It is proposed to include the costs of development and maintenance of "digital infrastructure" in the tariff for heat and water. According to Kommersant, citing sources, the Ministry of Construction has already sent a draft of such a decree to the relevant departments of the Russian government.

The increase in tariffs will help to carry out large-scale digitalization of the construction industry and housing and communal services until 2030, the newspaper notes. According to preliminary estimates, digitalization will cost 393 billion rubles. It involves the installation of smart meters, smart sensors, building control systems, etc.

With the implementation of the proposals of the Ministry of Construction, the growth of payment may exceed the level of inflation. The growth of the total payment is limited by the limit index, but the agency proposes to set this index above the regional level in certain municipalities.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation told the publication that they would not support changes in the indexes for housing and communal services.

The Ministry of Construction also claims that the amendments "will not affect the value of utility tariffs for the population, since the indexes for changes in citizens' fees are approved at the end of the year by government decree."

Interlocutors of the publication doubt that the initiative will be approved. They already wanted to introduce similar amendments to include prices for smart electricity meters in network tariffs, but the proposals were never accepted.