Winter tariff: how the payment for heating will change from March 1, 2025

Residents of Russia from March 1 will pay for heating only in those months when it is supplied to apartments. This was announced on Monday, February 10, by Alexander Yakubovsky, a member of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Utilities. Regions that have already switched to the new system, will not be able to return to the uniform accrual of payment during the year, recalls "Parliamentary newspaper". Accordingly, the payment in the winter months will become more. More about the changes - in the material "Izvestia".

The order of payment for heating from March 1, 2025

From March 1, payment for heating in apartments will be introduced only in the months of its actual supply. The innovation will help to increase the transparency of payment for services. Thus, a ban on dividing the payment amount evenly for the whole year is introduced.

Member of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing Alexander Yakubovsky in a conversation with "RIA Novosti" said that when paying for heating only for those months when it is supplied, the owner will be able to understand whether the amount of payment corresponds to the meter readings.

Regions that have already switched to even payment will keep this option and will not be able to return to the old system, when the payment was distributed over 12 months.

"To increase the transparency of payment for heating services by apartment owners from March 1, 2025 will be a ban on the transition of regions to this form of payment, when the payment was split evenly throughout the year and, in fact, led to situations where many owners have a question about what they are paying for," Yakubovsky shared.

Now the amount of payment for heating in the fall and winter period will be much higher than in case of even payments.

How they pay for heating in Russia

Payment for utilities takes a significant place in the expenses of each family. The largest share among them is heating, because its cost includes not only energy consumption, but also the cost of maintenance and renewal of heating networks, wear and tear of equipment, as well as ensuring uninterrupted operation of CHP, which distributes heat to residential buildings.

In most cases, water is used as a heat carrier with the addition of special additives to prevent the formation of deposits in the system. Natural gas, coal or peat are most often used to heat water.

At the moment, there are two main ways of paying for utilities in apartment buildings in Russia. Most regions of the Russian Federation pay for heating during the period of its supply according to actual meter readings.

In the remaining subjects of the country there is a system according to which the heating payment is divided in equal shares during the year. The basis for the figures is the total meter readings for the previous year.

Amendments from March 1, 2025 will establish a ban on deciding to pay for heating evenly throughout the year. Thus, if the authorities of the region switch to seasonal payment, it will be impossible to return to the uniform one.

Payment for heating in Moscow in 2025

Since January 1, 2024, the payment for heating in Moscow began to be calculated on the average monthly consumption for the previous five years. And overpayment - to divide by 12 months and include in the receipts by shares.

In most of Moscow's apartment buildings, the heating payment is calculated according to communal heat meters. For this purpose, the meter readings for the previous 5 years are used, or for the actual time of operation of the device.

From the data obtained, the consumption for non-residential premises is subtracted, and the difference is divided by the area of residential premises, multiplying the current tariff by the total area of the owner's apartment.

At the beginning of each year, the management company compares the resulting average figure with the actual heat consumption. As a result, the amount is subject to recalculation in one or another direction.