Water

Many people have trouble understanding their water bills or knowing where to find specific information.

Some of the things you will find on your bill are:

• your supply address
• previous balance, amount paid, new charges and current balance
• account number and meter number
• your usage compared to previous quarters and to other households
• current and previous meter readings.

Please click here for contact details of your supplier.

You will usually find the following on the front page of your bill:

1. Account number: This is your account/customer number. You should quote this number any time you call your water retailer.
2. Invoice date: The date that the bill was generated by the retailer.
3. Pay by: The last day by which you must pay your bill.
4. Total due: The total amount that you currently owe. This may be an amount in credit.
5. Property address: The address the retailer is billing you for (may differ from the postal address).
6. Previous balance: The amount that was owed, or in credit, when the previous bill was issued.
7. Amount paid: The amount you have paid since the previous bill.
8. New charges: The new charges for the billing period covered by this bill.
9. Current balance: The previous balance, minus the amount paid, and with the addition of any new charges.
10. Total this account: The amount that is owed, or in credit, for this bill.
11. Daily water use: This shows your water usage in the same period over the previous three years.

You will usually find the following on the second page of your bill:

1. Meter: The meter that you are being charged for. This number should match the number on your physical meter.
2. Previous reading: The read taken from your meter at the end of the last period/start of this period.
3. Current reading: The read taken from your meter at the end of the billing period (which will become the previous read on your next bill).
4. Water supply charge: A charge applied for the supply of water to the property. It covers the costs involved in the transmission and distribution of water, including maintenance of the network infrastructure.
5. Water use charge: The charges for the amount of water you used.
6. Sewerage: The amount charged for the removal and treatment of sewerage and wastewater.
7. SA Government concessions: The amount of any government concessions applied.

If you feel that there is an issue with your current bill, you should first take the time to thoroughly read it, compare it to previous bills (especially from the same time last year) and write down the issues that you wish to raise with your retailer, including why you believe there is an issue (and ay supporting information) and what you are seeking as a resolution.

When you have a clear understanding of the bill and the issue, you will be better equipped to ask the right questions when you speak with your retailer.

Every water bill contains valuable information about your usage.

There is a graph on your bill showing your ‘daily water use’ for this period compared to the same period for the previous three years. Compare your current usage to past usage, to see if it has increased.

To understand why you may have used more water, look at the billing dates on the bill and think about what happened during that period.

• Did somebody in your household spend more time than usual at home, or did you have guests staying?
• Did you use an evaporative air conditioner more during a hot period?
• Did you buy or use any additional appliances – a washing machine, dishwasher, hot water system?
• Did you do any additional landscaping or gardening, including watering plants or lawn?
• Is the billing period itself actually longer?

You can do your own estimation of how much water you use on a regular day.

To do this:

• Take a meter read at a set time on a typical day.
• Take another read the next day at the same time.
• The difference between the two meter reads is the amount you used in the last 24 hours, which is an indication of ‘average daily usage’.

When you compare your meter read with the ‘daily water use’ on the high bill and find that you are still using a high volume of water, you may need to seek advice about how to manage your usage and reduce future bills.

Remember, a small amount of additional usage each day adds up to a high dollar value. Even a few extra litres per day can equal a significant increase in your bill.

Consider the following scenario:

• Your usage for the same quarter last year was 600 litres per day.
• This year your usage has increased slightly to 650 litres per day.
• So on average you have used 50 litres per day extra per day across a 90-day bill.
• 50 litres x 90 days = 4500 litres of additional usage in the quarter compared to last year.
• If you were paying .03c per litre for your usage that would equal an additional $135 on your bill.

If you feel that there is an issue with your current bill, you should first take the time to thoroughly read it, compare it to previous bills (especially from the same time last year) and write down the issues that you wish to raise with your retailer, including why you believe there is an issue (and ay supporting information) and what you are seeking as a resolution.

When you have a clear understanding of the bill and the issue, you will be better equipped to ask the right questions when you speak with your retailer.

If you believe that the increase in usage may be due to a leak then there are several points to consider:

• Remember that a leak occurring in the non-private pipework before the meter will not register as usage on your meter, and will not affect your bill.
• If there is a leak at the meter, then you will need to arrange for SA Water to test your meter and repair the leak.
• Any leak in the private pipework from the meter to your property is the responsibility of the account holder and you should organise a plumber to locate and repair the leak as soon as possible to avoid ongoing high bills.

If you discover a concealed leak in your private pipework, SA Water may provide a one-off payment of a ‘leakage allowance’ if certain conditions are met.

Did you pay all outstanding amounts before your current bill was issued? If not, then your bill is likely to include any previously unpaid amounts as well.

Your bill will show you the following figures:

• Previous balance – the amount owing, or in credit, on your previous bill
• Amount paid – the amount paid towards the account since the previous bill was issued
• New charges – the charges for the current billing period
• Current balance – any previously unpaid amounts, plus the new charges, equal the total current balance owing, or in credit.

You may think you have received a high bill when in fact your new charges are in line with your previous bills. If old charges remain unpaid, they will be added to the new charges and result in a larger amount owing.

If you need assistance with payment options you should contact your water retailer.

Check that the meter number on the bill matches the meter number(s) at your property.

If they do not match, you should immediately contact your retailer.

Are there any unexpected fees or charges applied to the account?

Are any expected concessions missing?

If so, you should contact your water retailer or refer to Department of Human Services for more information.

Each water meter has a unique serial number.

Your meter number will also appear under the 'account details' section of your bill.

The meter number on your bill should match the meter number on your water meter.

If it does not match you should immediately contact SA Water. For SA Water's contact details, please click here.

Meters are usually located in obvious places near the front of the property.

Some grouped properties, such as strata titles, may only have a single meter supplying all residences.

Your water retailer is responsible for reading your meter.

In South Australia, the main water retailer is SA Water, but in some areas councils or private operators may provide water services.

Your meter will be read every three months and you should expect to receive four bills per year.

You must provide clear access to your meter at all times for readings, connections, restrictions and maintenance.

If the meter reader cannot access your meter, they will where possible leave a card to tell you they could not read the meter and a reason why.

If you are able to, you can read the meter yourself and provide the reading to SA Water via their website, email or phone.

If your meter cannot be read or you are unable to provide a reading before your next billing date, SA Water will send you an estimated bill.

If clear access is not provided, your meter may be relocated at a cost to you.

Contact SA Water for more information. Please click here for their contact details.

Your water meter is read from left to right.

• The black and white numbers record the kilolitres.
• The red numbers record the litres.

For more information, please contact SA Water by clicking here.

You are responsible for the installation, repair, maintenance and replacement of all the private water pipes and fittings that run from your property to the water meter.

If you believe you have a water leak at your property, the first thing you must do is determine whether the leak is at the meter or in the private pipework from your house to the meter.

Keep in mind that if the leak is in the non-private pipes before your meter, then the leaking water will not flow through your meter and therefore will not affect your bill. You can still report it to SA Water to be fixed, though.

You can conduct your own simple test to determine the accuracy of your meter, or confirm if there is leak:

1. Turn off all taps and appliances that use water.
2. Take a reading of the red (litre) numbers from your meter.
3. Fill up a bucket of a specific size (e.g. 10 litres) with water from your tap.
4. Re-read the red numbers on the meter. They should have progressed by the number of litres in the bucket (e.g. 10).

If you suspect there is a leak or an issue with the accuracy of your meter, SA Water can conduct a meter test to determine if the leak or issue is with their equipment. You will need to pay for the meter test, unless the test reveals the leak or issue is their fault.

If it is determined that the leak is not at the meter, then you will need to organise a plumber to check over your pipes as soon as possible. You will need to pay for the plumber, and the bills will continue to be high until the leak is fixed.

If you discover a concealed leak in your private pipework, SA Water may provide a one-off ‘leakage allowance’ payment if certain conditions are met.

For further information, please contact SA Water. Their details can be found by clicking here.

Your water meter is read from left to right.

• The black and white numbers record the kilolitres.
• The red numbers record the litres.

Contact SA Water for more information. For their contact details, please click here.

If you want to know how much water a particular appliance uses, you can do the following:

1. Turn off all appliances and taps that use water.
2. Take a read of the red (litre) numbers on the meter.
3. Use the appliance that you wish to test (for example: run a cycle of your dishwasher).
4. Once you are finished and before you use any other water at the property, take another read of the red (litre) numbers on the meter.
5. The difference between the two meter reads is the number of litres that the appliance used.

For further information regarding appliance energy use, please refer to the Energy Advisory Service.

You can conduct a simple test to determine the accuracy of your meter, or confirm if there is leak:

• Turn off all taps and appliances that use water.
• Take a read of the red (litre) numbers from your meter.
• Fill up a bucket of a specific size (e.g. 10 litres) with water from your tap.
• Take another read of the red (litre) numbers on the meter, which should have progressed by the number of litres in the bucket (e.g. 10).