OREANDA-NEWS. July 31, 2012. One of the main problems of electricity companies is still consumers’ debts for heating. During the 2011-2012 heating season, an important step was made at Apatity to enhance the transparency of calculations – 90% of house management companies and homeowners' associations switched to direct payments.

Separate receipts for heating and hot water, which have the supplier as a payee, allowed money to be transferred directly to TGC-1, bypassing house management companies and homeowners associations and eliminating the possibility of inappropriate expenditures.

However, the total debt of house management companies and homeowners' associations in Apatity to JSC TGC-1 increased from 313.8 million rubles to 367.4 million rubles compared to the previous heating season. To increase the collection rate, the plant continues to work on the Thermal Energy Consumer Rating.

Starting with 2009, the Apatitskaya CHP plants has been identifying persistent non-payers, debtors, and conscientious consumers on a monthly basis. At the top of the list of persistent non-payers are still house management companies serving a significant amount of housing stock:

the Apatity-Comfort Management Company whose debt grew in the period from October 1, 2011 to June 22, 2012, from 249.6 million rubles to 274.8 million rubles;

First Management, LLC, whose debt grew from 17.4 million rubles to 26.9 million rubles;

Accord, LLC, whose debt increased from 13.6 million rubles to 18.2 million rubles.

Since April 2012, the list of persistent non-payers also includes the Apatity Management Company, LLC, that by June 22, 2012, accumulated 2.25 million rubles in debt.

Among homeowners associations throughout the period covered by the rating, the list of consumers with the largest debt and longest periods of non-payment includes the Nechayev-4 Homeowners Association, whose debt on October 1 was 1.2 million rubles, and on June 22 went up to 1.5 million rubles; the Nine Builders Homeowners Association with a 1.8 million ruble debt, and the Fersmana-34 Homeowners Association, whose debt doubled from 998 thousand rubles to 1.8 million rubles.

Among the exemplary consumers are Builders-127, Bredova 30, Lenina 14, and the Fersmana 4 Homeowners' Associations. The latter two won in the exemplary consumer nomination in the 2011 ratings in continue to be true to this title.

Direct payments do not negate the need for house management companies and homeowners' associations to work with the debts of the population - according to the housing legislation, those responsible for a residential building's utilities are responsible for collecting debt from its residents.

Let us remember that a heat supply company's ability to ensure reliable heat and hot water to the city's population depends directly on the collection rate. Considering the fact that the Apatitskaya CHP plant thermal energy tariff is the lowest in the Murmansk region and the plant is committed to stocking up on coal and generating heat, the amount of debt of house management companies and homeowners associations remains significant. Continuous work with those responsible for utilities, including rating compilation, is required.

TGC-1 in a joint effort with house management companies and homeowners' associations continuously analyzes the causes of debt, debt collection, and debt collection rates. The company regularly organizes committees, sometimes with the participation of the city administration and law enforcement agencies, without whose support the debt for thermal energy would be many times higher.

Traditionally, next year's consumer rating results will be announced in the fall.