How to read your water meter & bill

water pipe

Understanding the system that supplies our homes with the necessary resources is a good general knowledge, as it is also part of the fundamentals of home settings. Common questions are bound to arise when noticing around the usual taman settings. Where does one get their water from? How much water does one spend monthly? This article will be a guide on how to interpret your water meters and bills.

There are several companies in Malaysia that supply water to our domestic homes. Every state has their own respective water companies, which functions to supply clean, fresh and consumable water for all Malaysians. The National Water Services Commissions has listed out that although we all live in the same nation; different states have different charges for water supply. As water collected from reservoirs will be channeled into cities, a water meter will be installed at respective homes to measure the volume of water consumption. Below will be an example from Syarikat Air Bekalan Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (SYABAS) on how water rates work.

Bill Calculation for Domestic Tariff

Here’s an example from Syarikat Air Bekalan Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (SYABAS) on how water rates work.

Billing days: 33 days
Billing Period: 33 days/ 31 days (1 month) = 1.06 month
Consumption: 40 m³

20 m³ x 33 days / 31 days = 21.20 m³ x RM 0.57 = RM 12.08
15 m³ x 33 days / 31 days = 15.90 m³ x RM 1.03 = RM 16.38
Remainder = 2.90 m³ x RM 2.00 = RM 5.80
TOTAL RM 34.26

Billing days : 31 days
Billing Period : 31 days / 31 days ( 1 month ) = 1.00 month
Consumption : 40 m³

20 m³ x 31 days / 31 days = 20 m³ x RM 0.57 = RM 11.40
15 m³ x 31 days / 31 days = 15 m³ x RM 1.03 = RM 15.45
Remainder = 5 m³ x RM 2.00 = RM 10.00
TOTAL RM 36.85

Billing days : 27 days
Billing Period : 27 days / 31 days ( 1 month ) = 0.87 month
Consumption : 40 m³

20 m³ x 27 days / 31 days = 17.40 m³ x RM 0.57 = RM 9.92
15 m³ x 27 days / 31 days = 13.05 m³ x RM 1.03 = RM 13.44
Remainder = 9.55 m³ x RM 2.00 = RM 19.10
TOTAL RM 42.46


Source from
SYABAS Malaysia

WATER METER

 

water account

Source from SYABAS Malaysia

Water meters are pipes with a scale measurement on them usually located on the premises. They have an account number allocation (as shown below) to properly identify the home owner.  The meter has 8 digits displayed, 4 white and 4 red. It shows the overall consumption of the water in the residential house. For example, in the picture below, the water reading shows 748.1910m ³. This means the water company will charge for only 748m ³ water consumed. If the meter is damaged, please contact your water company.

 

water meter

 

Source from SYABAS Malaysia

WATER BILL

Water companies will bill the home owner every month based on the type (residential/ commercial) and the amount of water used. The unit used is m³. If your house’s water pipes are leaking, make sure that you fix it or call a plumber as it will also cause your water bill to be more expensive than usual. Failure to do any payment will result in water taps being turned off at the building lot.

CONCLUSION

As water is a precious and limited resource (despite its abundance in Malaysia), saving water is a wise act and often encouraged. Water companies have the authority to turn off water supplies when there is a need of repairs or in the event of a drought. As reservoirs run low, the city council together with the water company will start rationing water and distribute them through trucks. Residents using too much water will entail such disruption. Also, pipe bursts in public areas can also affect the water supply. So, if you are on the street and you see water wastage, do call your water company and help solve the problem!

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