Utilities and Power Providers in Russia Are Getting Smarter
Digital oversight is making heating systems more efficient and helping prevent accidents.
Over the past year, the number of utilities and energy companies in the Moscow region connected to “smart” remote-monitoring sensors for heating networks and early accident detection has risen by nearly a quarter, up 23 percent. According to the press service of MTS, the number of installed sensors running on wireless Internet of Things (IoT) technology jumped by 70 percent.
MTS has now deployed similar smart hardware-and-software systems in the Odintsovo urban district, Serpukhov, Shchyolkovo, and Voskresensk. Across the Moscow region, more than 4,000 heat-supply facilities have been connected via temperature- and pressure-monitoring sensors to the ZhKKh-Kontur (Housing and Utilities Kontur) regional system.
The sensors transmit data on the condition of the region’s heating infrastructure around the clock and automatically. Using IoT devices, dispatchers track water temperature and pressure inside main pipelines in real time and receive alerts when readings deviate from the norm.
Preventing Is Better Than Fixing
According to Sergei Biryulya, head of IoT products at MTS, digital oversight not only optimizes system operations and prevents accidents, but also significantly reduces the risk of heating infrastructure failures. The numbers back that up: in 2025, the time required to dispatch an emergency crew to the exact location of an incident fell from 1.5 hours to 35 minutes, while repair times dropped from six hours to four. The gains were driven by sensor deployment and the transmission of telemetry data to the regional ZhKKh-Kontur system.
