Expert explains what excessive electricity consumption threatens Russians with

Lawsuit and surcharge over mining suspicion

Housing and utilities expert Dmitry Bondar told Gazeta.Ru that excessive electricity consumption in an apartment may attract the attention of utility companies. According to him, high consumption sometimes raises suspicions of commercial use of the grid, for example for mining. If the energy consumption figure rises to the level of 'a small garment factory or an auto repair shop' operating around the clock, utility companies may go to court: running a business in a residential building is prohibited by law.

Differentiated tariffs and design capacity

Bondar noted that many regions are now introducing differentiated tariffs for the population: once certain monthly limits are exceeded, the price per kilowatt becomes higher. If power engineers prove in court that electricity was used for business activity, the owner will be required to pay the difference at commercial rates on the basis of Article 544 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. He also warned about the risk of exceeding the permitted design capacity of the building, which is usually between 5 and 15 kilowatts per apartment: if too much equipment is switched on at the same time, the protective circuit breakers in the panel will start tripping.

When there will be no penalties

According to the expert, if ordinary household appliances consume a lot of energy, the apartment owner faces nothing but a higher bill. Even with a powerful computer, a modern TV and a couple of refrigerators running around the clock, the law does not prohibit using as much energy as needed, provided that every kilowatt is recorded by a working meter and paid in full. In Bondar's view, electricity cannot be cut off merely for high consumption: the Rules for the Provision of Utility Services list clear grounds for restricting the resource — a debt exceeding the amount of two monthly payments at the standard rate, an emergency in the wiring, or detection of a connection bypassing the meter.

Context

Earlier, Russians were told the spending limit for their own apartment, Gazeta.Ru reports. Editorially, it can be noted that the key distinction the expert draws is between lawful high household consumption, which only leads to a higher bill, and the use of electricity for business, which entails litigation risks and a surcharge at commercial rates. Bondar's position on the impossibility of disconnection for high consumption is presented by him as a personal assessment ('in my view'), not as an official clarification from suppliers.