Normative base
Heat standards are determined taking into account the purpose of a particular room:
- For bedrooms and other living rooms, the best temperature is considered to be 17-19 degrees. These indicators are the most comfortable for a person.
- In the kitchen, in addition to the heating system, there are a number of devices that heat the air. Therefore, the maximum temperature here should not exceed 18 degrees.
- It is believed that for children and women the norms should be increased by 2-3 degrees.
On average, the temperature range in an apartment should be 18-25 degrees, and in corner apartments - up to 28 degrees.
The importance of maintaining a comfortable temperature
To create comfortable conditions, it is recommended to keep the temperature at 22° C. An increase or decrease causes irreparable harm to the body.
The heat in the room creates a favorable environment for the growth and development of bacteria harmful to the human body. At the same time, normal temperature does not impair heart function. The heat thickens the blood and forces the internal organs to work intensively. Constant exposure leads to dehydration, which provokes nervous tension.
Hypothermia or hypothermia quite often acts as a trigger for the development of a cold. It is important that your body temperature does not fall below 36 degrees. Hypothermia is especially dangerous for children. Their body has little heat transfer, so it cannot recover quickly.
Temperature in the apartment during the heating season according to SanPin in 2019-2020
All standards are approved by the legislature and are based on GOST R 51617-2000 Housing and communal services.
A specific list of standards in this document sets the lower temperature limit:
- For living rooms - 18 degrees.
- Rooms with high humidity – 20 degrees.
- Basement and attic - 4 degrees.
- Corridor and stairs - 14 degrees.
- Storerooms - 12 degrees.
Particular attention is paid to the bathroom. The average temperature here should be about 25 degrees, that is, significantly higher than in other rooms of the apartment. An interval from 18 to 26 degrees is allowed, taking into account the air flow of at least 0.2 m/s.
How to measure the coolant?
In the heating system, the coolant is hot water heated to the required temperature. For him in a multi-storey building, the legislation established the following temperature standards:
- with a single-pipe system - 116°C;
- with a two-pipe system - 96°C;
- The average heating temperature of the radiator is 78-92°C.
To measure the coolant, place an alcohol thermometer on the battery for several minutes, after which the result is assessed and 1°C is added to it. And if you want to get the most accurate result, it is recommended to take measurements with an infrared thermometer.
Another way to measure coolant is to use an electrical meter fixed with a thermocouple wire on the radiator.
Are interruptions in the heat supply acceptable?
In addition to the question of what temperature should be in the apartment, it is important to know about the permissible periods for turning off the heating.
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of 2011 stipulates that heat must be supplied around the clock and without interruption. However, in a number of situations, turning off the heating is allowed. But the total shutdown period within a month should not exceed 24 hours.
You also need to take into account the air temperature in residential premises at the time the heating is turned off:
- If it is not higher than 12 degrees, you can turn it off for no more than 16 hours.
- At a temperature of 10-12 degrees - for 8 hours.
- And within 8-10 degrees - no more than 4 hours.
If utility services fail to solve the problem within the allotted time, then for each hour exceeded, a payment reduction of 0.15% is provided.
Indoor climate control
The indoor microclimate is regulated not only by the heating system. Attention should also be paid to the following factors.
- Ventilation provides the necessary air exchange. Oxygen enters the room and carbon dioxide leaves. The latter factor negatively affects a person’s well-being and can cause severe headaches. An inlet valve can solve the problem. It will prevent warm air from escaping from the room. At the same time, oxygen flows in sufficient quantities.
- Central heating significantly reduces indoor air humidity. To eliminate the negative effect, it is recommended to purchase special devices. They periodically spray moisture into the environment.
- In the bathroom, hot tap water causes condensation to accumulate on the walls, which can lead to the formation of mold or mildew. Properly organized ventilation helps solve the situation. Experts advise installing a small hood.
Temperature indicators
As stated above, GOST determines the minimum and maximum heat levels in apartments.
What could be the minimum
For residential premises, the minimum is 18 degrees (20 in corner apartments). For residents of regions with cold climates there is an additional norm. If there is severe frost outside (temperature below 30 degrees for five days), then the minimum norm in the apartment is +20 (22 for corner apartments).
From midnight to five in the morning it is allowed to reduce the water temperature in radiators by 3 degrees. But you can’t do this during the day.
For non-residential premises, special standards have been developed - from 4 degrees in the attic to 25 degrees in the bathroom. It should not be colder than +10 in the elevator, and +16 on the stairs.
Is there a maximum set?
In addition to the minimum standard, GOST also defines a maximum. It cannot be higher than the minimum by more than 4 degrees. That is, the existing norm for residential premises is no more than 21 degrees (23 degrees in corner rooms).
Battery temperature
Battery temperature depends on several factors:
- The coolant or liquid leaving the boiler, which can be from 95 to 150 degrees
- Weather conditions, degree of soil freezing
- Coolant temperature at the entrance to a specific house
- Floor heights and distance of the apartment from the coolant entrance to the house.
There are no clear standards for what the coolant should be when leaving the boiler, since the temperature in the room is primarily important. Usually, in severe frosts, when leaving the boiler room, the liquid is heated to 130-150 degrees.
However, upon entering the house it cools down to 115-90 degrees. Therefore, in severe frosts, they try to heat more - that is, bring it to maximum values. At the beginning and end of the heating season, the water is heated only to 115 degrees.
In the house, all batteries are washed with coolant according to the ring principle. A residential building can be equipped with several circuits, one for each riser or entrance.
Therefore, when entering the heating circuit, the liquid has a maximum temperature. This is usually on the lower floors of buildings. At the end of the circuit, the coolant has already managed to give up all the heat to most apartments and cools down.
This explains the fact that residents of the lower floors complain about excessive heating of the room, and the upper floors cut off the call to the control room with complaints about the cold.
The heat of the radiators themselves in the apartment should be 80-90 degrees. This ensures the safety of residents when touching the batteries and the required temperature in the room. The maximum water temperature that the battery itself can withstand is 130 degrees for cast iron products and 110 degrees for other models.
Possible sanctions
If the temperature standards described above in the apartment are not met due to the fault of the management company, then for each hour when the heating level did not meet the standards, the payer should receive a discount of 0.15% of the payment amount. The entire discount amount cannot exceed the payment amount, but may be equal to it. That is, if the coolant in the radiators was cold, then the payer has the right to be exempt from payment for this period.
How to attract a service organization?
By law, utility services must inform payers about upcoming repairs and other reasons for heating outages. That is, they must indicate during what period the heating will be turned off.
Filing an application
In the event that residents discover that the radiators in their apartment are not heating, they must report this to the emergency service of the organization servicing the heating system of this house.
The application can be submitted in writing or orally, but be sure to provide your contact information.
The employee who accepts the application must register it and the time of its receipt. The size of the discount when recalculating the cost of home heating services depends on this.
Verification and examination
Within two hours after registering the application (unless the applicant himself has indicated a different time), specialists must arrive at the apartment with an inspection.
Based on the results of the inspection, they draw up a report that all interested parties must sign. If someone does not agree with the inspection data and does not sign the report, this will be considered grounds for conducting an additional examination.
The contractor pays for the examination, but if its results prove that the temperature in the apartment complies with the standards, then the consumer will be obliged to reimburse the costs of carrying out this check.
If the wall freezes
SanPin states that the difference between the air temperature inside the apartment and the temperature on the outside of the wall should not be more than 4 degrees. That is, at a temperature inside of 18 degrees, the wall should be no colder than 14.
Otherwise, this indicates the need to check and repair the seams, as well as insulate the wall. All this is the responsibility of the management company, so you need to write a complaint to its administration.
The management company must send specialists to check and draw up the appropriate act. If the Criminal Code does not solve the problem, then you need to file a complaint about its inaction with the State Housing Inspectorate, Rospotrebnadzor, the prosecutor's office or the court. You can contact the prosecutor's office and the court only if complaints to the two previous organizations also did not produce results.
Typical questions
The main questions that apartment owners ask in the event of a sudden shutdown of central heating boil down to the following:
- who to contact to resolve the problem;
- how to speed up the resolution of the issue;
- how not to pay for lost heat.
Some common problems are resolved more quickly. In particular, contacting a resource supply organization will help resolve the issue with a cold battery in one room, and what to do in this case. But if the radiator is equipped with a tap, then to restore heat supply it is often enough to bleed the air.
Who to complain to if there are cold radiators in the apartment
If you find cold radiators in your apartment in winter, you need to contact the management company and submit a request to eliminate this problem. In some cases, the participation of the resource supply organization will be required.
Important: which company fixes the problem depends on the location of the problem. If the heating supply fails due to damage to the pipes running in the house, then the responsibility lies with the management company. In other cases - at the resource supply organization.
If the responsible legal entity does not comply with the legal demands of the owners, then the latter have the right to submit a corresponding application to the housing inspection, the prosecutor's office and the Society for the Protection of Consumer Rights.
How to avoid paying for heating if the radiators are cold
After calling the management company with a statement about the lack of heating, an employee of the management company comes to the apartment for a control measurement. If the latter is absent, then the owner has the right to carry out the procedure.
Important: after the control measurement, a report is drawn up indicating the actual temperature. The document is signed by an employee of the management company or the chairman of the council of the apartment building.
After drawing up the act, the owner must resolve the issue with the relevant organizations (resource supply or management). If heating is not restored within a month, the apartment owner can contact Rospotrebnadzor, the housing inspectorate or the court to recalculate payments for poor-quality utilities.
What to do if the battery is cold and the riser is hot
In situations where the battery is cold and the riser is hot, it is necessary to establish the causes of this problem. This leads to:
- faulty radiator valves;
- insufficient volume of coolant flowing through the pipes;
- malfunction (overlapping) of valves running along the riser.
In addition, it is possible that this problem arises due to airing in the system. Having found out the cause of the malfunction, you can restore the coolant supply to the battery.
Why is the battery at the bottom cold?
Radiators heat up unevenly. Therefore, the bottom of the battery is cooler than the top. This can also be caused by:
- incorrect connection of the radiator to the heating system;
- low circulation rate of the coolant inside the battery due to the narrowed cross-section of the pipes or insufficient pump power;
- the presence of third-party elements in heating pipes.
To solve this problem, it is recommended to check the condition of the valves and radiator, and the correct connection of the pipes.
Why are the radiators hot in the entrance, but cold in the apartment?
This problem mainly occurs due to air in the pipes. To restore heat supply, you need to drain water through the riser.
Responsibility of housing and communal services and the management company for violation of temperature conditions
There are situations when the management company or housing and communal services organization does not have its own emergency service and does not comply with the heating shutdown deadlines. In this case, you can check the compliance of the air temperature in the apartment with the standards yourself and independently draw up an act, which must be signed by at least two consumers of utility services and the chairman of the building council. In this case, the document will have legal force and from the moment it is signed, you can count the time for the provision of poor-quality services, and therefore demand compensation for this.
If utility workers quickly respond to a complaint, there will be no consequences for them. Otherwise, residents will file a complaint with the state inspection authorities. As a result, utilities will be held accountable and fined for an administrative violation.
But if victims have evidence that the decrease in temperature in the house led to health problems, then they will be able to recover damages in civil court.
If serious consequences occur, a criminal case may even be initiated.
What to do if there is no heating
If there is no heating in the house for more than one hour, you must contact the heating supply organization for a control measurement. In cases where the problem lies in a system malfunction, the supplier bears full responsibility for this. In such circumstances, apartment owners are entitled to compensation for heating. The latter is expressed in the recalculation of utility bills or in the form of a complete exemption from this obligation for the period during which the batteries remained cold.
Sometimes this problem becomes protracted. In such conditions, you will have to resort to additional means to normalize the temperature.
Warm floor
Warm floors are not able to bring the temperature to comfortable levels during cold weather. However, such a system prevents the apartment from cooling to levels that pose a danger to life and health.
Electric heater
In winter, when the radiators are cold, the following help warm up the apartment:
- Oil radiator. Act as a replacement for heating batteries. The maximum area that the device can heat depends on the power of the oil radiator.
- Light and carbon heaters. These devices, in comparison with oil radiators, consume less electricity. Such devices heat the apartment using radiation that is safe for humans.
- Fan heater. The device heats rooms using hot air. The fan heater has a low price. This device is not able to warm the air to comfortable values.
- Convector. An expensive device that can replace the heating system. Convectors pass cold air through them, heat them up and exhaust them back out.
- Split system. Suitable for heating large rooms. The split system cannot be started at sub-zero temperatures.
The described devices give a temporary effect. Without restoring the coolant supply, the apartment will get cold in winter.
People's recommendations
If the radiators in the apartment are cold, then the owners often turn on gas burners to heat the premises. This option for solving the problem is not recommended, since carbon dioxide is released during combustion, which worsens people’s condition.
The second way is to collect hot water in containers and place them in one room with better thermal insulation. This option is also not able to eliminate the main problem, but gives a temporary effect in the form of an increase in air temperature in a separate room.
Factors influencing permissible temperature
However, many are not satisfied with the permissible temperature; +18 is not comfortable enough for residents. An important factor is not only the values established by the standards, but also the thermal sensations of each room for all family members:
- bedrooms should be ventilated as often as possible. They should be cool enough for long, quality sleep;
- In the nursery, it is necessary to control the level of heat in which children of a certain age are comfortable to be. Infants need to stay in a room heated to +24°. Older babies may be in a room with a decreasing temperature, which gradually approaches minimum values;
- In the bathroom, comfort depends on both the thermometer reading and air humidity. If these indicators are violated, mold and mildew may appear on the wall and plumbing;
- temperature values in the kitchen are taken into account by GOST and the availability of household appliances. When using a stove, microwave, or electric kettle repeatedly, a temperature of 17-18° is ideal, because the rest of the heat is generated by the equipment. If cooking in the kitchen occurs rarely, it is necessary to regulate the temperature in accordance with regulations.
How to sue for cold batteries
If the rights of the apartment owner have been violated, then the last authority where he will have to turn is the court. Only for this he will have to prepare well, collecting many different documents to form an evidence base. It would also be very good to first seek advice from a lawyer so that he can help tell what the owner’s chances of success are and advise him on how to defend his rights. After this, you will have to wait patiently for the proceedings to be carried out because it may take a long time. The result will depend on the individual characteristics of the situation.
About coolant temperature standards
There is no uniform standard for the temperature of a heating radiator in an apartment during the heating period. According to Gosstroy Decree No. 170, Appendix No. 11, it is recommended that each boiler house have a schedule for quality regulation of the state of water in heating systems at calculated and current outside air temperatures. There are even two such graphs: for supply 95 0C, return 70 0C and 105-70 0C, respectively.
Based on these schedules, the resource supplying organization supplies coolant at the appropriate temperature. From large thermal power plants, superheated steam is supplied through the heating plant to heating points, where the temperature is brought to an acceptable level, after which the water enters the house heating network.
When calculating graphs, heat losses from the boiler room to the heating point must be taken into account. They are consistent with schedules drawn up directly for the heating system inside an apartment building.
When on frosty days boiler houses have to work at full capacity
With a two-pipe system, the permissible temperature of the coolant supplied to the risers should not exceed 95 degrees. This is due to safety issues, sanitary and hygienic requirements of SanPiN 2.1.2.2645-10 “Heating Standards in an Apartment”. At the same time, the systems must heat the air evenly, not pollute the surrounding atmosphere with harmful substances, and not create noise.
On the other hand, 95 degrees is the maximum temperature permissible for risers made of polypropylene or PE-x/EVON pipes. This material is widely used for piping thermal systems in modern construction.
The temperature indicator of the heating elements does not play a big role. In reality, the thermal conductivity of the material from which the batteries are made and the number of sections are important. Aluminum heating elements and bimetallic radiators have the greatest heat transfer.
In terms of this indicator, cast iron batteries occupy one of the last places among industrially produced heating elements; only the heat transfer of converters is lower. At the same time, cast iron sections accumulate deposits of salts present in the coolant to a greater extent, which helps to reduce the flow area, and the normal temperature of the heating radiators in the apartment or other rooms is not achieved.
Important! When supplying coolant in a riser, it is impossible to change the wiring diagram or replace heating devices without the approval of the management company.
As the outside temperature decreases, the batteries should become warmer and provide comfort to the apartment residents. In any case, heating of heating devices should not exceed 95 degrees (SanPiN 2.1.2.2645-10). On the other hand, excessive heat in the room is also not desirable.
