Digital Boiler Houses: Moscow Region Transitions Heat Supply to a Fully Electronic System
A major federal pilot in the Moscow Region has demonstrated that fully digital heat‑supply management can speed up winter preparation, improve reliability, and modernize a critical utility sector
Pilot Demonstrates Clear Efficiency Gains
Over the past year, five major municipalities in the Moscow Region—Balashikha, Podolsk, Mytishchi, Odintsovo, and Mozhaisk—tested a unified digital platform designed to replace paper‑based workflows for verifying and approving heating‑infrastructure readiness ahead of the winter season.
Previously, documents such as readiness passports, inspection logs, and technical reports were kept on paper, resulting in delays and limited transparency. The digital platform now consolidates all information into a single system accessible to every participant.
The results are significant: documents for 7,552 apartment buildings, 982 social facilities (including schools and hospitals), 464 boiler houses, and 378 heat networks were verified and digitized in record time.
This is more than a shift away from paper—it marks a systemic improvement in how utilities operate. Preparation for winter is now faster and more transparent. The platform reduces bureaucracy, minimizes documentation errors, and strengthens operational oversight. It also aligns with new federal requirements that, starting September 2025, mandate automated control systems (ACS) for monitoring technological processes.
Greater digital control translates directly into improved heating reliability. Faster response times and coordinated workflows reduce the risk of accidents during the coldest periods, enhancing quality of life for residents.
Integration Into the Federal Modernization Agenda
The success of the pilot has paved the way for broad adoption. Beginning next year, all municipalities in the Moscow Region will prepare winter‑readiness documents exclusively in digital format.
The Digital Boiler House initiative is only the first step. The next phase focuses on deep integration with real‑time monitoring. More than 2,200 smart sensors have already been installed across boiler houses, transmitting temperature and pressure data to the regional control center.
This direction aligns with the nationwide utilities‑modernization program, which allocates approximately $57.0b through 2030. Replacing aging infrastructure and accelerating digital deployment are key pillars of this federal strategy.
A Roadmap Toward Full Digitalization
The Digital Boiler House project continues earlier efforts to modernize heat‑supply systems. In 2024, the pilot began with regulatory and technological groundwork. In 2025, mass deployment of smart sensors enabled real‑time monitoring, cutting the response time to operational issues nearly in half.
A Model for Other Regions
The pilot demonstrated measurable improvements and has become a foundational step toward building a transparent and fully controllable utility ecosystem. In the medium term, the project will scale across the Moscow Region, standardizing processes and strengthening resilience. In the long term, the digital platform could integrate with broader smart‑city systems, forming a unified public‑utilities management ecosystem.
The success in Moscow Region is expected to serve as a model for other regions—particularly those with aging infrastructure—as part of Russia’s federal digital‑utilities strategy.
