Two-tariff meter, device, principle of operation, time of night and day tariff, how payment is made, how much you can save

With the increase in the cost of electricity and the increase in the number of electrical appliances in an apartment (house), the issue of replacing a single-tariff meter with a more modern two-tariff meter is relevant.

The essence of the device is to divide the time of day into two stages – night and day. For each of the periods there is an individual tariff.

On what principle do two-tariff meters work? What are their advantages and disadvantages? Is it possible to save money by installing such devices? These and other questions will be discussed below.

What is a multi-tariff accounting system?

The amount of energy consumed depends on the time of day, which forces power engineers to divide the day into several zones:

• NIGHT. It starts at 23.00 and ends at 7.00 in the morning. Its peculiarity lies in the most favorable tariff.
• MORNING (PEAK). This zone starts at 7.00 and lasts until 9.00. After rest, people wake up and prepare to go to work. They include a lot of electrical appliances, which leads to a sharp increase in load. In addition, during this period, the working day begins in companies and enterprises.
• DAY (SEMI-PEAK). This period covers a larger range from 10.00 am to 17.00 pm. The “lion’s” part of the people at work, so the load is approximately leveled. The largest consumption remains with companies, firms and organizations.
• EVENING (PEAK). In the period from 17.00 to 21.00, the second phase of the greatest load takes place, when people return from work and turn on different load sources, namely washing machines, electric kettles, air conditioners, PCs and other household appliances.
• EVENING (SELF-PEAK). This zone is limited to two hours from 21.00 to 23.00. The period is special with a gradual decrease in the load as people go to sleep.

A multi-tariff meter is a special device for electricity metering that controls each of the mentioned periods. Thanks to this mode, the network is unloaded during peak hours due to the transfer of part of the power to night time or weekends.

The use of differential accounting allows you to reduce costs, which is especially important for enterprises with a round-the-clock work cycle or with short interruptions in the work of consumers.

The purchase of a multi-tariff meter is considered a profitable investment for manufacturers of various products. With this approach, it is possible to reduce the cost of goods and thereby increase profits.

For the effective use of such devices, it is important to understand the intricacies of the operation of such meters and determine the relevance of their use.

As for apartments and houses, there are enough metering devices designed to work with two tariffs.

What is a two-tariff meter, the principle of operation

The essence of the two-rate metering device is simple. Unlike a standard meter, it controls consumption in two zones – day (from 7.00 to 23.00) and night (from 23.00 to 7.00), which allows you to split the payment for electricity.

In the first case, the standard tariff applies, and at night it is much lower. If you plan to use powerful consumers at night, the use of a two-tariff meter is the way to save money.

The relevance of the transition to such devices is easy to explain. It is important for power plants and substations that the load on the equipment is uniform throughout the day. In practice, in the morning, afternoon and evening hours it is higher than at night. As a result, the equipment works at the limit of its capabilities and fails faster.

The massive use of two-tariff meters allows you to equalize the load, that is, transfer part of the load from peak hours to night time. As a result, fuel consumption is reduced and the service life of equipment in power plants is increased.

Wave load

If we consider the consumption of electricity at the “lower level”, the graph looks like a sinusoid. For example, in a house with a large number of apartments, people rest at night, and a small part of electrical appliances (refrigerator, PC, night light and other devices) are in operation.

Between 7 am and 10 am, the situation changes and the load curve goes up sharply. People get out of bed and start collecting children for school, getting ready for work and other tasks. As a result, many electrical appliances turn on, starting with a TV, ending with an electric kettle and a boiler.

Then the residents go to work, and the load situation normalizes – the curve goes down again and stays there until the evening, when people return from work and start doing household chores – they bathe, watch TV, heat food in the microwave, cook in the oven, and so on. Further. As a result, the consumed current rises again and reaches peak values.

The maximum load takes place until 10-11 pm, after which people gradually go to sleep, and the cycle repeats. It’s time for another overnight low. To avoid the fluctuations discussed above, two-tariff meters are being introduced. Their feature is load control in only two zones, namely at night and during the day.

Reducing tariffs at night and increasing them during the day encourages people to switch to new metering devices. As a result, both parties win.

The consumer saves electricity and receives payments with smaller amounts, and the electricity supplier unloads substations and power plants, thereby extending the life of expensive equipment. It also reduces the risk of network failures due to peak loads.

A person who has installed a two-tariff meter can turn on the machine, boiler and boiler at night, when the electricity tariff is lower, and turn them off in the morning.

Night and day time

We have already considered this issue above, but we will reveal it in more detail.

Fixing a price for a certain zone helps with the following tasks:

• Reduced load during peak hours;
• Reducing energy consumption;
• Protection of the house electrical network from damage or operation of protective equipment.

Many people have been in a situation where, due to the inclusion of a large number of receivers in the electrical panel, the machine knocks out. The reason is an excessive load that exceeds the permissible level. For this reason, the input to the house or even the switch at the substation can be turned off.

The transition to the night tariff is relevant for rural residents, who will be able to turn on the heating of the house, greenhouse, and other premises only at night. As a result, heating costs are reduced by 30-40%, and sometimes more.

As noted, the two-tariff meter operates in two zones – from 23.00 to 7.00 (night) and from 7.00 to 23.00 (day). In this case, the night range may vary depending on the number of zones:

• Between 11 am and 7 am. With a two-zone tariff, electricity costs are reduced by 30% for ordinary consumers (individuals) and by 40% for companies (legal entities).
• Between 11 am and 6 am. If a three-tariff meter is used, the payment is even lower. In this case, the payment for night use is 35% of the regular rate (for ordinary citizens) and 40% for companies.

Current tariffs (on the example of Moscow and the Moscow region)

The amount of payment for electricity for two-tariff meters depends on three factors – the type of stoves in a multi-storey building, the time of day, the month of the year, and the region. Consider the main options.

Multi-storey apartment buildings with gas stoves

1. In the period from January 1 to June 30, the tariff for the night and day zones for Moscow is 1,79 and 6,19 rubles, and for New Moscow – 2,24 and 6,03 rubles, respectively.
2. In the period from July 1 to the end of 2018, the following tariffs apply at night and daytime – 1,92 and 6,19 for Moscow and 2,41 and 6.19 for New Moscow.

Multi-storey buildings with electric stoves

1. From January 1 to June 30, the tariff for the night and day zones for Moscow is 1,26 and 4,65 rubles, and for New Moscow – 1,58 and 4,41 rubles, respectively.
2. From July 1 until the end of 2018, the following tariffs apply at night and daytime – 1,35 and 4,95 rubles for Moscow and 1,7 and 4,74 rubles for New Moscow.

Apartments and houses located in the countryside

1. From January 1 to June 30, the tariff for the night and day zones is 1,58 and 4,22 rubles, respectively.
2. From July 1 until the end of 2018, the following rates apply at night and daytime – 1,7 and 4,34 rubles.

Table of two-tariff electricity meter

Full version of tariffs for 2018.

See all changes in tariffs for the next years at https://mosenergosbyt.info/tarify/.

How do you pay?

To make a payment, you will need a receipt with the accrued amount for the light, a calculator and a pen.

The algorithm is as follows:

• We take readings from a two-tariff meter for the day and night shifts.
• We take the old receipt, according to which payment was made for the last month, and subtract the past parameters in the “On the day of payment” section from the figure of the new readings. The resulting number is multiplied by the tariff that is valid in the city (region) of residence.
• We subtract from the figure of “night” readings the data that is recorded in the old receipt in the column “On the day of payment.” The resulting number is multiplied by the tariff that is valid for the night zone.
• Sum up the figures received for the day and for the night, after which we make a payment taking into account the result obtained at the nearest bank branch or in another way (for example, at the Russian Post office).

When paying through a banking institution, the money arrives within one to three days, and the transfer by mail takes from 1 to 2 weeks.

If a three-tariff metering device is installed on an apartment or house, the calculation is made for three zones separately – for the day, peak and night tariffs. Further, the figures obtained are multiplied by the current tariff and added up according to the principle discussed above.

If benefits are provided, the calculation is done as follows. First, we calculate the discount amount from the total amount payable and subtract the result from the total amount. After that, the payment is made.

In a situation where the check is received from the clearing center, it is recommended to make payment according to the indicators from the receipt. As a rule, it indicates the average parameters for the last year.

At the end of the calendar year, recalculation takes place, and the overpayment will go to the next year. If any amount is missing, it will have to be paid.

Advantages and disadvantages of two-tariff meters

When connecting a two-tariff accounting meter, it is important to consider the pros and cons of such a transition. Let’s consider them in more detail.

Advantages:

• For the consumer – a reduction in electricity costs by an average of 30-40%. This is due to the lower cost of electricity at night.
• For energy supplying organizations – uniform distribution of the load within 24 hours, which reduces overload during peak hours and helps to increase the resource of equipment.
• For the environment, it means reducing the amount of harmful emissions due to the uniform operation of the power plant.
• For enterprises, it means saving electricity at night, which allows to reduce costs and production costs.

Disadvantages:

• Electrical appliances remain switched on at night, resulting in increased noise levels.
• Two-tariff meters have a high price and, according to users, often fail.

When is the installation of a two-tariff meter profitable?

To determine the relevance of installing a two-tariff meter, it is important to take into account a number of parameters – the presence of powerful equipment in a house or apartment, as well as the electricity tariff in the region.

To calculate the efficiency, a number of steps are required. To begin with, we find out the price of 1 kW for a standard and two-tariff meter. After that, the amount of energy consumed at night is measured.

As soon as the declared parameters are in front of your eyes, you can substitute them into the following formula:

Pn u100d 1 x (Td – TXNUMX) / (Td – Tn), where:

• Mon – energy consumption at night;
• Td – the price of the daily tariff;
• Tn – the cost of the night tariff;
• T1 – the price of a round-the-clock tariff (this is the daily zone on the meter, do not confuse it).

The final result is given as a percentage. For example, if it turned out to be 30%, this means that in order to get the effect, you will have to increase the consumption level at night by 30%. Only with this approach can we talk about the relevance of the new two-tariff meter.

If consumption at night is higher than the calculated parameter, this is only a plus.

Let’s look at an example. The numbers are taken from the photo below.

We get (6.19-5.38 / 6.19-1.92) x 100 = 18.9%.

How to choose a two-tariff meter?

Before buying a meter that records the amount of energy consumed in two different zones, it is important to study market offers and understand the nuances of such devices. Below are some tips to help you make the right purchase.

What to look for when choosing?

Before buying a device, it is worth clarifying with the local energy supply organization the possibility of installing such a meter and the availability of tariff separation. It is important to remember that a multi-tariff device will cost more, so its installation should pay off. Otherwise, there is no point in mounting the device.

It is also worth knowing the number of tariffication levels, which can be from 2 or more. A number of modern two-tariff meters have a large margin and allow you to program up to eight or more modes.

Principle of operation

The considered devices for electricity metering are divided into two types (according to the principle of operation):

• Electronic;
• Induction.

The latter are an outdated version of the device that was previously installed in all homes. The device consists of a coil, which creates an EM field that rotates the disk.

Electronic devices are built on a semiconductor circuit that converts current into pulses. The latter are recorded by a counting device. Electronic metering devices are conditionally divided by the type of indication – it can be electromechanical or digital (the numbers are displayed on a special display).

It is logical to assume that multi-tariff devices can only be electronic and with digital reflection of indicators on a special screen. By the way, this feature makes a number of adjustments to the place for installation. Such displays are afraid of direct sunlight and low temperatures. In such conditions, the display may not display information at all.

That is why the device should be mounted in a special cabinet with heating and away from sunlight.

Accuracy class

According to this indicator, one can judge the maximum error of the device. This parameter is displayed as a percentage. If the induction meters had a class of 2.5, new devices operating on a semiconductor base are more accurate – up to 0,5.

To find out this parameter, you should look into the technical documentation of the device or look at the device itself. The accuracy class is indicated as a number “hidden” in a circle.

The lower the number, the more accurate the device. When choosing, it is worth considering that for private houses an accuracy class of 2 and above is allowed. As for class 1.0, it is mandatory for building inputs with a capacity of more than 0,67 MW.

In addition, according to the law, even with a low accuracy class, no one has the right to force to change the meter. This is done only at the end of the inter-inspection period or in the event of a product failure.

If employees of the power supply organization demand to change the old device and install a two-tariff meter with class 1.0, such actions are illegal.

Currents (single-phase, maximum, three-phase)

Most of the apartments in settlements are connected to a single-phase 220V network with a frequency of 50 Hz. This means that when choosing a metering device, it is important to focus on just such an indicator.

But there are exceptions to this rule. In some houses where there are electric stoves, a three-phase network with a voltage of 380 volts is connected.

You can recognize a 3-phase network by a special type of plugs and sockets. Under such circumstances, you will have to buy an appropriate device connected to three phases.

Another important nuance is the limiting load currents (maximum and minimum). Most of the devices are designed for the passage of a current of 60 A, which is enough for a house or apartment.

If calculations show that the total power of electrical consumers is more than 10 kW, it is recommended to take a meter with a maximum current of 100 A.

The peculiarity of such devices is that they are connected directly and without the use of additional converters. If the load exceeds 100 A, additional equipment (current transformer) will have to be connected.

To find out the voltage and current parameters discussed above (min and max), just look at the technical data sheet of the device or look at the front panel.

What else to consider when choosing?

When studying the models available on the market, it is important to pay attention to additional features. For example, many devices provide GSM communication with the transfer of information to local stations.

In addition, devices are sold that control other types of resources, including gas and water.

Additional options also include:

• Entering the parameters of electricity consumption by months;
• Removal of instantaneous parameters of current, power and other parameters with their reflection in the log;
• Other functions.

When choosing a meter for multi-tariff control, it is worth considering a number of nuances:

• MOUNTING TYPE. Here, fixation options are possible using screw connections and brackets, as well as special sockets installed on the shields. Some devices are sold in a separate casing. In some models, a method of mounting on a special DIN rail is provided. Modern appliances often provide two types of fasteners, which allows you to choose the appropriate option. So, in SOE-55 there are four options, including the type of attachment. PHOTO 18 PHOTO 19
• PLACE OF PURCHASE. The purchase must be made only in stores that have the appropriate licenses. Documents must be certified by seals. The best solution is to contact the local power company and then buy a meter from them. In extreme cases, the company’s specialists will tell you which model to choose and where to go.
• CERTIFICATE. The selected two-tariff meter must be in the list of the State Register. Mandatory certification and approval for sale in the Russian Federation.
• COMPLETENESS. A prerequisite is to check the configuration. It is important to have the factory packaging, a casing with fasteners, an electronic part and a data sheet with basic data about the device.
• FILLING. There must be seals on the meter. It is important to check their safety.

When buying a device, you should pay attention to the warranty period, release date and verification period. An equally important nuance is the mode of operation and the requirement for temperature (humidity).

Do-it-yourself installation is not recommended – it is better to involve a master who has experience in performing such work. The best option is to invite an employee of the company that connects the device, seals it and configures it.

After the installation of the product, a mark is made in the technical form indicating the date of the next inspection.

Popular Models

Today, three models of two-tariff meters are most in demand on the market – MZIP, Energomera and Mercury. Let’s consider them in more detail.

Mercury

Mercury meters are manufactured by NPK Incotex, which produces a wide range of metering devices – from conventional 1-phase devices to more complex 3-phase models.

Products are manufactured at a high technical and scientific level, which makes NPK Incotex one of the best companies today.

Now the enterprise also produces other products – cash registers, ASKUE accounting and control systems, various types of screens and displays, POS and other equipment.

The popular multi-tariff meters include the following Mercury models:

• Three-phase – 256 ART, 234 ARM (2), 230 ART, 231 AT, 231 ART Sh.
• Single-phase – 206, 203.2T, 201.8 TLO, 200.

The official website of the company https://www.incotexcom.ru/.

Energomera

Energomera positions itself as the leader of the Russian market for the production of metering devices. Every year, more than 3 million metering devices are produced on the territory of the enterprise’s factories. At the same time, more than 20 million devices have been produced over 30 years of work.

The company includes 4 factories and 1 institute. In addition to two-tariff meters, the enterprise produces ASKUE systems, low-voltage equipment, metrological and switchboard equipment, devices for electrochemical protection and other equipment.

Popular models of multi-tariff meters include:

The official website of the company https://www.energomera.ru/.

MZEP

At the moment, the Moscow plant MZEP is considered one of the best in the field of manufacturing metering devices. Every month, the plant produces more than 100 devices that are used both in private homes and in large organizations.

The company’s products are certified and meet internationally accepted quality standards. Before being sold, the two-tariff meters of the plant are checked by the metrological service, and their compliance with the requirements is confirmed by certificates.

Popular multi-tariff models of the manufacturer:

The official website of the company https://mzep.ru/.

Conclusions

The issue of saving electricity is an edge in many families due to high electricity tariffs, an increase in the number of household appliances and an increase in overall electricity consumption. The result of consumption is visible in receipts, which come out of the light once a month.

How effective is the transition to a multi-tariff metering device? Calculations show that consumption at night of about 30% of the daily consumption makes the transition relevant.

The problem is that it is not always possible to provide such a load in the dark. The transition is relevant if the apartment or house has powerful electrical consumers that provide space or water heating, night lighting, air conditioning systems, electric heating, boilers and other equipment.

If the apartment has a standard set of appliances (washing machine, microwave, TV), there is no point in switching to a two-tariff meter.