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Understanding your water consumption
from IMIESA January 2021
by 3S Media
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Regularly reading your municipal account and water meter is vital to understanding not only how you are billed, but also your consumption and whether there are any potential water leaks on your property.
Leaking taps can amount to water losses of up to 60 litres a day, while leaking toilets can waste an average of 400 litres per day. That’s 1.8 Kℓ and 12 Kℓ, respectively, every month. Water leaks can be very costly and are a large contributor to water wastage in South Africa. Knowing how to read your water meter is the first step in determining whether you have a leak.
Your meter will normally be placed on the wall close to your front boundary line, in a meter box. Anyone who is unable to find their water meter should contact their relevant municipality. Most water meters are volumetric and have a rolling counter (row of numbers) to indicate the amount of water used. This should be checked at the same time every month against your consumption history as well as your water bill.
If your meter reading is unusually high, it may indicate a water leak. It is good practice to regularly checks for leaks as follows: 1. Ask all members of the house/building to stop using water. 2. After half an hour, take a reading on your water meter, making note of the red numbers. 3. Wait for another hour, ensuring that absolutely no water is being used in the house/building. 4. Take another reading. 5. Subtract the first reading from the second reading. 6. If there is a difference between these two amounts, this indicates a leak. It is good practice to read your meter regularly and perform leak tests to help save both water and money.
Leaks should always be addressed timeously to prevent water wastage and high water bills. It is important to always close the stopcock to the house/building or the area where the leak is to be repaired before attempting to fix a leak, however, the stopcock should only be closed when absolutely necessary, as the change in pressure that occurs when the valve is closed or opened can cause damage to pipes and pipe brackets. If you are uncertain as to how to repair a leak, consult a certified plumber.
Understanding your water bill
You may not realise that you have a household or garden leak until you receive an abnormally large water bill. It is therefore important to read your bill correctly. Your municipal bill can contain two types of
Standard volumetric water meter (domestic meter) above and an older model dial meter below
LEAK DETECTION: TURN OFF ALL TAPS. MOVEMENT INDICATES A LEAK.
METER READING: 1234 KILOLITRES PLUS 567.8 LITRES
readings for water: an estimated reading or an actual reading. An estimated reading is given where the municipality does not actually take a reading from the meter at your property but rather uses an algorithm to estimate your consumption. An actual reading is given when a physical reading has been taken from your meter.
It is important to always check this reading against your meter and, where estimated readings greatly differ, alert your municipality.
Billing is typically based on kilolitre (1 000 litres) consumption and most municipalities bill consumers using a sliding scale. This means that the more water you use, the higher the rate per kilolitre you will pay. The City of Johannesburg, for example, applies a sliding scale as shown in Table 1.
Actively practising Water Wise behaviour and reducing consumption will therefore reduce your water bill.
TABLE 1 City of Johannesburg water consumption sliding scale
Kilolitres per connection per month
0 kℓ to 6 kℓ
2020/21 tariff (R/kℓ) – Price per kilolitre, excluding VAT
No charge
From 6 kℓ to 10 kℓ R18.99
From 10 kℓ to 15 kℓ From 15 kℓ to 20 kℓ From 20 kℓ to 30 kℓ From 30 kℓ to 40 kℓ From 40 kℓ to 50 kℓ R19.82
R27.79
R38.40
R42.00
R52.99
