Incorrect meter readings - what to do if you indicated the meters incorrectly

Water flow metering devices are installed in apartments of multi-storey buildings. And also in private residential buildings. Water meters are capable of keeping records of cold and hot water; the owner of the property must provide the information received in a timely manner to the appropriate organization. Each apartment resident needs to know how to take water meter readings, as well as what numbers fit into the payment slip and where the results are submitted. If you read the information provided, this process will take a few minutes.

What do the numbers on the meter mean?

A water meter is a complex structure, the components of which are designed to measure the consumption of water consumed by apartment residents. Externally, it looks like a small round device protected by an antimagnetic screen. There is a digital panel on the front - a mechanism that keeps track of the resource. Some dials can rotate 360 degrees, while other meters have additional remote reading capabilities.

To provide correct hot and cold water readings, it is recommended to take a closer look at all the numbers on the device screen:

The main display is divided into several parts: the first four black digits, up to the decimal point, tell you about the water consumption in the apartment in cubic meters. The next three digits, after the decimal point, are highlighted in red - they indicate water consumption in liters. In some models of water meters, instead of three red numbers, there is an additional small round dial where the flow rate is indicated in liters.
Technological circular scale of water flow - a small round dial is located in the lower right corner of the meter. It tells you how much water is supplied to the system at the moment.
Water consumption in liters can be represented by three dials at once in different models. They are used to calculate hundreds, tens and units of liters.
There are several more numbers above the top digital display; they remain unchanged. This is the index or serial number of the meter - it is entered in the passport, and is also indicated in the relevant acts when the water meter is replaced or repaired.

Some water meter models may have more characters after the decimal point, but this indicator is not decisive. Different meters must be installed for cold and hot water, therefore, the readings will differ. If the apartment has a gas water heater or boiler, then you will need only one meter - for cold water.

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What numbers from the meters need to be transmitted?

Before transferring water meter readings to the portal, you need to write them down from the water meter measuring devices. To do this, they arm themselves with a pen and a notepad purposefully set up for this purpose.

Any housing is equipped with two meters: hot and cold water. It is customary that a red water meter is installed on a hot water system, and a blue or black one on a cold water system. However, a number of manufacturers produce universal meters that are painted in one color.

Here you will have to resort to a tactile method of identifying a particular line, for which you just need to touch the pipelines on which the devices are mounted.

If there is a failure here, for example, the hot water supply is turned off and both pipes are equally icy, you need to turn the blue-marked valve on the mixer counterclockwise and see on which of the water meters the control sprocket in the center of the counting device will rotate. This device shows the amount of cold water consumption. The second, accordingly, controls hot water.

The notepad indicates the date of recording the amount of water consumed and its value in cubic meters, which is taken from the first five black windows. You can add one to this value if the value in the red windows exceeds five hundred liters.

What numbers do we need to enter into the payment slip?

At the end of each month, citizens must pay utility bills for the use of natural resources. Water is no exception, so before contacting the relevant authorities for payment, you need to understand what numbers to enter on the payment receipt. The document must indicate only the first five digits from the water meter - they are often painted black, so there will be no confusion. These numbers show the water consumption in the apartment at the moment. If the counter was installed recently, the first few digits will be zeros.

Advice! Many people wonder why you shouldn’t indicate the last red digits on your payment slip? This should not be done because these indicators indicate the current water consumption at a certain moment.

Depending on the type of payment receipt, the apartment owner must fill out the appropriate lines. Often, notices or payment books have several fields for entering testimony. There is a small table where the user must enter the current readings and previous ones, based on which they can make a calculation and write down the resulting number - it will tell you how many cubic meters of water were used over a certain period.

Error resolution methods

To substantiate the difference in actual consumption data and information from the receipt, duplicate the information for yourself before submitting. By comparing these indicators, discrepancies can quickly be identified.

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The transmitted data is greater than the actual data

Popular situations:

A citizen mistakenly dictated the wrong meter data for electricity or other housing and communal services. Until the 25th day of the current month, he can re-submit information to the accounting department of the sales organization.
The information from the receipt about the consumption of electricity, gas or water exceeds what the citizen submitted to calculate the payment for the month. The resident must contact the organization that issued the bill. The company will check and adjust the amount of payments. As a rule, the numbers are corrected for the next period.
After the expiration of water meters, payments are calculated according to the standard. If a citizen’s monthly water consumption is small, then the new amounts will exceed his previous payments. Such accrual is provided for by law and cannot be challenged. The tenant must install a new appliance and inform the service company. After this, the calculations will again use the information he provides.

When the discrepancy is small, you don’t have to wait for the results of the recalculation and pay for housing and communal services according to the original receipt.

The overpaid money will be deducted from the next month's readings, and the total amount will decrease. You will have to take the initiative if the error persists.

Data is less than actual

What to do if the information in the payment document is less than what was transmitted:

Contact an employee of the management or sales company for clarification.
Pay for housing and communal services using a current account. Next month, after recalculation based on new data, the amount will increase.

Example of reading

Before filling out a water receipt yourself, it is important to make sure the information received is correct. You only need to use the numbers highlighted in black for recording - there will be five of them, so the payment slip has a special line with delimiters for them. Depending on the type of device - roller, electronic or smart meter, the procedure will vary.

The sample will help you carry out the procedure correctly:

On the eight-roller counter, you must indicate a whole part of the black numbers. If the red numbers have a value less than 499 liters, then they are rounded down, but if the figure exceeds the 500 liter mark, then they must be rounded up.
If in the first billing period rounding up was done, then next time this is not done, because the unused cubic meters will already be paid for.
Often, rounding liters or cubic meters does not have much significance - it only creates convenience when providing readings.

Having taken the readings on a separate sheet, they are entered into the payment slip. To make an entry, you need to open the required page, if it is a paybook, or take a notice. In the “Current readings” column, you need to enter the corresponding results, and for the “Previous readings” column, turn to the previous billing period and write down the numbers. For cold and hot water, separate lines must be allocated in the notice, each of which is numbered with the corresponding meter index.

By subtracting the previous values from the current readings, the water consumption for the period is obtained. It is also entered in the appropriate column. By multiplying the amount of water consumed by the tariff figure, the amount to be paid is obtained. This example will help you cope with self-presentation of information.

Actions to take if a difference in readings is detected

You can contact the management or sales company for clarification without an application. Approach the accounting department with a receipt for the latest payments and fresh instrument readings. If the error is technical, the employees will record the correct data and fix the problem.

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An application addressed to the director of the company will be needed if the economic department does not agree with the arguments of the apartment owner, for example, considers his testimony to be underestimated.

When applying, please explain the reason for the discrepancy with the information on the receipt. A counter will be appointed to confirm that one of the parties is right.

How to correctly take readings from a water meter with an electronic dial

Electronic water meters are practically no different from the mechanical design, but they are dependent on electricity. The display in such devices is represented by a small LCD display, where the consumed water is counted.

There are 5 digits on the screen: the first two digits represent the whole part of the readings, the remaining three digits represent the fractional part of the readings in liters. Both parts are separated by a dot, so there will be no problems when reading information.

Important! Some users round the number to the desired result on electronic meters. For example, if the display shows 24.567 cubic meters, then it is advisable to round the value to 25 cubic meters and enter it into the payment receipt. If you indicate the entire series of numbers in the payment slip, then over time confusion may arise.

How to submit testimony

According to the law, apartment owners must install water meters to measure water consumption. If this is not done, the management company will calculate the amount based on the average indicators for each resident of the apartment. Submit values to the appropriate service in several ways - in writing or via the Internet. Compliance with the deadlines for the transfer of testimony is a determining factor in the preparation of the final amount: if the owner is late with payment, then a penalty will be imposed on him.

In writing

This option is considered the most common and is still relevant. Many apartment owners do not know how to use computers and do not have the ability to access the World Wide Web, so written submission of data remains in demand.

To indicate the amount of resource consumption for a certain payment period, a tear-off notice is used. In some cities of the country there is a certain system:

the subscriber brings a tear-off sheet with the indicated values to the management company or cash center;
A special container is placed on the territory of the organization, into which you must place a sheet of notes.

In apartment buildings, the system is simpler: the management company places a small mailbox on the ground floor in the entrance. Once a month, before a certain date, you need to drop a sheet with readings of water consumption in the apartment into it. Each sheet must indicate the apartment number and address of the subscriber.

On the Internet

Recently, apartment owners can register an account on the website of the management organization or settlement center. To do this, just enter your personal account as a subscriber for metering water consumption, as well as your phone number - a code will be sent to it confirming login to your account.

For reference! When submitting readings via the Internet, it will be more convenient for the management company to count all the numbers, because every manipulation of overspending or underpayment will be displayed in the user’s Personal Account.

Every month the user must log into the subscriber’s Personal Account and enter reliable data on water consumption. For this, several columns are often provided: one is responsible for the current values, the second for previous readings. There is no need to enter the previous numbers, as they appear automatically.

After introduction, the system automatically calculates the amount of resource consumed in cubic meters and shows how much the owner needs to pay. Payment is made online if the management company’s website allows it.

Transfer deadlines

Each city and region of the country has its own periods for submitting testimony. Often these dates range from the 25th to the 31st of each month. It is at this time that it is easier for the management company to make calculations and enter information into the program. Some organizations recommend submitting testimony early in the month. Most enterprises insist on timely payment of water costs, since over time the subscriber will be charged interest for failure to pay on time.

If all apartment residents submit information at the same time, the difference between the individual water consumption in the apartment and the general house consumption will decrease. That is why many management companies indicate on special containers the exact deadlines for submitting a sheet with records and apartment number. In addition, on the payment slips themselves there is often an entry asking for information to be submitted no later than a certain date.

Recommendations for recording readings

There is no single sample receipt in the country that can be used to correctly enter water meter readings. In certain regions and cities, these documents may differ, so minor errors may occur when filling out. To prevent this, it is recommended to consider the following tips:

Readings from the hot water meter must be entered only in the corresponding column marked “DHW”; the same thing happens with information about cold water - they are entered in the column marked “CW”.
When entering data, it is important to check the number index of the meter - it is indicated on the device itself at the bottom. The corresponding line contains information from this particular counter.
It is necessary to write down only the first five digits, but if the user writes all 8 digits, then nothing bad will happen. Often, the accounting department can easily navigate and enter only the necessary numbers.

It is important to comply with the timing of verification of metering devices, since after the expiration of this period, readings cannot be submitted: an inspector must visit the apartment and re-seal the meter, checking it for serviceability.

Submit water meter readings

Previously, in order to enter water meter readings, you had to go to the savings bank or post office and stand in long lines. After all, everyone wanted to pay for services by a certain date, so by the end of the month there were long queues at service organizations, in which everyone could hear a lot.

You can delete readings only until the 20th day of the month corresponding to the error. Or within 24 hours after entering incorrect data after the 20th. If you missed these deadlines and did not have time to correct the erroneous data, then contact the Public Services Center in your area.
It also happens that the user entered readings for subsequent periods. You can remove them sequentially. First delete the most distant periods, then delete data for the current period.

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How does a water meter with remote reading work?

One of the interesting models of water meters is a meter with remote readings. It works on the following principle:

the simplest devices in their design contain a reed sensor and a magnet;
during each passage past the sensor, a low-current pulse appears, which records a certain flow rate;
to receive pulses there is a special module that converts the data into a form convenient for reading and transmission.

Such a meter eliminates the problem of unreliable readings, but does not eliminate their submission and recording in the receipt. Improved devices transmit information directly to the Internet - to a centralized resource cost accounting system.