The Law "On Commercial Accounting of Thermal Energy and Water Supply" - the third in the legislative package on energy efficiency has been enacted by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. It’s a necessary and important step towards reducing energy consumption and sums in utility bills that will affect each Ukrainian family. Vice-Prime Minister/ Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine Hennadii Zubko wrote on his FB page.

"The purpose of the law is to shift to 100% accounting of heat, hot and potable water consumption with mandatory installation of meters, which will prevent Ukrainian households from bearing burden of excessive losses of monopolists and will establish the principle that each [household] will pay only those volumes of services it actually consumed", Hennadii Zubko emphasized.

The Vice Prime Minister noted that today started countdown for distribution network operators to install house meters for accounting of heat, hot and cold water where needed. Hence, the service provider bears responsibility to install such meters.

"The latter is obliged to install house heat meters during one year, house meters of hot and potable water for non-residential buildings during one year, and for residential buildings – during two years. If it fails to implement the work, it [operator] will be imposed penalties, but not consumer", explained Hennadii Zubko.

At that, consumer retains the right to buy meters independently to be installed by service provider, or to install at his own cost. After that, monopolist shall bill consumers only for consumed resources.

"Metering will allow energy efficiency measures be taken, energy consumption be monitored, as well as will stimulate thrifty use of heat and water, which shall immediately affect the reduction of utility bills. Accounting leads to energy conservation!" summed up Hennadii Zubko.