monoblock, they require virtually no adjustment (changes in the configuration database) and can even be operated without it with high measurement accuracy.

To understand the principle of setting the heat meter to the specified parameters, we will describe the main parameters that are programmed before commissioning.

The first and main thing is the weight or price of the impulse in m3/imp. The pulse price is indicated in the passport of the flow meter, water meter or flow converter. An equally important parameter is the type of water meter and the duration of its pulse.

The next parameter is the measurement scheme or algorithm by which the heat meter’s heat calculator will calculate the data received from the primary converters - temperature, flow and pressure sensors. Roughly speaking, this is the heat formula by which the heat calculator calculates and it is this that is selected from the options already programmed at the factory by the manufacturer.

It is these two parameters that are already programmed at the manufacturer into fully factory-assembled heat meters.

All other parameters are additional, these include primarily:

• The coolant pressure, if it is not measured, and it should be measured only at metering units, is above 0.5. Of course, you have the right to install sensors that transmit readings to the heat meter yourself (I mean stipulate in the design specifications), but this is extra money during installation (about 15 thousand rubles and subsequent maintenance and state verification). They will not affect the measurement accuracy much, approximately 0.01%.
• Then there are the maximum and minimum measurement limits (in fully factory-assembled heat meters, they are programmed at the manufacturer).
• The time the report was generated in the heat meter or the reporting date and hour.
• And lastly, the so-called contractual values ​​are the payment parameters for heat specified in the heat supply contract. These also include temperature cold water at the heat source (boiler room), it is entered into the computer as a constant and, in accordance with the contract, the amount of thermal energy consumed by you must be periodically recalculated taking into account the actual cold water temperature. The above applies to open systems Hot water supply is when you take hot water directly from the heating system.

And the last note to the answer -. She does not have the right to make changes to the heat meter of the heat metering unit, but it is better to entrust control of any changes in the heat computer database to her. In fact, specialists from service organizations are often more knowledgeable than representatives of heating networks, and are able to tell you how to properly challenge, and most importantly, whether to challenge certain actions of the heat energy supplier to reprogram the heat meter, especially if it led to a visible increase in heat payments .

Paramonov Yu.O. Rostov-on-Don. 2014 Energostrom LLC

In accordance with Federal Law of the Russian Federation 261 FZ dated November 23, 2009, owners of living space in apartment buildings are required to install meters for the consumption of resources provided centrally - water, electricity, gas. If possible, then for heating (Resolution 354 of 05/06/2011, as amended on 02/14/2015). How to install a heating meter in an apartment, in what cases should this be done?

The most serious expense item today is energy. In a private house, the owner solves the problem of saving on his own, but in a city apartment building everything is often left to chance. Meanwhile, you can also spend less on heating (as well as on electricity and water supply) in the city - if you pay only your own expenses, and not some average figure. Any modern heating device You can equip and raise/lower the temperature depending on the needs of the family.

A common meter should be installed so as not to pay for heat that did not enter the building in the first place. It is expensive and is bought by residents by sharing.

Whether it is possible to install heating meters in an apartment or not depends on the type of wiring in the house. Construction in recent years provides for horizontal distribution: hot water flows into each apartment via one riser, from which it diverges to the heating appliances.

A different picture in the houses old building(Khrushchev, etc.). Here the riser serves one vertical row of batteries on all floors. There are as many risers as there are radiators in the apartment. In this case, a meter would have to be installed on each battery separately, which is unprofitable and greatly complicates accounting.

In buildings with vertical wiring, installation of individual heat meters is not carried out (according to the Order of the Ministry of Regional Development Russian Federation 627 dated December 29, 2011). In such a situation, you can install a distributor in the system, which determines the flow rate based on the temperature difference between the air in the room and the surface of the radiator.

Important: There is a clause in the legislative documents that may complicate your transition to payment using an individual meter. In accordance with RF PP 354 (42-1), if not all apartments in a building are equipped with individual meters, the service provider has the right to charge a fee based on the readings of a common building meter in terms of the area of ​​each apartment. Sometimes you have to put the issue to a vote of the residents of the house.

Selecting a metering device

According to their purpose, heating meters are divided into industrial (they are also used as communal meters) and individual (apartment) ones.

The apartment device has channels of small cross-section (within 2 centimeters). The coolant flow measurement range is from 0.6 to 2.5 cubic meters per hour. The package most often includes:

• heat sensor;
• the counter itself with a computer;
• pressure, flow, resistance regulators (optional).

A calculator is installed on the meter, two wires with sensors are connected - one to the supply pipe, the other to the outlet pipe. The temperature difference between them determines the amount of heat consumed.

A common house appliance differs from an apartment one mainly in size: the diameter of the channel is from 2.5 to 30 cm.

According to the characteristics of the device, devices are divided into ultrasonic and mechanical (tachometer). There are also vortex and electromagnetic heating meters, but they are less common for individual use.

The mechanical design includes a calculator and a rotary water meter. The working body is an impeller (screw), which rotates under the influence of the passing coolant. The amount of heat is determined by the number of rotations.

The device is relatively inexpensive. With a pipeline diameter of up to 3.2 cm, the purchase will cost 15 percent less than an ultrasonic meter. Repairs are also inexpensive.

The disadvantages include vulnerability to hard water with rust or scale: particles clog flow meters and filters, which reduces the resource. Installation of magnetic mesh is required. But even in this case, the operating time does not exceed 5 years.

The main working element of an ultrasonic heat meter is a pair of devices: an emitter and a receiver of ultrasonic signals. Signals are transmitted through the flow of water. The transmission time depends on the flow rate: the speed and, accordingly, the flow rate are calculated based on time.

Advantages of an ultrasonic meter:

• The accuracy of the readings is higher than that of a mechanical one. Accordingly, the calculation of heating according to the meter in an apartment building for these models is more correct;
• longer working life (service life 10 years).

The ultrasonic device itself is less sensitive to water quality than a mechanical one, but the correctness of the readings depends on the purity of the coolant. Accuracy is affected by dirt as well as air bubbles. To avoid the appearance of bubbles, the meter is installed strictly on a straight section of the highway (not shorter than 1 meter).

Installation of a heat meter

The decision to install a common building meter is made at a general meeting of residents and is officially documented. Based on the minutes of the meeting, an application is submitted to the housing management company. A person responsible for taking and transmitting readings is selected from among the residents.

How to install an individual heating meter in an apartment:

1. Make sure installation is possible. Perfect option, in which no questions will arise for you - an inspection report and a conclusion from a professional certified company.
2. Before installing a heating meter in an apartment, eliminate heat leaks through poorly fitted doors, window frames, freezing corners, leaky facade seams, etc. Otherwise, you won’t be able to save money by using your own appliance. Quite the opposite, since a lot of energy will be spent on heating the street.
3. Obtain an opinion from your housing department about technical conditions installation (what is needed for installation). To do this, you must submit an application, attaching a copy of the document on ownership of housing and the registration certificate of the apartment to the application.
4. Call a specialist from a certified installer and draw up an installation project.
5. Coordinate the project with your management company.
6. After receiving permission for installation, you can buy a meter. The seller is obliged to provide you with all accompanying documentation: device passport, quality certificate, cash receipt and sales receipt.
7. Call an installer. He will install, test and commission the device.
8. The sealing is carried out by a commission consisting of a specialist from the installer company, a representative of the housing office and the owner of the apartment.

What to look for when choosing an installation company:

• the Unified State Register of Legal Entities must contain information about it;
• the company has a certificate and approval from the SRO;
• it has the necessary specialists and equipment at its disposal;
• the ability to call a specialist to draw up a project;
• Providing the client with a guarantee for installation.

The project must indicate:

• calculation of coolant flow;
• recommended device model;
• calculation of hydraulic resistance;
• installation diagram in the pipeline;
• calculation of unaccounted heat losses;
• scheme for calculating payments by meter.

The installation of heating meters in an apartment building is subject to certain rules:

• the device is installed in strict accordance with the project. If changes are made, the project is re-approved;
• Typical installation diagram - outside the apartment. Installation in the apartment is agreed upon individually;
• When installing a heat meter, straight “calming” sections of pipes are left on both sides of the flow meters. The thermal resistance should be aligned with the pipe axis; possible “pockets” and air bubbles should be excluded;
• It is necessary to install a bypass bypassing the meter so that the device can be removed without draining the water from the system.

Verification and readings

All measuring instruments require regular verification - this way the serviceability of the meter is verified and, accordingly, the correctness of the resident’s transmission of consumption readings.

Initial verification is carried out at the manufacturer. This is evidenced by a sticker or stamp on the heat meter itself and an entry in the accompanying documents.

In the future, verification must be performed every four years at the expense of the apartment owner. To do this, you need to contact:

• to a company licensed to provide such services;
• to the service center of the meter manufacturer;
• to the local branch of Rostest.

Readings are taken in the same way as from other meters - electric, water. The difference between the readings for the current and last month is the actual expense, which must be multiplied by the tariff rate to calculate the amount payable.

The meter can determine consumption in kilowatts, but must transmit readings in gigacalories. To convert watts to calories, the removed figure is multiplied by 0.0008598.

A heat meter is a device/set of instruments used to determine the amount of heat, as well as the mass and other parameters of the coolant. Accounting for this coolant and the thermal energy that is expended is carried out both at the heat source and at a specific consumer (for example, in public or industrial buildings or in residential buildings). The heat source is CHP, RTS (district thermal station or boiler house).

Household heat meter: how to install correctly?

People who live in multi-storey residential buildings can solve the issue of heat metering by installing a meter. In this article we will tell you how to properly install a heat meter in a house or apartment.

Such a device makes it possible to significantly reduce heating costs due to the fact that after its installation there will be no need to pay for the heat that was not actually supplied to their home. The price of a heating meter for an apartment building is quite high (from 16,000 rubles and above), however, if you divide this amount by the total number of apartments in the building, it turns out not so expensive. At the same time, each of the residents will feel the savings almost immediately after installing a common building meter. After all, now the amount for heat will be charged based on the fact, and not according to established standards. Further, this amount will be distributed among residents in accordance with the areas of their apartments. Moreover, if some period heating season There was no heat supplied to the house, you won’t have to pay like before on average. It should be noted that if in summer period you don’t have to pay for heating, then during the heating season the amount will be higher than before. This point must be agreed upon with all residents of the house. In addition, at the general meeting of residents, a representative should be delegated who will take readings from the meter and issue apartment receipts for payment.

Before installing a heat energy meter in an apartment building, you should:

1. Hold a meeting of apartment owners;
2. Record the decisions made at the meeting in a special protocol;
3. Contact management company with a written statement regarding the installation of a heat meter in an apartment building.

After this, you can count on the installation of a metering device, which will make it possible to pay exclusively for the supplied heat. However, a small portion will be added to the calculated amount for heating common areas of the house (for example, entrances).

How to install a heat meter in an apartment?

Regarding the common house meter, we can say that its indisputable advantage is its low cost. However, the expected economic effect from its installation will not be so noticeable. This is due to the fact that the entrance may be poorly insulated, and a lot of energy will be spent on heating it, the payment for which will fall on the shoulders of the residents.

In houses with vertical piping

In older apartment buildings, as a rule, heating pipes are installed vertically. IN in this case It will be necessary to install a separate metering device on each of the risers in the apartment, which makes this procedure extremely costly.

In a situation like this good decision There will be installation of special metering devices on batteries, but in our country (unlike Europe) such heat meters are not used.

Modern manufacturers of metering devices offer users who have apartments in buildings with vertical wiring such distributors, where the coolant flow measurements are based on the difference in the temperature of the air in the room and the surface of the battery. But still the best option for houses with vertical distribution of heating pipes, a common house heat meter is used.

In houses with horizontal pipework

If the pipes in an apartment building are horizontal, then residents have the opportunity to install any type of heat meter. For example: a compact model can be installed either on the pipe supplying coolant to the room, or on the return pipeline.

Features of installing a heat meter

It is important to know that installation and connection of the metering device can only be carried out by organizations that have special permission to carry out this type of work. Qualified specialists of such a company carry out all work in several stages, namely:

1. Carry out the connection project;
2. Conduct project approval;
3. Install the metering device;
4. Register installed equipment;
5. The device is handed over and transferred to the control of the organization exercising supervision.

Heat meter readings

Meter readings for heat are carried out in the same way as for electricity. After taking the readings, you should fill out a receipt indicating the difference for the period, multiplying it by the tariff that is currently in effect in the corresponding region. Payment according to the receipt is carried out taking into account the requirements established by the specific management company.

Installing heat meters: some practical tips

• The vast majority of users claim that the profitability of installing a heat meter in an apartment is very high, and such a device will pay for itself very quickly.
• Heating costs can be further reduced by installing devices (thermostats) that control flow hot water.
• Now it is possible to install such modern heat meters that are capable of not only storing monthly information about heat consumption for 5-10 years, but also connecting to a computer and even reading current readings via the Internet.
• If apartment house has a vertical pipe distribution (near each of the windows there is its own radiator and for each of them there is a separate vertical riser), then in the apartments of this house it is necessary to install individual meters irrational. This is explained by the fact that it will be necessary to install several heat metering devices in each of the apartments, which is not only expensive, but also creates additional hydraulic resistance in the pipeline, which can negatively affect the overall heating mode of the entire apartment building.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the thermal energy meter is very useful device, which is guaranteed to help apartment owners significantly save on heating bills. It follows from this that those who do not want to pay for heat loss when heating is supplied or for completely cold radiators in the apartment should consider installing a heating meter. The information provided in this article clearly demonstrates to users that doing this is not that difficult.

Nowadays, payment for consumed heat often turns out to be the most expensive item in the budget. But there is a way out of this situation: you need to buy a heat meter, which is a separate measuring device or a set of instruments designed to account for consumed thermal energy and determine the mass and characteristics of the coolant in systems with water heat supply. At correct installation using a heat meter, heating bills will be much lower (up to 25-50% depending on the characteristics of the building in which it is installed).

Operating principle of heat meters

Any thermal energy meter includes the following elements:

• Resistance thermal converter.
• Calculator for the amount of thermal energy.
• Power supplies for pressure sensors and flow meters (if necessary).
• Primary flow transducer.
• Excess pressure converter (custom order).

With the help of such a device it is determined a large number of parameters, including:

• The time period of operation of devices installed at a specific metering station.
• Average daily and average hourly temperatures of the coolant in the cold water pipelines required for make-up, as well as supply and return pipelines.
• The amount of thermal energy consumed: both total and for each hour.
• The volume of coolant at the inlet and outlet of the heating system of a building or individual apartment.
• The volume of coolant that is consumed to constantly replenish the system.

Heat meters are necessary to record the amount of heat, for which data obtained from the temperature and coolant flow sensors included in the device are used. The total amount of thermal energy consumed by the heating system per hour is calculated as the product of the temperature difference between the coolant at the inlet and outlet and the coolant flow rate for the same time period. This value is determined by a special computer, which receives information about the flow rate and temperature difference. Flow sensors and two temperature sensors are responsible for their supply, one of which is mounted in the supply pipeline of the water supply system, and the other in the return pipeline. The calculator processes the information they provide and produces an accurate value of the amount of heat consumed, which is displayed on the LCD screen or read using a traditional optical interface. The measurement error is determined by the measurement error temperature difference and in high-quality devices it does not exceed 3-6%.

Types of heat meters

Today, before installing a heat meter, it is worth understanding its main types. Based on the principle of operation, these heat metering devices are divided into the following types:

• Electromagnetic heat meters. They are based on the phenomenon of excitation electric current in a coolant liquid under the influence magnetic field. That is, electromagnetic induction arises, which makes it possible to relate the average speed, and therefore the volumetric flow rate of the coolant, with the field strength in it and the potential difference that arises at the electrodes with the opposite charge. Since determining the amount of heat here depends on measuring very small current values, electromagnetic meters require special conditions operation and high-quality installation. The error in readings increases significantly if additional resistance occurs at the connections, poor wire connections and the presence of iron compounds and other impurities in the water. Nevertheless, metrological verification of such devices usually demonstrates good results.

• Mechanical heat meters will delight the consumer with their simplicity. In them, the translational movement of the coolant flow is converted into a rotational movement of the measuring element of the device to determine the amount of heat energy. Such models consist of mechanical-type vane or rotary water meters and a heat calculator. They have an affordable price, but to increase their service life it is necessary to install special filters in front of them. In addition, it is not recommended to use mechanical heat meters in systems where the coolant is water with high hardness. Small particles of rust and scale get stuck in filters and other parts of the device, causing it to fail. Also, such flow meters are responsible for a fairly significant reduction in water pressure compared to heat meters of other types.
• Ultrasonic heat meters, the price of which will be slightly higher than other models, determine the amount of heat consumed by changing the time interval during which ultrasound travels from the source of a given signal to its receiver. This parameter depends on the speed of the fluid flowing in the heating system. When installing such a metering device, the receiver and emitter of the ultrasonic signal are installed on the pipe opposite each other. The emitter emits a signal that travels through the water column and reaches the receiver. The time during which this occurs is directly related to the flow rate in the pipe, so the liquid flow rate is accurately determined by its value. Ultrasonic heat meters show good result only in case clean water flowing through pipes that are completely free of rust. If a liquid containing scale, sand, scale is used as a coolant, and its flow rate is not stable, the readings of such devices are considered accurate only with great stretch. A special feature of such devices is the ability to regulate the flow of liquid through two separate channels.

• Vortex heat meters operate due to the well-known physical phenomenon of the formation of vortices behind an obstacle located in the flow path. They consist of a pipe-mounted permanent magnet, a triangular prism mounted vertically in the pipe, and a measuring electrode, also located in the pipeline, but a little further in the direction of the coolant flow. The flow of liquid around a prism leads to pulsating changes in flow pressure, which makes it possible to determine the volume of liquid flowing through the pipes of the system. The frequency of vortex formation is directly proportional to the flow speed inside the pipeline. Vortex heat meters have significant advantages. They are affected by a sharp change in the speed of the coolant and large foreign inclusions in it, but lime deposits on the surface of the pipes or a high concentration of iron in the water do not in any way affect the operation of such a measuring device. The quality of measurements is also not affected by whether the vortex heat meter is installed horizontally or on vertical section systems.

According to the method of use, the following thermal energy metering devices are distinguished:

• Common house heat meters, which are usually installed at the entrance to multi-story houses and occasionally in production. Such devices easily fit pipelines with a diameter of 32 to 150 mm, and some models are designed for a diameter of up to 300 mm.
• Heat meters for individual apartments. They are installed at the entrance to the heating system of an apartment or private cottage. Such models are used on pipes with a diameter of 15-20 mm and include two elements. This is a heat calculator, which is equipped with two sensors that record the water temperature both in the supply and in the pipeline leaving the apartment, and a hot water meter, thanks to which apartment heat meters are able to determine not only the amount of heat, but also register the volume of water entering your home.
• Heating cost allocators. This electronic devices to determine the relative share of a given apartment in the general building heat energy consumption, which is determined using a collective (general building) heat meter. The principle of its operation is based on the difference between the temperatures of the heating radiator indoors and the air temperature in the room, constantly recorded over time. The heating cost distributor is installed directly on the surface of the radiator and does not require intervention in the heating system.

Features of installation of apartment heat meters

If you decide to reduce the amount of your bill for consumed heat, and the installation of heat meters becomes a reality, it is not at all necessary to contact specialized organizations. It is enough to obtain a package of permits for installation, prepare the heat meter itself, the connection kit with check valve, filter, collets, special taps equipped with heat sensors, heat-conducting paste, wrench for metal pipes or welding for a metal-plastic heating system. After this, you need to perform the following operations:

• Flush the pipeline on which the heat meter will be installed. This will avoid blockages and reduce the error in the calculations of the device. In this case, you should ensure that the flow part of the device contains water, and the direction of the arrow on its body corresponds to the direction of water flow. Installation modern models possible for both vertical and horizontal sections of the system pipeline.

• Before installing the measuring unit, make sure that there is no pressure and coolant in the system. After this, proceed with the installation of ball valves with heat sensors before and after the heat meter. They make it possible not only to determine the temperature difference, but also to instantly shut off the pipes in the event of an emergency. Be careful when connecting the heat meter measurement unit to the system: since it is located in the flow part, it is very easy to damage it.
• The device kit includes two thermal converters, one of which is mounted in the measuring cartridge, and the other in the sleeve, treated with a special heat-conducting paste. A correctly installed heat converter should cover the pipe by two-thirds. Then these elements are subject to sealing.

Heat meters in the modern market of measuring instruments

Now the installation of a heat meter is becoming truly relevant. But the range of such devices on the market is very large, so let’s look at the features of several popular models:

• Heat meters Elf. These devices allow you to remotely read information and connect additional devices equipped with pulse outputs (for example, gas and water meters). But they are of the mechanical type, which means they are sensitive to impurities in the coolant, and must be replaced after 4-5 years. Their cost ranges from 160-190 dollars.
• Heat meter ST-10. Designed to take into account not only thermal, but also electrical energy, as well as the volume of cold and hot water consumed. The device is capable of working with both electromagnetic and mechanical water meters. However, not all models in this series have a built-in controller. Moreover, their prices start at $250.

• The ENCONT (RF) heat meter can serve up to four pipelines simultaneously and take into account heat energy in two independent exchange circuits. It is of the ultrasonic type, so the accuracy of its readings is greatly affected by the contamination of the water in the pipes. Depending on the complexity, such a device will cost $1500-3200.
• Heat meter MAGIKA (RF). The device belongs to the category electromagnetic devices, supplemented with a digital interface, allows you to connect several flow meters and thermal converters. He also requires special good quality installation and costs from $600.

Most optimal choice Both in terms of quality of work and price, the device for recording thermal energy ST-10 can be called.