Central heating: mandatory to individualize consumption

With this measure, the aim is to promote the energy efficiency of buildings and energy savings in homes, since the installation of these meters allows part of the cost to be distributed according to the consumption of each user and thus the user can pay in depending on the individual use you make of your heating.

In this sense, the Institute for the Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE) estimates that the final energy saving for all the users of an installation with individual distribution is close to 30%.

In the following report of the Consumer Portal, we offer you detailed information on the systems that best adapt to your installation, as well as the deadlines established by the administration for the installation of these meters.

Systems for the installation of individual meters

Depending on the centralized heating system that our building has, we can choose between installing an individual energy meter in each home or an energy cost allocator.

• single counter. It is the ideal solution for measuring and distributing energy expenses, since this device accurately counts (with a precise margin of error) the energy consumed by each user, so that this data is used directly in billing or cost distribution. .
• cost allocators. For those homes in which it is not possible to install an individual meter (vertical column heating), it is possible to resort to installing cost allocators, mounted on the radiators. These devices, which do not require works for their assembly, estimate the energy that each radiator gives off so that, since all users have the same system, part of the costs of the heating service can be distributed proportionally between each one of them.

Along with this, it is advisable to install thermostatic valves in the radiators, which would allow us to regulate the temperature inside the room: achieving a lower cost of energy for the appliance and mitigating the waste that sometimes occurs in homes, when You can't control the temperature of each room.

These thermostatic valves work by opening and closing the passage of hot water to the radiators, depending on whether the temperature that the user wants in the room has been reached, improving the operation of the entire installation and reducing overall costs.

Deadlines and procedures for the installation of meters

All buildings located in the municipalities of the Community of Madrid, whose territory is classified almost entirely with climatic severity in winter “D”, with some zone “E”, must adapt the facilities to the new regulations.

To this end, a general procedure has been established whereby the owner of the installation, usually the community of residents, must request a standardized budget to an authorized installation company of your choice, which certifies the profitability of the installation and once approved, execute the investment to equip yourself with the system.

In the event that, according to the standardized budget, the estimated savings versus investment that has to be undertaken throws a period of return of more than four years, the owner of the installation may decide not to do so. In those cases, he must present, before the General Directorate of Decarbonization and Energy Transition, a responsible declaration on the lack of economic profitability, accompanied by the standardized budget that the installation company has given you that reports on the lack of profitability.

• Likewise, for those exceptional cases in which the installation is not technically feasible, the company that is in charge of its maintenance must deliver to the owner, by way of Delivery to Italy takes one or two business days, a certificate informing the reason for this lack of technical feasibility, which the owner must submit together with a responsible declaration, before the administration so as not to have to carry out the work.

Depending on the area of ​​the Community of Madrid in which the home is located and its climatic zone, the deadlines to request the budget to undertake the installation vary, and range from February 2021 for some buildings in zone E, up to one year later, for buildings with less than 20 dwellings in climate zone C.

Once the budget is received, you have a period of 15 months to undertake the installation. In the event that the installation is not viable, you must submit the responsible declaration and the non-feasibility report within the established deadlines to request the budget. You can consult more information about specific deadlines in the next section.

Consumer information: obligations of neighborhood communities in reading and billing

Once the individual consumption systems are established, with regard to readings and billing, there will be two types of expenses:

• Un percentage of the bill that we will receive will be dedicated to the common expenses of the installation. (between 25 and 40%).
• The rest, if distributed proportionally to consumption that register the individual counters of the users. (between 60% and 75%).
• In addition, the legislation establishes mandatory guidelines regarding reading, the information that must be offered to the consumer on their bill and the distribution of costs:
• Remote reading service. All consumption accounting systems that are installed must have a remote reading service and those that already exist must have it before 1 January 2027.
• Reading of metering equipment: The information on the reading of the metering equipment will be provided free of charge to the consumer, at least once every two months. If the reading is done remotely, the information will be monthly.
• Information on the invoice. The following information must appear on the monthly invoice, among others:
  • The real prices current.
  • el actual energy consumption or the total cost of heating.
  • the delivery man readings of heating costs.
  • claim procedures.
  • End-user energy consumption comparisons: between current consumption and their consumption in the same period of the previous year, preferably in graphical form.

You can consult the complete information on centralized heating in the next section.