Differentiated electricity consumption tariffs have been in effect in Russia since January 1. Last year, 73 regions have already switched to them. What is it and how will the rules of payment for electricity for the population change?
The essence of the innovation is as follows: whoever spends more pays more. Let’s say that the 50 kilowatts that a person uses in his apartment will be paid at low prices, and exceeding this mark will be at high prices. The tariff for “electricity burners” will be almost twice as high as the tariff for those who know how to save money.
Valery Zhikharev, Vice President of the Small Energy Association, notes that the cost of electricity may vary from region to region, but in general, the increase in payment for the second tariff may be about 25-50%. For the third level, the payment will increase even more – up to 1.5-2 times.
However, officials believe that it is almost impossible to get into the third, most expensive range. For example, the following standards have been introduced in the Moscow region: the first and cheapest standard is up to 11,160 kW, the second is from 11,161 to 22,320 kW, and the third is over 22,321 kW. The average citizen simply won’t be able to spend that much electricity.
“If the heating in the house is gas, central or wood-fired, then the first standard will be enough with a 10-fold margin. The average consumption of a private house of 150 sq. m. The power consumption ranges from 500 to 1000 kW per month. But if the house is heated with electricity, the consumption in the winter months can range from 3 to 5 thousand kW,” said Fyodor Mezentsev, an expert on dacha legislation and leader of the Narodny Sad public movement. An urban one-bedroom apartment consumes an average of 200-250 kWh per month and also falls into the first range.
Then why do we need this innovation? The association “Community of Energy Consumers” notes that today there are many mini-workshops, warehouses, locksmiths, metal and
woodworking workshops in sheds and garages, bath complexes have been opened, which are connected according to a gray scheme and consume electricity on an industrial scale. Households with luxury elements behave the same way – heated pools, private beaches and garden paths. They pay for their expenses at reduced tariffs, which are intended for ordinary citizens, and thus shift a significant part of their expenses to the budget and industry, which have so far actually paid extra for “electricity burners.”
Experts believe that it can’t go on like this anymore. “It is impossible to indefinitely restrain tariffs for the population at the expense of business, the only way out is to finally encourage the regions to really reduce the “crossroads” by raising tariffs for individuals with high energy consumption,” the government said.
However, a lot depends on the local authorities. Someone has the ability and desire to develop tariffs in such a way that consumers do not feel the changes. “But some regions may start fulfilling the order more zealously, and then the increase in tariffs there will be noticeable,” says Sergey Sasim, director of the HSE Center for Research in the Electric Power Industry.
Meanwhile, federal and regional beneficiaries can save on electricity by using state support. These include war and labor veterans, participants or invalids in combat operations, citizens who have been exposed to radiation, people with disabilities, blockade survivors, home front workers, and others. All of them are entitled to compensation for housing and communal services, including electricity. Russians who spend more than 22% of their income on utilities can also count on subsidies.
Natalia Vladimirova.
Photo: LEGION-MEDIA
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