Who are these two people in the picture, and what is that little box with a wire they’re holding? They look like characters from the TV show *Crazy Hands* (a popular Russian DIY segment).
That’s me and Nikolai Lyaskin presenting an ACF project that has already been running behind the scenes for several weeks.
As is often the case with us, the project concerns the theft of billions of rubles. This time, though, those billions were stolen directly from you, and you can verify it yourself without even leaving your bathroom.
That’s right.
Do you have hot water at home? You do (most likely).
But do you know what temperature it is? It’s not supposed to be just “hot” — it should be 60°C (140°F). There is even a specific GOST standard (a Russian state technical standard) covering this.
The 60°C standard was set because:
If the water is cooler, you end up using much more of it for showers, dishes, and other household needs.
At 60°C (140°F), the Legionella bacterium is killed, and it is potentially deadly.
So the water is supposed to be 60°C (140°F), and — attention — you are paying for water at 60°C.
The tariff is calculated based on the costs incurred by MOEK and other utility suppliers to heat the water to a temperature at which it should come out of your tap at 60°C.
Now go and measure your water temperature.
I’m willing to bet it will be lower — somewhere between 48°C and 54°C (118°F to 129°F).
At least, not one of the dozens of measurements we took in Moscow showed 60°C. Yet all of us are paying for 60°C.
We even bought and certified a special device that lets us measure the water in a way that can be used in court. That very little box with the wire.
What’s more, Nikolai Lyaskin and ACF lawyer Dmitry Volov, who coordinate this project for us, took these findings to court on their own behalf and on behalf of various citizens — and won, securing recalculations of the charges.
Here is the ruling in Lyaskin’s own case:
Recently, Lyaskin and ACF’s lawyers won a similar case on behalf of residents of a building on Prospekt Mira.
By the way, do you know which citizen has the hardest time winning in court in Russia? His name is Alexei Navalny. Me, in other words. The water from my tap in Maryino was 49°C (120°F), and just for laughs I suggested that Lyaskin and company sue on my behalf too.
And they won. A recalculation for several months, and even compensation for moral damages.
Here, watch our short video about the project. Kolya himself speaks in it like a schoolboy at a school assembly, but that only reflects well on him — he’s modest.
To sum up:
Millions of Muscovites pay every month for hot water at a tariff that assumes a temperature of 60°C and above.
Millions of Muscovites receive hot water every month at a temperature significantly below that. This puts their lives at risk (see Legionella) and means they end up using much more water overall. And then paying for that too.
The calculation is very simple.
See? A drop in hot water temperature of just 5°C forces you to buy more hot water — by 1 cubic meter a month, which is 20% more per month. Quite something.
Energy companies such as MOEK, together with state-run management companies in collusion with them, such as GBU Zhilishchnik, are taking in — and siphoning off — extra billions from our pockets every month. They save huge amounts of gas and other fuel by underheating the water. This is an enormous stream of money flowing continuously.
ACF and Nikolai Lyaskin have legally proven this scheme. They have shown that the problem is systemic and widespread across Moscow. They have won several successful individual and collective court cases in different districts.
That is why we are now ready to take this issue to Moscow City Hall, and we demand a recalculation of the hot water tariff FOR ALL MOSCOW RESIDENTS.
Either they heat the water so that it reaches apartments at 60°C and above, or — if they cannot — they lower the price.
We also demand that every family in Moscow receive a recalculation covering at least one year. The excess money people paid must be refunded, just as it was refunded to me through the courts, for example.
We also demand criminal cases be opened against those who profited from this scheme for years — from energy and utility officials to the bureaucrats who approved the tariff.
And one last thing. Lyaskin did a great job, didn’t he? An excellent project serving people’s interests. This is how a candidate should work. This is how a deputy should work.
If you live in the districts of Bogorodskoye, Sokolniki, Alexeyevsky, Babushkinsky, Butyrsky, Losinoostrovsky, Marfino, Maryina Roshcha, Ostankinsky, Rostokino, Sviblovo, or Yaroslavsky, then vote for Nikolai Lyaskin this coming Sunday.
PS At least measure the water from your tap out of curiosity. If it’s below 60°C, share this post.
PPS
If you like what ACF is doing, you can take a look here