The expert stated the impact of the new GOST on payments for housing and communal services

The state standard (GOST) for heating systems for apartment buildings provides for equipping residential premises with weather-dependent automation systems. Such solutions allow you to automatically adjust the temperature of the coolant supply depending on external conditions, eliminating overheating in warm weather and providing more accurate accounting of heat consumption in each apartment. This was announced to Izvestia on April 23 by Valery Tumin, Director of the Russian and CIS Markets at Pham Properties.

According to him, in the short term, housing and communal services costs will continue to grow. Since January 2026, tariffs have already been indexed by 1.7% due to changes in the VAT rate, and an additional increase in the range of 8 to 22% is expected in the fall, depending on the region. At the same time, the introduction of new equipment, according to him, primarily falls on developers and management companies and is considered as an investment in infrastructure, rather than as a direct burden on residents.

"In homes where an automated ITP is installed during the construction phase, there are no additional capital costs for residents," he stressed.

In the long term, the effect of technology implementation may be much more noticeable. According to the expert, the transition from outdated elevator units to modern automated systems can reduce heat consumption by 20-30%, and in some cases — up to 40%.

In the pipe position: the wear of heating systems in a number of Russian cities has reached 70%

What risks does this pose and is it possible to change the accident situation?

So, for a house with an area of about 12 thousand square meters, this may mean a reduction in heat consumption from 2000 to 1200 Gcal per year, which is equivalent to savings of about 1.4 million rubles annually. For a family in a standard three-room apartment, this can result in a reduction in heating costs by 3-5 thousand rubles per season.

Separately, Tumin noted the problem of the current heat distribution system. Today, residents who have reduced their consumption by warming apartments or adjusting radiators often pay the "average for the house" anyway, actually compensating for the losses of other apartments. According to him, the introduction of the new GOST and apartment-by-apartment heat metering will eliminate this bias and make charges more equitable.

On the same day, Rosstandart informed RIA Novosti that GOST for heating systems for apartment buildings had entered into force in Russia. In particular, the requirements for the equipment by which apartments are connected to the central heating system with automatic control are defined.

Vladimir Koshelev, First deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Communal Services, from the Liberal Democratic Party, said on March 11 that in the coming months utility bills for Russians who pay for heating using individual or communal metering devices, as well as standards during the heating season, will decrease due to warming. Since March 1, 2025, payment has been fixed as a priority payment method only during the heating season, based on actual consumption, which will make the payment system more transparent and understandable for consumers.