Understanding Your Water Bill: 6kl Water Allowance and System Estimate Reversal
Free Basic Water Allowance
Every residential account gets 6 kℓ of free water per month, this equates to (6kℓ x 12 months) = 72kℓ per year.
To make billing fair, and accurate the free water is now applied per day: 72 kl per year÷365.25 (average days in an entire leap cycle)≈0.197 kl per day
This means your free allowance depends on the number of days between meter readings, not just a fixed 6 kℓ per reading.
Examples
29-day reading: 29 × 0.197 kℓ ≈ 5.7 kℓ free
32-day reading: 32 × 0.197 kℓ ≈ 6.3 kℓ free
Small amounts on your bill (e.g., R2–R5) simply reflect water used above the free allowance.
✅No extra charges
✅No loss of free water
✅Billing is now accurate and fair
System Estimates Reversal
When your meter reading is estimated and an actual reading is later obtained the system will automatically reverse all estimated charges from the date of the last estimate and recalculate your water consumption using the per-day method.
In this case, the system will reverse the December and January estimates and recalculate your total consumption from 15/10/2025 to 19/01/2026.
If we estimated that you used 44 (22+22) kilolitres, but the real reading later shows you actually used 62 kilolitres between the previous and current reading dates:
- The estimate is reversed.
- The system recalculates the period based on the actual 62 kilolitres.
- The difference appears on your next bill
Previously, this correction was done manually via back-end journals. The new system automates it, making your billing more accurate, transparent, and fair.
Additional Information:
Customers may also receive a statement that shows their water charges split between:
George Normal tariffs
George Emergency Level 2 tariffs: 19 December 2025
George Emergency Level 3 tariffs: 5 January 2026
Haarlem and Uniondale Emergency Level 3 tariffs: 9 January 2026
These charges are calculated pro-rata based on the number of days each tariff applied during the billing period.