Water meter readings: an algorithm for taking readings and transmitting them to regulatory authorities

Using a water meter significantly reduces the cost of paying utility bills. However, sometimes consumers receive receipts with higher bills. As a rule, the reason for the discrepancy between the amount and the actual consumption is the incorrectly transmitted meter readings for the month.

Agree, the situation is unpleasant, requiring correction of the error and adjustment of indicators. To avoid inaccuracies, you should know in advance the rules for reading data from the meter, the timing and methods of transferring them to the water utility. Clarification of these issues and the subject of our article.

The need for calibration of flowmeters

Individual water meters are designed for continuous monitoring of its consumption. According to the readings taken from them, its volume is determined, which is presented for settlements for payment.

Therefore, the serviceability and accuracy of measuring water meters is an indispensable condition for receiving data from these devices for charging for water. Confirmation of the compliance of the flow meters with the requirements imposed on them, and a prerequisite for their operation, is periodic, on time, verification.

If during the time allotted for verification, the device did not pass it and is not replaced by a new or different one, then its readings cease to matter and are not accepted for calculation

Calculations for water use in the absence of verification are carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. Within 3 months after the end of the verification period, the average readings for the last year are taken.
2. Starting from the 4th month, until the moment of verification, the calculation is carried out at the standard cost.

In order for the testimony to be accepted as valid, only organizations accredited for this type of work should test the water meters.

Read more about the timing and nuances of checking water meters in the articles:

1. Verification period for cold and hot water meters: verification intervals and rules for their implementation
2. Verification of water meters at home without removal: the timing and subtleties of verification

The value of the numbers on the indicator

The indicator of the volume of consumed water is a rotating digital cell. Since there are 1000 liters of water in one cubic meter, it would also be correct to assume that the red numbers indicate liters of water consumed.

Having reached the testimony of 999, the red digits are reset to zero, and a unit is added to the fifth cell of the testimony of cubic meters.

The value of whole cubic meters of consumed water is shown in black numbers, which are located to the left of the decimal point. It is these readings that are taken into account in the calculation. Fractions of cubic meters, as is customary in mathematics, are right after the decimal point and are colored red (+)

Reading from different types of water meters

The issue of collecting data on water consumption from meters must be treated very responsibly and carefully, since the amount of charges for water consumption depends on the information presented to the supplier.

To correctly remove the information, it is necessary to understand well what readings are reflected on the front panel of the device.

When you first take water flow data from a new device, there is no need to perform any calculations. Subsequently, the difference in the readings at the moment with the previous values ​​should be taken into account.

The following are mainly used for water metering types of appliances:

• roller;
• with electronic scoreboard;
• smart meters.

On the front panel of the roller water meter, as a rule, eight (more often) or five windows with numbers are displayed. Electronic meters are less in demand because of their higher cost, with the same functionality as roller, and the absence of noticeable advantages.

The procedure for taking readings of the water meter is not of great complexity. And all that is needed is to carefully record the current value of the consumed volume of water displayed on the meter and, taking into account previous readings, perform an arithmetic operation

Option No. 1 - an eight-roller device

The fractional part of the readings of the device, with an indication of eight rollers, can be ignored or rounded according to the rules of mathematics. With a value of more than 499 liters - in a smaller direction, with numbers more than 500 liters - in a larger one.

In any case, rounding off the fractional part or ignoring it, the number of cubic meters supplied for payment will not change. In order not to get confused, you need to adhere to the chosen method for monthly data collection.

Taking as an example the readings presented in the figure, at the first data collection, it is possible to take 4 cubic meters for calculation, if you do not take into account the fractional value, or 5 cubic meters of water if you round off. In the next billing period, you can record 11 cubic meters, since rounding will not change this value

Option number 2 - five-roller flow meter

The front panel of some water meters is represented by combined indicators: digital (roller) and arrow. The digital scale also has five digits, which mean the whole part of cubic meters of water consumed.

The fractional part is made in the form of three dial scales showing the numerical order of magnitude of the consumed liters of water.

To obtain the corresponding data of the fractional part, it is necessary to multiply the displayed values ​​by the coefficients:

• hundreds of liters - by 0.1;
• tens of liters - by 0.01;
• units of liters - by 0.001;

Then add the obtained liter values.

The algorithm for removing and rounding data from combined devices does not differ from the above example with an eight-roller device.

The coefficients by which the readings of the dial indicators of the five-roller counters are multiplied are displayed above the scales, which makes it easier to work with them

Option number 3 - model with a digital display

One of the disadvantages of flow meters with a digital panel is the need to connect them to power.

Other significant differences from working with the above types of devices, water meters with digital electronic indication do not.

Using the example of a meter with an electronic display shown in the figure, it can be explained that in this case two options will be considered correct: take off the rounded values ​​equal to 25 cubic meters of water, or, ignoring the fractional value, write down the water flow equal to 24 cubic meters

Option number 4 - the use of smart meters

Developing technologies dictate the introduction of electronic innovations and the issue of removal and transmission of instrumentation data. A feature of the smart meter functionality is that the cubic meters removed by it are transmitted over the Internet.

The main functional value in these smart devices is the type of controller used. So, the most common of them is working in the most popular communication standard - Wi-Fi. The issue of installing a controller for a smart flowmeter does not require coordination.

Monitoring of accounting data on water consumption can be carried out using a computer or smartphone. Smart meters allow you to not only see readings online, but also to manage them, transfer the necessary information to a supplier or to a management company

Admission of testimony to a receipt

Having recorded the information from the flow meters, it is necessary to correctly and without errors enter it in the corresponding columns of the single payment document (UTP).

The receipt is filled in if data on the volume of consumed water is provided directly to the subscriber service of the supplier, to the management company or through special boxes designed for this purpose.

Data on the flow rate of water in the corresponding lines are entered in the root of the tear-off part of the EDP: hot - to the bottom line, cold - to the top.

In the column “date of taking evidence” the date of the month in which they are taken is indicated. And if the readings take place on the same day, then the date can be written larger in all lines

When using any method of taking data from water meters, it must be borne in mind that suppliers or service providers of a housing fund are required to periodically, at least 1 time in 6 months, monitor the correct transfer of data from flow meters and their status.

Responsibilities of residents include providing control and supervisory authorities, including emergency services, with the ability to check water meter readings at a pre-agreed time and give access to their metering devices

In order not to create difficulties when removing and transmitting the next flowmeter data, all accounting data for the past period, on the basis of which the calculations were made, must be recorded and stored.

Information Transfer Methods

The amount of water consumed must be reported to the company that provides water supply and sanitation services on a monthly basis. The specific date when the consumer needs to transfer information from the water meters to the supplier has not been established normatively.

It can be defined by the following conditions:

• a single requirement of the management company to collect all the information for the services provided;
• agreement of the consumer with the service provider;
• date of registration of water meters.

Most suppliers recommend that consumers share water consumption data during the second half of the month. For example, Muscovites are given the period from the 15th day of the current month to the 3rd day of the month following the reporting month for entering meter readings.

It must be remembered that in any case, this period has a strictly established time frame, and in order to be careful in relations with the managing organization, you must know and observe the data transfer period accurately.

It is important to take into account that information on water meters transmitted after the recommended period may not be accepted for calculating the current month, and charges will be carried forward to the next billing period

There are several options for transmitting information on flowmeters, and each consumer is free to decide how to submit it to the supplier.

Excluding walking at the cash centers and idle in lines, of course, are remote methods, the technologies of which are rapidly improving, providing people with time savings and greater comfort.

Method number 1 - by phone

One way to transmit consumption data is by phone.

It can be transmitted in two ways:

• a call to the phone number specified in the payment document;
• SMS message sending.

In a voice message, information can be received directly by the operator-dispatcher or a robot answering machine, which will control the actions for entering readings. The digital values ​​of the flow meters are entered using the telephone keypad.

In most large cities of Russia, a Mobile platform has been introduced to transmit water meter readings to a provider of water supply services via SMS messaging service

To send text messages, a special number is allocated, which you can find out from your service provider.

For Muscovites, this is a short number 7377. When using the SMS option for the first time, you must register in the system by sending the message “servicereg” in Russian or in Latin.

Then you need to register your individual payer code by sending SMS of the appropriate content, for example, “water kp 1098765432”.

The payer code, which is generated by the payment center or service provider to identify the payer, is indicated, as a rule, in the upper part of the receipt, on the right. For tenants, it also serves as a confirmation of the authenticity of the payment document

Features of work in the SMS service, phone numbers and code phrases, can be different both in the regions and in individual organizations. Please contact your service provider for instructions.

The mobile SMS messaging platform allows you to:

• receive information for the past billing period;
• delete incorrectly entered data;
• Receive reminders of the deadline.

To simplify the operations when transmitting information by SMS, there is a list of special code messages, which can also be requested at the service organization.

Using the mobile text messaging service, it should be borne in mind that a fee is charged for sending SMS according to the connected tariff plan.

In order for the SMS with the flow meter readings to be delivered to the destination and accepted for calculation, it is necessary to correctly display the actual water consumption in the message

Method number 2 - on the portal of public services

Currently, the platform of the State Services portal of the Russian Federation is developing rapidly. To be able to use a wide range of portal operations, you must register on the site: gosuslugi.ru.

Upon completion of registration, the system will request the input of personal passport data, and after checking their correctness, access to all portal options will be allowed.

By clicking on the service button, in the form that opens, you will need to enter the following information:

• payer code;
• address data, on some portals apartment number is enough;
• month for which information is transmitted;
• in the graphs corresponding to hot and cold water supply, by clicking on the “add” button, you need to fill in the current readings of the water meters.

After entering the data, be sure to save them.The correctness of the entry must be confirmed by the system.

To submit water meter readings, go to the catalog on the main page of the platform and select a service for receiving water flow readings. You can find this service through the site’s search bar.

In addition to the federal portal, there are regional and city local centers of electronic services. Obtaining access from these services for the transmission of data from metering devices is necessary not only during the initial treatment, but also if the transmission by meters has not been carried out for more than three months or when they are replaced with new ones.

The State Services portal allows you to transmit flowmeter readings both from a desktop computer and through the application on the phone, which can be downloaded via Google Play for smartphones on the Android platform, or through the App Store for iPhones.

Method number 3 - on the supplier’s website

Most suppliers give their customers the opportunity to enter readings and keep records of them remotely on their websites. To do this, you need to get a username and password at the company’s office, and then register on the site.

After registering and entering your personal account, you just need to carefully follow the recommendations of the system, which will help to enter and transmit instrument readings.

It is permissible to transmit meter readings without registering on the site, but some useful information and options that are presented in your account in this case will not be available

One of the convenience of working online through the sites of management companies and direct suppliers is that on these sites, as well as on the portal of the State Service, the registered user has access to the archive of previously entered testimonies.

This allows you to track and analyze the situation of water consumption, it is possible to change the number of devices, track the time of their calibration.

Method number 4 - boxes for collecting evidence

Data from flowmeters can be transferred by dropping the form with the information entered into it into a specially equipped box.

There are no special instructions for the implementation of this testimony, but it must be borne in mind that the information transmitted through the box will be taken into account only if the house is being serviced by the organization in whose box the form was dropped.

Boxes are installed in organizations providing water supply services, as well as in many housing and operational organizations, management companies and joint dispatch services

Correction of erroneously submitted data

No one is immune from mistakes, and situations when the information provided from water meters is not true happen quite often.

Online and SMS services for submitting information on the consumption of resources provide the ability to cancel the entered data, but there are certain time frames for this. In most cases, it is possible to correct information entered before the 20th day.

To correct the error transmitted after this date, 24 hours are allotted. In addition, online correction is allowed only for the current period.

There are no hopeless provisions, and you can solve the problem if you missed the deadline for making changes or testified incorrectly in other periods.

To change the water meter readings already taken into account by the supplier, it is necessary to report the error to the service company. The representative of the organization must arrive at the house and draw up a reconciliation certificate with the participation of the landlord, based on which the necessary changes will be made

Small discrepancies in the transmitted, for example, overestimated readings, can be aligned within a few months, by submitting the same as in the previous period, the data of the water meters.

On our site there are articles describing the procedure for calculating and transmitting readings from meters for various utilities, we recommend that you read:

1. House-wide heating meters: procedure and options for calculating heating
2. How to transmit electricity meter readings: an overview of the best ways to transmit data per light

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Removing information from water meters and recording them in the form of a single payment document:

Instructions for the submission of information from flow meters on the websites of the Public Service Centers at the place of residence, for example, Moscow, and what useful features this platform provides users:

Methods of transmitting water meter data. Through the websites of management companies, payment terminals and using the mobile application of the State Services portal:

Following these tips, observing punctuality in the issue of taking meter readings and correctly submitting them to calculations for water consumption will save you from unnecessary troubles, waste of time and additional financial costs for paying off debt on penalties.

Is there anything to supplement, or have questions about reading and transmitting readings from a water meter? You can leave comments on the publication and participate in discussions - the contact form is in the bottom block.