Latvian Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC) invites residents to carefully assess the installation of heat cost allocators, BNN was told by PTAC representatives.
«Considering the growing costs of energy resources the topic of possible solutions to reduce heating bills during the upcoming heating season has become very active, and one of the options consumers use to reduce costs is installation of allocators,» PTAC reports.
An electronic heat cost allocators is a device installed on radiators of apartments. Using two sensors, this device registers the radiator’s temperature and the difference between the radiator and the room it is installed in. The device also tells how much of the heating energy provided to buildings was was received by individual radiators.
It is important to take into account that installation of heat cost allocators needs to be discussed by apartment owners and at least 51% of them have to agree to it.
At the same time, PTAC notes that residents should be very careful in regards to the rules of refusal from heat cost allocators. Apartment owners have to keep in mind the specifics of this service.
Residents should not agree to this service if there are conditions listed in the contract that refusal of this service requires 100% support from all apartment owners.
Before picking any specific heating cost allocator offers, it is necessary assess costs that may surface. This includes preparation work, installation and maintenance costs. It is also necessary to keep in mind operational and maintenance terms, PTAC representatives add.
It is no less important to keep in mind that it is possible to reduce heating consumption if all radiators in the building are equipped with such devices. All radiators also have to have adjustment option. It is also necessary to have the option to measure the building’s total heating energy consumption.
PTAC notes that residents have to pay special attention towards the method used to calculate heat distribution costs to ensure efficient and fair calculations. The calculation method needs to comply with requirements of the Cabinet of Ministers Procedure for determining, calculating and accounting for the share of each owner of a residential house payable for the services necessary for the maintenance of a residential house. A fair charge is to be calculated using relevant coefficients, because in order to maintain temperature at 21° C indoors, it is necessary to introduce differentiated amount of heat for the middle-floor apartments and top-floor apartments.
Also read: BNN summary of the week: Latvijas gāze. Visas. Price rise
Transmission of data regarding consumed heat, data storage and processing needs to be defined to prevent illegal data leaks and to identify possible fraudulent activities. Before accepting offers, it is important to confirm the service provider’s experience and reputation, and avoid buying into information presented in advertisements. It is not advised to pick service providers that do not mention their address, registration number and contact information (telephone number, e-mail address) and which refuse to provide information about equipment or maintenance.
At the same time, there are also other options to help reduce heating costs, such as replacing windows, performing roof insulation or general renovation, PTAC reminds.