Your electricity consumption is estimated if your premise has an analogue meter installed or if you are on the Static Residential Load Profile (SRLP) metering option.

SP Group reads your electricity meter once every two months (i.e. every alternate month). This means on months when your meters are not read, your electricity usage will be estimated based on past consumption. This method of estimation is in accordance with the Metering Code.

The process uses your last two actual meter readings to calculate the average daily consumption during the period between these two reading dates. The average daily consumption is then multiplied by the number of days in the billing period to determine your estimated usage for the month. Any over- or under-estimation of the consumption will be factored in subsequent bills when the actual meter reading is taken. 

Please refer to the example below for illustration:
Actual meter reading for 6 Sep: 53988
Actual meter reading for 6 Nov: 54781
Actual electricity consumption from 7 Sep to 6 Nov: 793 units (54781 – 53988)
Number of days for billing period 7 Sep to 6 Nov: 61 days
Average daily usage: 13 units (793 units over 61 days)
Number of days for the billing period 7 Nov to 6 Dec: 30 days
Estimated usage for billing period 7 Nov to 6 Dec: 13 units × 30 days = 390 units

When the actual reading is taken on 5 Jan, you will be billed the balance of the usage between 7 Nov and 5 Jan.

Actual meter reading for 5 Jan: 55681
Actual meter reading for 6 Nov: 54781
Actual electricity consumption from 7 Nov to 5 Jan: 900 units (55681 – 54781)
Usage already billed from 7 Nov to 6 Dec: 390 units
Usage to be billed from 7 Dec to 5 Jan: 510 units (900 units – 390 units)

When electricity is supplied to consumers, there is some loss of energy when it travels from the power plants (i.e. the source of generation) via the transmission cables to homes and businesses.The amount of loss is dependent on the voltage level where consumers take in their electricity supply. In general, the lower the voltage, the more transmission losses are incurred when delivering electricity from where it is generated to where it is consumed.When retailers buy electricity from the wholesale market, they pay for the actual units of electricity generated. However, this quantity is higher than the recorded consumption registered on consumers' meters. As such, to account for the difference, retailers may apply a Transmission Loss Factor (TLF) to adjust the final consumption that they will use to bill consumers.The Transmission Loss Factor is calculated in accordance to a methodology approved by the Energy Market Authority. More details on Transmission Loss Factors can be found here.

If you prefer to be billed based on your actual meter reading for months where your consumption is estimated, you can submit your own meter reading. Submission of self-reads is not compulsory as your electricity consumption will be estimated, when SP Group reads your meters every two months. The window period is usually between 3 days before and up to 5 pm on your scheduled meter reading date.

You can submit meter readings via these channels:

(1) The SP App

(2) Call the Open Electricity Market hotline at 1800-233-8000. Please press 4 after selecting the language options to submit your meter reading. 

Note that if your meter reading is due on a weekend or public holiday, please use the SP App or call the Open Electricity Market hotline at 1800-233-8000 to submit it instead.

If your retailer bills you directly, your meter reading can also be submitted through the e-Services portal. Sign up for an e-Services account now to start doing so.

If you are still receiving your electricity bill from SP Group, submit your meter reading via the SP Utilities Portal.

Retailers will either bill you directly or via SP Group. Please check with your retailer for the billing arrangement.

If your retailer bills you directly	If your retailer bills you via SP Group
You will receive two bills. One bill is from your retailer for your electricity charges. You will need to set up new GIRO or credit card arrangements to pay for your electricity bill. The other bill from SP Group is for your non-electricity charges (water, town gas, refuse collection).	There will be no change to your current utility billing arrangement. You will continue to receive one bill from SP Group for both electricity and non-electricity charges.

There will be no change to your existing billing arrangement, if you choose to continue buying electricity from SP Group at the regulated tariff.