Legislation on verification of electricity meters
Laws that regulate the use of electricity meters:
- Federal Law No. 102-FZ of June 26, 2008, which establishes the unity of all measuring instruments and the protection of the rights and interests of citizens from inaccurate measurements.
- Federal Law No. 261-FZ of November 23, 2009 (hereinafter referred to as Federal Law No. 261-FZ) regulates the procedure for accounting for consumed resources using metering devices, the procedure for their installation and commissioning.
According to clause 81.12 of the Rules established by the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of 05/06/2011, the device is considered to be out of order when the verification period for the electricity meter has expired.
During this period, according to subparagraph “a” of paragraph 59 of the same Resolution No. 354, the calculation of electricity consumption is carried out based on the average indicators for the 6 months preceding the date of failure of the device. This calculation is valid for 3 months. After this period, in accordance with paragraph 60 of the set of Rules of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354, the calculation is made with an increasing factor of 1.5. If there are no residents in the residential premises, then this calculation is applied to the number of actual owners. This is stated in paragraph 56 (2) of Resolution No. 354.
Replacement standards
Fragment of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 442 dated May 04, 2012.
Outdated models or those that have been used for a long time are not subject to replacement, repair or state verification. Replacement is carried out during a period called the inspection interval. The permissible period is 16 years from the date of the last inspection. Another situation is an obvious breakdown of an electrical device. In this case, replacement is made immediately. Documents on the basis of which the process takes place:
- Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 442 dated May 4, 2012 - determines the level of accuracy of instruments, the required indicator is 2.0 and higher;
- The decision of Gosstandart and the letter from Gosenergonadzor dated 2000 dictate the procedure for replacing technical metering devices.
If the residential premises are in the possession of the consumer, replacement of devices at the end of the service life of the electric meter is carried out at his expense.
However, if technical devices are on the balance sheet of the energy supply company or the owner of an apartment building (municipal, state, other property), reinstallation is carried out at their expense. Responsibilities for the maintenance and maintenance of meters are enshrined in the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (Articles 543, 210), as well as in Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354.
How to find out when the check interval ends
Verification of electricity metering devices can be:
- Primary (made at the factory). If you bought a new device, then you do not need to check it. But if it has been lying in a warehouse for a long time, then it will still be necessary to carry out an official verification before putting it into operation. In order for the factory verification to remain valid, the three-phase meter must be in the retail network for no more than one year. Single-phase – maximum two years;
- Periodic (carried out at a certain time interval specified in the technical passport;
- Extraordinary. When the correct operation of the electric meter is in doubt, it is worth calling a verification specialist, even if the verification interval has not yet ended. He will check the electricity meter and issue a certificate. If the device is really faulty, he will advise you to repair it or replace it.
The timing of periodic verification of electric meters is displayed in the technical data sheet of the electric meter. Correct consumption metering is only possible when the electricity meter has a technical passport or a certificate that confirms compliance with the current state standard.
The technical passport must contain marks indicating the initial factory verification, the date of purchase of the device and periodic verifications. Additionally, it indicates the period of the verification interval. This period depends on the model and type of device. Modern electricity meters require inspection every 16 years, earlier disk ones - every 8 years.
Mandatory replacement of electrical devices
In some cases, using loopholes will not work. The law establishes a clear list of devices that are subject to mandatory replacement. First of all, these include the following situations:
- planned replacement of electrical metering devices, which is carried out in connection with updating network requirements or due to other work;
- breakdown, occurrence of malfunctions, failures, incorrect display of indicators;
- replacement is necessary due to the expiration of the electric meter (the specific period is indicated in the technical documents).
The law does not establish requirements for choosing the type of electric meter. You can install and register any type - induction, electronic, hybrid.
Should I buy a new device or trust the old one?
The verification procedure is paid. If the device does not pass the control test, it will have to be repaired and you will have to pay for verification again. Or throw it away and buy a new meter.
When the verification interval ends, the owner may doubt whether it is worth spending money on verification or whether it is better to immediately buy a new device. To make a decision about replacing an old electric meter, you need to evaluate its performance. You can carry out the verification procedure at home. There are several obvious signs that the device is faulty:
- If the electrical IPU makes noise;
- When an inflated monthly electricity bill arrived, without objective reasons;
- The scale for measuring consumption indicator rotates quickly or, conversely, slowly. Here you can simply compare the bills in your electricity receipt for the previous month and the current one;
- If the owner decided to save on electricity consumption, or was absent from the premises, but this did not affect the amount in the receipt.
When there is clearly a malfunction, the old device will probably not pass the control test. Therefore, it is better to think about buying a new electric meter.
The procedure is paid. The price for it will depend on the type of IPU.
The average cost of checking an electric meter is about 2 thousand rubles. The price for the simplest new device (already certified at the factory) starts from 1 thousand rubles. Modern devices can cost 5000-6000 or more. Verification is only beneficial if you have an expensive device. And if you have no doubt that it is working properly.
Cost of the verification procedure
Metering devices have a warranty, during which, in the event of a breakdown, the energy sales company will replace it free of charge. After the warranty period has expired, a fee will be charged to the user for testing the device.
The cost of the event depends on the type of meter. The period is up to 2 weeks. Approximate prices for the procedure for checking a metering device without removing it at home:
- single-phase meter - 2500 rubles;
- three-phase - 3500;
- false call - 1000;
- duplicate act - 1000.
Some metrology companies add home delivery of a reference instrument to their price list. This nuance should be clarified when ordering the services of a specialist.
How to choose a company
The devices are checked by commercial companies, the procedure is paid. When the time has come to verify the electric meter, the first thing to do is to choose a metrology company that has the appropriate accreditation for the right to carry out this type of activity.
Attention! There are scammers in this market. They "check" the meter, take your money, give you a "certificate" that is not legally binding.
The presence of a company document giving the right to verify an electricity meter can be tracked on the website of the Russian Accreditation Agency (pub.fsa.gov.ru/ral). For example, in the capital and region, FBU Rostest-Moscow is responsible for checking electricity meters. At the same time, the employees of this organization themselves do not go on field trips. The company has agreements with other companies, but it is Rostest that issues the certificate.
In order to check the legality of the certificate issued to the owner, you need to go to the Rostest website (se.rostest.ru) and enter the number indicated in the document there. Next, you should check that the data in the table matches the data in the certificate. It is important to remember that the data on the site always appears before the certificate is issued. If an employee claims that the information has not yet been loaded, this is not true.
Procedure for checking an electric meter
Electricity meters are checked to assess serviceability and identify signs of external influence.
Electricity consumption metering devices are checked by specialists specially authorized by the relevant organizations. The devices are verified for errors when recording readings:
- at the time of production - primary;
- at the end of the inter-check intervals, the data of the electric meter and control devices are compared - periodic;
- in case of emergency situations (loss or breakage of a seal, loss of the technical passport of the device, doubts about the correctness of the readings, etc.) - extraordinary.
Companies whose employees have the right to inspection and sealing are classified as energy sales or metrology companies. It can be difficult to decide on the latter - find out the organization responsible for the site, contact, negotiate. However, the services of such companies are usually cheaper than a full-time electrician.
The process does not require dismantling the equipment; verification is carried out at the location of the device. Employees carry out work using special measuring devices - an ohmmeter, a wattmeter, which are alternately connected to the meter contacts in several modes. In addition to the correctness of the readings given, the sensitivity of the terminals, the serviceability of the housing and the examination of the appearance of the product are checked.
If, based on the results of the test, it turns out that the current device gives readings with an error, it is recommended to replace the electric meter with a new one. Repairing such equipment is expensive, and faulty technicians do not seal it.
Required documents
To check electricity metering devices, you must provide a device passport with marks on previous checks.
After an employee of an accredited company has verified the electricity meter, he draws up a report that confirms the correct operation of the meter. If a replacement has been made, there must be a corresponding record of this to avoid administrative proceedings in the future.
That is, a company employee must:
- Check the correctness of the electro-IPU readings;
- Draw up a report of completed work.
It is prohibited to change the device yourself or break the seal. This must be done by an employee of an accredited organization. After replacing the device, he installs a seal.
After completion of the work, the owner receives the following documents:
- An agreement that specifies the name of the service;
- Invoice for payment with receipt;
- Completed verification report. Important: starting from September 2020, metrologists are required to enter verification results into the federal register “Arshin” (details at the link). Without an electronic certificate, a paper certificate is not valid.
- Certificate of work completed;
- Photocopies of documents that give the company the right to carry out metrological activities.
At the request of the owner, a protocol of the work performed is drawn up and a photocopy of the device’s passport is made.
Registration of verification of the electricity meter
The end of the procedure is accompanied by the drawing up of a report on the operability of the device and the possibility of its further operation. If a seal was removed by a CMS employee or the device was changed, this must be documented in order to avoid administrative liability for the user.
Actions of the CMS employee:
- verification of meter readings;
- drawing up an act.
It is prohibited to remove the meter yourself; only an employee of the energy sales company can do this. The installation of the new device is also carried out under his leadership. The procedure ends with the installation of a filling.
How the procedure goes: methods and stages of checking the device
The procedure for checking the IPU lies with the homeowner. This includes agreeing on working hours with a metrology company and independently delivering the device to one of the specialized centers. If the owner has doubts about the correctness of electricity metering, then the electric meter can be checked before the due date.
In general, the verification scheme is as follows:
- The owner dismantles the device and delivers it to the metrological service;
- After the inspection, a control report is drawn up and sent to the local Energosbyt;
- Energosbyt enters the device into the register, thereby confirming its approval for operation;
- If during the inspection it was revealed that the device’s readings deviate from existing standards, then it must be replaced.
You can perform verification without removing the device. To do this, you need to call a metrology company employee to your home. The verification procedure is divided into several stages:
- Establishing the serviceability of the connection of the electricity meter. This is done at the installation site by externally inspecting the device to detect illegal connections and theft of electricity;
- Self-propelled vehicle identification. The device is monitored for involuntary rotation of the disk without load;
- Setting the gear ratio. This coefficient is located on the front of the device and reflects the number of disk revolutions when consuming 1 kW;
- The error in measurements is established. It is necessary for the correctness of the readings. The work is carried out in several ways: with a current clamp, a multimeter or an electrical appliance;
- A metrologist can check the meter for magnetization. A special device is used for this. But there is an easier way - a needle and thread. If magnetized, the needle will be attracted to the device. It is worth knowing that the electromagnetic field does not always slow down the disk; sometimes it accelerates it, thereby increasing the readings.
How to prepare for testing the device
Before checking electricity meters, owners must verify its accuracy class using accompanying documents or markings on the device. If the class is lower than second, then Mosenergosbyt will definitely appoint a replacement, so it is better to do this before the inspection. If the verification interval is normal, then the device can remain in operation.
According to the law, the owner is responsible for timely verification of electricity meters without removal. It is he who must monitor the testing intervals of the device and call specialists from the standardization center or an accredited independent laboratory. You need to understand that it is possible to carry out unscheduled inspection and testing without preparation of the device by the owner in case of suspicion of incorrect operation of the device.
Before scheduling the test, the owner of the device must check the level of wiring and the quality of installation of the device, and then agree on a time with a representative of Mosenergosbyt or another body authorized to carry out the work for official paperwork. During testing, the owner of the device must provide purchase documents, as well as receipts for payment of electricity.
Preparing the necessary documents in advance will save time in the process of analyzing the operation and condition of the device, especially if its replacement is inevitable. As a rule, representatives of regulatory authorities will insist on replacement if the device is faulty or if there are defects in the display, case or indicator. Also, the reason for replacing the device may be the fact that there is no state inspection seal.
Price
The price for verification of an electricity meter varies depending on where it will take place - at the site of operation or in the laboratory.
The period for state verification in the laboratory is two weeks. The cost includes work without removing the device and delivery to the site. Checking the electricity meter costs from 700 rubles. (for a simple single-phase device) up to 3500 rubles. (for multifunctional devices). If verification is carried out without removing the device, then the prices are 2-3 times higher.
It should be remembered that you must notify the energy saving company in advance that the seal will be removed from the meter.
When calling a metrology company employee, you should immediately clarify the final amount. Some companies add the use of a reference device to the price for the work.
There can be no free verification. According to current legislation, no benefits are provided for this type of work.
How the work is performed
When checking electricity meters without removing them, a certain algorithm works, taking into account the characteristics of the models.
As a rule, the procedure takes place according to the following plan:
- The device is inspected at home without removal for evidence of damage, deformation, and the presence of seals.
- The device is checked for the quality of electrical insulation with alternating and direct voltage.
- The operating principle of the counting mechanism is checked by connecting the device to a power source to warm up for 15 minutes.
- The absence of a self-propelled gun is checked. The exception is models whose design does not imply its presence.
- The sensitivity threshold of the device is checked.
