A pensioner from Beyers Park recently reported to the Advertiser that he received an electricity bill for R8 000.
Upon further investigation, metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe said there are no details with regard to the pensioner.
However, concerning the possible high account, he said the metro has been using an interim levy for a number of years.
“It happens that, from time to time during the meter reading cycle, a meter reader cannot obtain a reading from an electricity or a water meter,” he explained.
“In such an instance, it would be senseless to levy zero consumption on the account of that specific meter.
“Instead, an interim amount will be levied, to prevent the account in question from being rendered with a zero amount in respect of the specific meter.
“Ideally, such an interim amount will be more or less the same as the actual monthly consumption measured for that meter from time to time. This is to ensure we can get a reasonably fair reflection of consumption.
“When a meter reading is obtained in the next reading cycle, the same account will then be billed for two meter reading periods.
“This means a resident can be billed double the amount of a normal monthly account, which is not beneficial to any affected client’s cash flow.
“Once the proper meter reading is obtained, all interim amounts levied since the previous reading for that specific meter will be reversed (credited) on the account in question.
“The metro re-calculates interim amounts per meter on a regular basis, to be in line with a specific client’s actual monthly consumption, for a specific meter, in respect of winter and summer months.
“However, this is not a perfect world and for various reasons consumption patterns may differ from time to time.”
