At the same time, the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) classifies the calorie as a unit of measurement “which should be withdrawn from use as soon as possible where it is currently used and which should not be introduced if it is not in use.” The first to use the term “calorie” was the Swedish physicist Johann Wilcke (1732-1796).
Definitions
The general approach to calorie definition is related to the specific heat capacity of water and is that a calorie is defined as the amount of heat required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius at standard atmospheric pressure 101 325 Pa. However, since the heat capacity of water depends on temperature, the size of the calorie determined in this way depends on the heating conditions. Due to the above and for historical reasons, three definitions of three different types of calories have arisen and exist.
- Calorie (international calorie) (Russian designation: cal; international: cal), 1 cal = 4.1868 J exactly.
- Thermochemical calorie (Russian designation: cal TH; international: cal th), 1 cal TH ≈ 4.1840 J.
- 15-degree calorie (Russian designation: cal 15; international: cal 15), 1 cal 15 ≈ 4.1855 J.
Previously, the calorie was widely used to measure energy, work, and heat; “caloric value” was the heat of combustion of fuel. Currently, despite the transition to the SI system, in thermal power engineering, heating systems, and public utilities, a multiple unit of measurement of the amount of thermal energy is often used - gigacalorie(Gcal) (10 9 calories). To measure thermal power, the derived unit Gcal/ (gigacalorie per hour) is used, which characterizes the amount of heat produced or used by this or that equipment per unit of time.
In addition, the calorie is used in estimating the energy value (“caloric content”) of foods. Usually the energy value is indicated in kilocalories(kcal).
They are also used to measure the amount of energy. megacalorie(1 Mcal = 10 6 cal) and tercalorie(1 Tcal = 10 12 cal).
Communication with other units
The standard international calorie used below is: 1 cal = 4.1868 J exactly.
- 1 J ≈ 0.2388458966 cal.
- 1 kWh ≈ 0.859845 Mcal.
- 1 Gcal = 1163 kWh exactly.
- 1 cal ≈ 2.6131950408·10 19 eV.
- 1 eV ≈ 3.8267331155·10 −20 cal.
- 1 British thermal unit (BTU) ≈ 252 cal.
- 1 kcal ≈ 3.968 BTU.
- 1 barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) ≈ 1.46 Gcal.
- 1 Gcal ≈ 0.684 BOE.
- 1 kiloton of TNT equivalent = 1 Tcal TX ≈ 1 Tcal.
Related units
Frigoria
A unit of cold measurement accepted in refrigeration technology, numerically equal to one kilocalorie, taken with the opposite sign. One frigoria is equal to minus one kilocalorie.
Thermia
A unit of heat, numerically equal to 10 6 calories.
British thermal unit
BTU (British Thermal Unit) is a unit used to measure heat energy in English-speaking countries. Its definition is methodologically close to that of a calorie, but relies on imperial units: 1 BTU is equal to the energy required to heat 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Kiloton TNT
To measure the energy release of explosive processes, TNT equivalent is used. Due to the almost exact, within percent, coincidence of the energy of explosive decomposition of 1 gram of TNT (trinitrotoluene, TNT) and 1 kilocalorie, it is conventionally accepted that 1 kiloton of TNT in energy terms corresponds to 1 thermochemical tercalorie.
Calorie content
The calorie content, or energy value of food, refers to the amount of energy that the body receives when it is fully absorbed. To determine full energy value of food, it is burned in a calorimeter and the heat released into the surrounding water bath is measured. Human energy consumption is measured in a similar way: in a sealed calorimeter chamber, the heat generated by a person is measured and converted into “burnt” calories - this way you can find out physiological energy value of food. In a similar way, you can determine the energy required to ensure the life and activity of any person. The table reflects the empirical results of these tests, from which the value of the products on their packaging is calculated. Artificial fats (margarines) and seafood fats have an efficiency of 4-8.5 kcal/g, so you can approximately find out their share in the total amount of fat.
Most of all, during the frosty winter months, all people look forward to the New Year, and least of all, heating bills. They are especially disliked by residents of apartment buildings, who themselves do not have the ability to control the amount of incoming heat, and often the bills for it turn out to be simply fantastic. In most cases, in such documents the unit of measurement is Gcal, which stands for “gigacalorie”. Let's find out what it is, how to calculate gigacalories and convert to other units.
What is a calorie?
Proponents of a healthy diet or those who closely monitor their weight are familiar with the concept of a calorie. This word means the amount of energy obtained as a result of the body processing the food eaten, which must be used, otherwise the person will begin to gain weight.
Paradoxically, the same value is used to measure the amount of thermal energy used to heat rooms.
As an abbreviation, this value is designated as “cal”, or in English cal.
In the metric system of measurements, the equivalent of a calorie is the joule. So, 1 cal = 4.2 J.
The importance of calories for human life
In addition to developing various weight loss diets, this unit is used to measure energy, work and heat. In this regard, such concepts as “calorie content” are common - that is, the heat of combustible fuel.
In most developed countries, when calculating heating, people no longer pay for the number of cubic meters of gas consumed (if it is gas), but precisely for its calorie content. In other words, the consumer pays for the quality of the fuel used: the higher it is, the less gas will have to be used for heating. This practice reduces the possibility of diluting the substance used with other, cheaper and lower calorie compounds.
What is a gigacalorie and how many calories are in it?
As is clear from the definition, the size of 1 calorie is small. For this reason, it is not used to calculate large quantities, especially in the energy sector. Instead, the concept of gigacalorie is used. This is a value equal to 10 9 calories, and it is written as the abbreviation “Gcal”. It turns out that there are one billion calories in one gigacalorie.
In addition to this value, a slightly smaller one is sometimes used - Kcal (kilocalorie). It holds 1000 cal. Thus, we can consider that one gigacalorie is a million kilocalories.
It's worth keeping in mind that sometimes a kilocalorie is written simply as "feces." Because of this, confusion arises, and some sources indicate that there are 1,000,000 calories in 1 Gcal, although in reality we are talking about 1,000,000 Kcal.
Hecacalorie and gigacalorie
In energy, in most cases the Gcal is used as a unit of measurement, but it is often confused with such a concept as “hecacalorie” (also known as hectocalorie).
In this regard, the abbreviation “Gcal” is interpreted by some people as “hecacalorie” or “hectocalorie”. However, this is wrong. In fact, the above-mentioned units of measurement do not exist, and their use in speech is the result of illiteracy, and nothing more.
Gigacalorie and gigacalorie/hour: what is the difference
In addition to the fictitious value in question, receipts sometimes contain an abbreviation such as “Gcal/hour.” What does it mean and how does it differ from the usual gigacalorie?
This unit of measurement shows how much energy was used in one hour.
While just a gigacalorie is a measurement of heat consumed over an indefinite period of time. It depends only on the consumer what time frame will be indicated in this category.
The abbreviation Gcal/m3 is much less common. It means how many gigacalories need to be used to heat one cubic meter of a substance.
Gigacalorie formula
Having considered the definition of the value being studied, it is worth finally finding out how to calculate how many gigacalories are used to heat a room during the heating season.
For especially lazy people on the Internet, there are a lot of online resources where specially programmed calculators are presented. All you have to do is enter your numerical data - and they themselves will calculate the number of gigacalories consumed.
However, it would be nice to be able to do this yourself. There are several formula options for this. The simplest and most understandable among them is the following:
Thermal energy (Gcal/hour) = (M 1 x (T 1 -T xv)) - (M 2 x (T 2 -T xv)) /1000, where:
- M 1 is the mass of the heat transfer substance that is supplied through the pipeline. Measured in tons.
- M 2 is the mass of the heat transfer substance returning through the pipeline.
- T 1 - coolant temperature in the supply pipeline, measured in Celsius.
- T 2 - temperature of the coolant returning back.
- Тхв - temperature of the cold source (water). Usually equal to five because this is the minimum temperature of the water in the pipeline.
Why do housing and communal services overestimate the amount of energy spent when paying for heating?
When making your own calculations, it is worth noting that housing and communal services slightly overestimate the standards for thermal energy consumption. The idea that they are trying to earn extra money from this is wrong. After all, the cost of 1 Gcal already includes maintenance, salaries, taxes, and additional profit. This “surcharge” is due to the fact that when hot liquid is transported through a pipeline in the cold season, it tends to cool down, that is, inevitable heat loss occurs.
In numbers it looks like this. According to regulations, the temperature of water in heating pipes must be at least +55 °C. And if we take into account that the minimum temperature of water in power systems is +5 °C, then it must be heated by 50 degrees. It turns out that 0.05 Gcal is used for each cubic meter. However, in order to compensate for heat loss, this coefficient is inflated to 0.059 Gcal.
Convert Gcal to kW/hour
Thermal energy can be measured in various units, but in official documentation from housing and communal services it is calculated in Gcal. Therefore, it is worth knowing how to convert other units to gigacalories.
The easiest way to do this is when the relationships between these quantities are known. For example, it is worth considering watts (W), in which the energy output of most boilers or heaters is measured.
Before considering the conversion to this Gcal value, it is worth remembering that, like a calorie, a watt is small. Therefore, kW (1 kilowatt equals 1000 watts) or mW (1 megawatt equals 1000,000 watts) are more often used.
In addition, it is important to remember that power is measured in W (kW, mW), but to calculate the amount of electricity consumed/produced, it is used. In this regard, it is not the conversion of gigacalories to kilowatts that is considered, but the conversion of Gcal to kW/h.
How to do this? In order not to suffer with formulas, it is worth remembering the “magic” number 1163. This is exactly how many kilowatts of energy must be spent in an hour to get one gigacalorie. In practice, when converting from one unit of measurement to another, you simply need to multiply the number of Gcal by 1163.
For example, let's convert into kW/hour 0.05 Gcal required to heat one cubic meter of water by 50 °C. It turns out: 0.05 x 1163 = 58.15 kW/hour. These calculations will especially help those who are thinking about changing gas heating to more environmentally friendly and economical electric heating.
If we are talking about huge volumes, we can convert it not into kilowatts, but into megawatts. In this case, you need to multiply not by 1163, but by 1.163, since 1 mW = 1000 kW. Or simply divide the result obtained in kilowatts by a thousand.
Conversion to Gcal
Sometimes it is necessary to carry out the reverse process, that is, to calculate how many Gcal are contained in one kW/hour.
When converting to gigacalories, the number of kilowatt-hours must be multiplied by another “magic” number - 0.00086.
The correctness of this can be verified by taking the data from the previous example.
So, it was calculated that 0.05 Gcal = 58.15 kW/hour. Now it’s worth taking this result and multiplying it by 0.00086: 58.15 x 0.00086 = 0.050009. Despite the slight difference, it almost completely coincides with the original data.
As in previous calculations, it is necessary to take into account the fact that when working with particularly large volumes of substances, it will be necessary to convert not kilowatts, but megawatts into gigacalories.
How is this done? In this case, again you need to take into account that 1 mW = 1000 kW. Based on this, the decimal point in the “magic” number is moved by three zeros, and voila, it turns out to be 0.86. It is by this that you need to multiply to make the translation.
By the way, a small discrepancy in the answers is due to the fact that the coefficient 0.86 is a rounded version of the number 0.859845. Of course, for more accurate calculations it is worth using it. However, if we are talking only about the amount of energy used to heat an apartment or house, it is better to simplify.
What is Gcal? Gcal is a gigacalorie, that is, a measurement unit in which thermal energy is calculated. You can calculate Gcal yourself, but first study some information about thermal energy. Let us consider in the article general information about calculations, as well as the formula for calculating Gcal.
What is Gcal?
A calorie is a certain amount of energy that is required to heat 1 gram of water to 1 degree. This condition is met under atmospheric pressure conditions. For thermal energy calculations, a larger value is used - Gcal. A gigacalorie corresponds to 1 billion calories. This value began to be used in 1995 in accordance with the document of the Ministry of Fuel and Energy.
In Russia, the average consumption per 1 sq.m. is 0.9342 Gcal per month. In each region, this value may change up or down depending on weather conditions.
What is a gigacalorie if it is converted into ordinary values?
- 1 Gigacalorie equals 1162.2 kilowatt-hours.
- In order to heat 1 thousand tons of water to a temperature of +1 degree, 1 gigacalorie will be required.
Gcal in apartment buildings
In apartment buildings, gigacalories are used in thermal calculations. If you know the exact amount of heat energy that remains in the house, you can calculate the bill for heating. For example, if a house does not have a communal or individual heating device installed, then you will have to pay for centralized heating based on the area of the heated room. If a heat meter is installed, then the wiring is horizontal, or serial, or collector. In this option, two risers are made in the apartment for the supply and return pipes, and the system inside the apartment is determined by the residents. Such schemes are used in new houses. That is why residents can independently regulate the consumption of thermal energy, making a choice between comfort and savings.
The adjustment is made as follows:
- Due to the throttling of heating batteries, the passage of the heating device is limited, therefore, the temperature in it decreases and the consumption of thermal energy decreases.
- Installation of a general thermostat on the return pipe. In this option, the flow rate of the working fluid is determined by the temperature in the apartment, and if it increases, then the flow rate decreases, and if it decreases, then the flow rate increases.
Gcal in private homes
If we talk about Gcal in a private house, then residents are primarily interested in the cost of heat energy for each type of fuel. Therefore, let’s look at some prices per 1 Gcal for various types of fuel:
- - 3300 rubles;
- Liquefied gas - 520 rubles;
- Coal - 550 rubles;
- Pellets - 1800 rubles;
- Diesel fuel - 3270 rubles;
- Electricity - 4300 rubles.
The price may vary depending on the region, and it is also worth considering that the cost of fuel increases periodically.
General information about Gcal calculations
To calculate Gcal, it is necessary to make special calculations, the procedure of which is established by special regulations. The calculation is carried out by utility services, which can explain to you the procedure for calculating Gcal, as well as decipher any unclear points.
If you have an individual device installed, you will be able to avoid any problems and overpayments. All you need to do is take the readings from the meter every month and multiply the resulting number by the tariff. The amount received must be paid for the use of heating.
Heat meters
- The temperature of the liquid at the inlet and outlet of a certain section of the pipeline.
- The flow rate of liquid that moves through heating devices.
Consumption can be determined using heat meters. Heat meters can be of two types:
- Vane counters. Such devices are used to measure thermal energy, as well as hot water consumption. The difference between such meters and devices for metering cold water is the material from which the impeller is made. In such devices it is most resistant to high temperatures. The operating principle is similar for the two devices:
- The rotation of the impeller is transmitted to the metering device;
- The impeller begins to rotate due to the movement of the working fluid;
- The transfer is carried out without direct interaction, but with the help of a permanent magnet.
Such devices have a simple design, but their response threshold is low. They also have reliable protection against reading distortion. Using an antimagnetic screen, the impeller is prevented from braking by the external magnetic field.
- Devices with a difference recorder. Such meters operate according to Bernoulli's law, which states that the speed of a liquid or gas flow is inversely proportional to its static motion. If the pressure is recorded by two sensors, the flow can be easily determined in real time. The counter involves electronics in the design. Almost all models provide information on the flow and temperature of the working fluid, and also determine the consumption of thermal energy. You can configure the work manually using a PC. You can connect the device to a PC via a port.
Many residents are wondering how to calculate the amount of Gcal for heating in an open heating system in which hot water can be selected. Pressure sensors are installed on the return and supply pipes at the same time. The difference in the flow rate of the working fluid will show the amount of warm water that was spent for domestic needs.
Formula for calculating Gcal for heating
If you do not have an individual device, then you need to use the following formula for calculating heat for heating: Q = V * (T1 - T2) / 1000, where:
- Q is the total amount of heat energy.
- V is the volume of hot water consumption. Measured in tons or cubic meters.
- T1 is the hot water temperature, which is measured in degrees Celsius. In such a calculation, it is better to take into account the temperature that will be characteristic of a specific operating pressure. This indicator is called enthalpy. If there is no necessary sensor, then take the temperature that will be similar to the enthalpy. Typically, the average temperature is between 60-65 degrees Celsius.
- T2 is the cold water temperature, measured in degrees Celsius. As you know, getting to a pipeline with cold water is not easy, so such values are determined by constant values. They, in turn, depend on the climatic conditions outside the house. For example, in the cold season, this value can be 5 degrees, and in warm times, when there is no heating, it can reach 15 degrees.
- 1000 is a factor that gives the answer in gigacalories. This value will be more accurate than regular calories.
In a closed heating system, gigacalories are calculated in a different form. In order to calculate Gcal in a closed heating system, you must use the following formula: Q = ((V1 * (T1 - T)) - (V2 * (T2 - T))) / 1000, where:
- Q is the previous volume of thermal energy;
- V1 is the heat carrier flow rate parameter in the supply pipe. The heat source can be water vapor or ordinary water.
- V2 - volume of water flow in the outlet pipe;
- T1 - temperature in the coolant supply pipe;
- T2 - temperature at the pipe outlet;
- T - cold water temperature.
Calculation of thermal energy for heating using this formula depends on two parameters: the first shows the heat that enters the system, and the second shows the heat parameter when the coolant is removed through the return pipe.
Other methods for calculating Gcal for heating
- Q = ((V1 * (T1 - T2)) + (V1 - V2) * (T2 - T)) / 1000.
- Q = ((V2 * (T1 - T2)) + (V1 - V2) * (T1 - T)) / 1000.
All values in these formulas are the same as in the previous formula. Based on the above calculations, we can conclude that you can calculate Gcal for heating yourself. But you should seek advice from special companies that are responsible for supplying heat to the house, since their work and calculation system may differ from these formulas and consist of a different set of measures.
If you decide to make a “Warm Floor” system in your private home, then the principle of heating calculation will be completely different. The calculation will be much more complicated, since it is necessary to take into account not only the features of the heating circuit, but also the values of the electrical network from which the floor is heated. The companies that are responsible for monitoring the installation of heated floors will be different.
Many residents have difficulty converting kilocalories to kilowatts. This is due to many manuals of measuring units in the international system, which is called “C”. When converting kilocalories to kilowatts, the coefficient 850 should be used. That is, 1 kW equals 850 kcal. This calculation is much simpler than others, since it is not difficult to find out the required volume of gigacalories. 1 gigacalorie = 1 million calories.
During the calculation, it should be remembered that any modern devices have a small error. Mostly they are acceptable. But you need to calculate the error yourself. For example, this can be done using the following formula: R = (V1 - V2) / (V1+V2) * 100, where:
- R is the error of a common house heating device.
- V1 and V2 are the previously indicated water flow parameters in the system.
- 100 is a coefficient that is responsible for converting the resulting value into a percentage.
In accordance with operational standards, the maximum error that can be is 2%. Basically, this figure does not exceed 1%.
Results of calculations of Gcal for heating
If you have correctly calculated the consumption of Gcal of thermal energy, then you do not have to worry about overpayments for utilities. If we use the above formulas, we can conclude that when heating a residential building with an area of up to 200 sq.m. you will need to spend about 3 Gcal in 1 month. If we consider that the heating season in many regions of the country lasts approximately 6 months, then we can calculate the approximate consumption of thermal energy. To do this, multiply 3 Gcal by 6 months and get 18 Gcal.
Based on the information indicated above, we can conclude that all calculations for thermal energy consumption in a particular house can be done independently without the help of special organizations. But it is worth remembering that all data must be calculated accurately using special mathematical formulas. In addition, all procedures must be coordinated with special bodies that control such actions. If you are not sure that you will perform the calculation yourself, then you can use the services of professional specialists who are engaged in such work and have materials available that describe in detail the entire process and photos of heating system samples, as well as their connection diagrams.
All three types of calories are approved for use as non-systemic units without a time limit with the scope of application “industry”. At the same time, the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) classifies the calorie as a unit of measurement “which should be withdrawn from use as soon as possible where it is currently used and which should not be introduced if it is not in use.” The first to use the term “calorie” was the Swedish physicist Johann Wilcke (1732-1796).
Definitions [ | ]
The general approach to calorie definition is related to the specific heat capacity of water and is that a calorie is defined as the amount of heat required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius at standard atmospheric pressure 101 325 Pa. However, since the heat capacity of water depends on temperature, the size of the calorie determined in this way depends on the heating conditions. Due to the above and for historical reasons, three definitions of three different types of calories have arisen and exist.
Previously, the calorie was widely used to measure energy, work, and heat; “caloric value” was the heat of combustion of fuel. Currently, despite the transition to the SI system, in thermal power engineering, heating systems, and public utilities, a multiple unit of measurement of the amount of thermal energy is often used - gigacalorie(Gcal) (10 9 calories). To measure thermal power, the derived unit Gcal/ (gigacalorie per hour) is used, which characterizes the amount of heat produced or used by this or that equipment per unit of time.
In addition, the calorie is used in estimating the energy value (“caloric content”) of foods. Usually the energy value is indicated in kilocalories(kcal).
They are also used to measure the amount of energy. megacalorie(1 Mcal = 10 6 cal) and tercalorie(1 Tcal = 10 12 cal).
Communication with other units[ | ]
The standard international calorie used below is: 1 cal = 4.1868 J exactly.
Related units[ | ]
Frigoria [ | ]
A unit of cold measurement accepted in refrigeration technology, numerically equal to one kilocalorie, taken with the opposite sign. One frigoria is equal to minus one kilocalorie.
Thermia [ | ]
A unit of heat, numerically equal to 10 6 calories.
British thermal unit[ | ]
BTU (British Thermal Unit) is a unit used to measure heat energy in English-speaking countries. Its definition is methodologically close to that of a calorie, but relies on imperial units: 1 BTU is equal to the energy required to heat 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Kiloton TNT [ | ]
To measure the energy release of explosive processes, TNT equivalent is used. Due to the almost exact, within percent, coincidence of the energy of explosive decomposition of 1 gram of TNT (trinitrotoluene, TNT) and 1 kilocalorie, it is conventionally accepted that 1 kiloton of TNT in energy terms corresponds to 1 thermochemical tercalorie.
Calorie content [ | ]
The calorie content, or energy value of food, refers to the amount of energy that the body receives when it is fully absorbed. To determine full energy value of food, it is burned in a calorimeter and the heat released into the surrounding water bath is measured. Human energy consumption is measured in a similar way: in a sealed calorimeter chamber, the heat generated by a person is measured and converted into “burnt” calories - this way you can find out physiological energy value of food. In a similar way, you can determine the energy required to ensure the life and activity of any person. The table reflects the empirical results of these tests, from which the value of the products on their packaging is calculated. Artificial fats (margarines) and seafood fats have an efficiency of 4-8.5 kcal/g, so you can approximately find out their share in the total amount of fat.
At the end of last year, new tariffs for thermal energy were adopted for each region of Russia, which came into force on the first day of January 2016. A new price regulation at which citizens pay for heat consumption starting this year was made in June, taking into account the type of connection to the heat network. The calculation of the average cost (in 2017) for each square meter of room area is as follows:
- From January to April: 0.36 Gcal/m2 x 990.50 rubles/Gcal = 36.25 rubles/m2.
- In October: 0.03 Gcal/m2 x 1170.60 rubles/Gcal = 37.7 rubles/m2.
- From November to December: 0.036 Gcal/m2 x 1170.60 rubles/Gcal = 42.8 rubles/m2.
Price regulation was carried out depending on the characteristics of the region. There is no one clearly fixed price for paying for consumed thermal energy. Among the main factors influencing the cost of heat are:
- readings of metering devices for consumed thermal energy;
- taking into account the actual ambient temperature of a given region.
Heat prices set this year are fixed until December 31, 2017. It is difficult to say what the tariffs will be from January 1, 2019; as of January of this year, there has been no increase in prices. However, so far no one has talked about reducing prices. There is a possibility that from July this year, heat tariffs will increase by 8.5%. To avoid a sharp jump next year, they decided to increase tariffs starting in 2016. Thus, price increases occur more slowly, in several stages.
Heat prices in the Moscow region
As an example, let's look at single-rate tariffs in the Moscow region. Here, from January to the end of June, 1 Gcal cost 1,428 rubles. And from the first of July the price increased. Now 1 Gcal of thermal energy costs 1,534 rubles.
In the Moscow region, tariffs for energy transmission services for space heating have increased. From January 2016 to the end of June, 1 Gcal cost 172 rubles. Now, starting from the first day of July, you need to pay 175 rubles for one Gcal. The REC does not include VAT in the indicated amounts. When invoicing citizens, value added tax is charged in excess of certain tariffs.
The cost of hot water supply in the Moscow region is now 151 rubles 35 kopecks for homeowners using MOEK metering devices, instead of 135 rubles per 1 cubic meter. And those who have installed Mosenergo meters since July 2016 must pay 120 rubles for each cubic meter, instead of 108.
Tariffs this year were increased not only for thermal energy, but also for electricity, cold water supply, and gas. However, the largest percentage increase in prices is for heating and hot water. Since July 1, heating tariffs have increased by 13%, and the cost of hot water supply has increased by 11.5%.
What is included in the cost of heat tariffs
The cost of thermal energy varies even within the same region. You can also observe the following situations: residents of houses at the beginning of the street pay twice as much for heating as residents of houses located at the end of the same street. This is due, first of all, to the fact that the pipeline system consists of certain sections. These areas are owned by different companies.
Prices are set by each company, depending on the degree of wear and general condition of the pipes. So, if the pipes in a particular section are old, and the owner observes a high level of heat loss, he can submit a request to the Regional Energy Commission to increase tariffs for certain houses that correspond to this section of the pipeline. Thus, both the owner and government agencies remain profitable.
It turns out that in reality, prices for heating and hot water supply involve payment not only for the consumed heat and hot water. In addition, residents of houses pay for repairs and maintenance work that must be carried out on the pipeline system. This, in turn, requires costs for equipment, wages for workers, and so on. That is, the final value of tariffs for thermal energy largely depends on the condition of the pipes. You can check this yourself if you know how much 1 Gcal of thermal energy costs in the region.