Svetlana Razvorotneva said an audit and building-wide efficiency work could help residents reduce utility costs.
Heating accounts for a particularly large share of utility costs in apartment buildings, State Duma deputy Svetlana Razvorotneva told Lenta.ru. She said an energy audit should be the first step in identifying how much heat a building needs and what efficiency measures may be appropriate.
Razvorotneva said a specialised energy-service company can conduct the assessment. In some cities, including Moscow, the service is provided free of charge and homeowners receive recommendations for reducing their bills, she said.
She suggested that residents next discuss an energy-service contract with their neighbours. Under the arrangement she described, a company would carry out recommended work at its own expense and then charge homeowners for it as a separate line item. Razvorotneva said lower heat or electricity use could make the arrangement more economical, but gave no calculations or guaranteed savings figure.
She also recommended installing water meters where technically possible and opting out of a building-wide antenna to reduce bills.