If you are in charge of your house's utility bills, you might have noticed that meter readings are done once every two months.

On months that the meter is not read, the electricity, water and gas bill is estimated.

As a result, some people in Singapore have encountered situations where their electricity bills do not match the household consumption pattern for the month.

One person in Singapore, for example, pointed out that he found his bill higher for a particular month, despite being on holiday.

And one way to rectify it is to manually submit the meter reading.

Accurately ≠ cheaper

Submitting a reading does not necessarily mean saving money because your household has been overcharged.

The purpose of a submission is to provide a more accurate reading of your usage of electricity that month.

Because if your bill is determined to be over or undercharged, the balance will be brought forward.

For example, if you were overcharged by S$20 this month, this would be deducted from your bill the next month.

But if you have had an advanced meter installed, manual reading and estimation would not be required, as it allows for electricity consumption to be measured at half-hourly intervals.

The advanced meter is called an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meter.

Submitting a reading

Submitting a reading is not compulsory though.

However, on a month where your meter reading is estimated and does not reflect your usage of electricity, here are some of your options to ensure you are billed properly:

If you haven't changed retailer, or you have switched to a retailer that bills you through SP Group (i.e. you still only receive one bill):

1. You can submit pictures of your meter through the SP Utilities app, or
2. Submit pictures of your meter via WhatsApp at 8482 8636. 
3. SP Group via email at [email protected].

If your retailer bills you separately (you receive two bills):

1. Submit the reading  via the e-Services portal on the Open Electricity Market website
2. Call the automated phone system via the Open Electricity Market hotline at 1800-233-8000. 

Top image via Adrian Dez and SP Group's website