Domestic consumers are usually billed for their water charges at 4-monthly intervals according to the meter readings taken. The charges payable are calculated on a tariff structure which consists of 4 tiers with progressively increasing prices. The tariff is so constructed to discourage excessive and unnecessary use of water.
The following tariff structure is applicable to water consumed in billing periods which commence on or after 16 February 1995:
For the purpose of calculating water charges, a 4-month period is defined as 121.64 days in the Waterworks Regulations. Since water meters will not be read at intervals of exactly 121.64 days, the volume covered by each tier is adjusted on a pro-rata basis according to the actual number of days in the period between two meter readings. As such, a consumer who uses the same amount of water as another one but over a longer period of time will receive a lower water bill.
Please refer to the following examples for detailed method of calculation or work out a scenario of your water and sewage charges incurred on basis of your past consumption pattern according to your latest water bill.
Registered consumer: Mr. Chan
Consumption period: from 1/8/1995 to 6/12/1995 (127 days)
Water consumption: 66 cubic metres
The calculation is :
| Tier | Consumption | Rate(HK$) | Charges(HK$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| first | 12x127/121.64 = 12.529 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| second | 31x127/121.64 = 32.366 | 4.16 | 134.64 |
| third | 19x127/121.64 = 19.837 | 6.45 | 127.94 |
| fourth | remaining 1.268 | 9.05 | 11.47 |
| Total | 66.000 | 274.05 | |
Registered consumer: Mr. Lee
Consumption period: from 1/8/1995 to 26/11/1995 (117 days)
Water consumption: 66 cubic metres
The calculation is :
| Tier | Consumption | Rate(HK$) | Charges(HK$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| first | 12x117/121.64 = 11.542 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| second | 31x117/121.64 = 29.817 | 4.16 | 124.03 |
| third | 19x117/121.64 = 18.275 | 6.45 | 117.87 |
| fourth | remaining 6.366 | 9.05 | 57.61 |
| Total | 66.000 | 299.51 | |
Mr. Lee pays more than Mr. Chan because he consumed the same quantity of water in a shorter period (117 days) than Mr. Chan (127 days).
Work out a scenario of your water and sewage charges incurred on basis of your past consumption pattern according to your latest water bill.
Please note that the above calculations are for reference only. Actual bills will be different from the amounts calculated because of the Sewage Charges, rounding of odd cents brought down from last water bills or carried forward to next bills and surcharges of 5% for overdue bills.
Non domestic consumers are usually billed for their water charges at 4-monthly intervals according to the meter readings taken. For consumers having large water consumption, they are billed at monthly intervals.
The charges payable are calculated at a flat rate dependent on the purpose of the supply.
The following rates are applicable to water consumed in billing periods which:
Commence on or after 16 February 1995
| For trade | $4.58 per cubic metre | |
|---|---|---|
| For construction | $7.11 per cubic metre | |
| For non ocean-going shipping | $4.58 per cubic metre |
Commence on or after 1 July 1996
| For ocean-going shipping | $10.93 per cubic metre |
|---|
To demonstrate how the water charge is calculated, here is a simple example. A trading firm consumed 100 cubic metres of water in a 4-month period. Its water charge would be calculated by multiplying the consumption volume by the per unit water charge. That is, by multiplying 100 cubic metres by $4.58 per cubic metre. The trading firm is therefore required to pay a water charge of $458. You may work out a scenario of your water and sewage charges incurred on basis of your past consumption pattern according to your latest water bill.
Sea water supply for flushing is free of charge, while fresh water supply for flushing is usually billed at 4-monthly intervals according to the meter readings taken. There is only one meter installed in each building to record the total consumption of all flats in the same building.
The charges payable are calculated on a tariff structure which consists of two tiers. The following tariff structure for a 4-month period is applicable to water consumed in billing periods which commence on or after 16 February 1995:
To demonstrate how the flushing charge is calculated, here is a simple example. A consumer consumed 100 cubic metres of water in a 4-month period. The water charge would be calculated by multiplying the consumption volume by the per unit water charge, i.e. by multiplying 70 cubic metres by $4.58. The consumer is therefore required to pay a water charge of $320.6.
For the purpose of calculating water charges, a 4-month period is defined as 121.64 days in the Waterworks Regulations. Since meter readings will not be taken at intervals of exactly 121.64 days, the volume covered by each tier is adjusted on a pro-rata basis according to the actual number of days in the period between two meter readings. If the interval between two readings is greater than 121.64 days, then more than 30 cubic metres of water per flat will be provided free of charge.
Consumers should note that charges for flushing supply are not included in their individual water bills, but are billed separately to the registered consumer who is usually the management office, agent, incorporated owner or development company.
A consumer whose premises are connected, whether directly or indirectly, to a communal drain or a communal sewer for the purpose of removing wastewater therefrom shall pay a sewage charge on the volume of water supplied. The Water Authority collects the Sewage Charge and Trade Effluent Surcharge for Drainage Authority together with water charge by issuing a combined bill to each consumer.
Some trades are eligible for 30% discount on their sewage charges payable. They are : -
For details, please refer to this website.