One-third of Winnipeg utility bills are estimated
A common reason people wait on hold with the Utility Billing Centre is because they received an estimated bill.
Approximately one-third of Winnipeg residents currently receive estimated utility bills.
How estimated bills work
When you don’t provide a meter reading, our system generates an estimate of your water use. The estimate is based on:
- Your water consumption during the same time last year
- Your last utility bill
- The average use for your customer category (i.e., single-family homes)
If there’s no previous data to rely on, the system bases your bill purely on general consumption patterns for your category, which may not reflect your actual usage.
That means you might be billed more or less than what you should be paying. This creates uncertainty and potential billing issues.
You can avoid unnecessary payments or refunds by keeping your bills accurate. We strongly recommend submitting a water meter reading every quarter. Do it every time you get a notice card in the mail or an email reminder. Here’s why:
- You will only pay for the water you use. If your bills are estimated lower than your actual usage, you will get a big catch-up bill later. This is to pay for the water you used but weren’t billed for.
- You can catch plumbing leaks early. Unexplained spikes in usage can be a red flag. Submitting regular readings can help you catch leaks early and avoid high costs.
- Your estimates become more accurate. If you missed a meter reading, a history of regular submissions improves the reliability of our estimate.
- You can avoid having to request a refund. Overestimated bills often lead to overpayments and refunds can take time to process.
How to submit a water meter reading
Every household needs to submit at least one accurate water meter reading a year, but we recommend submitting quarterly before each bill. It’s easy to do using our submit a water meter reading form on MyUtility. You can also call our automated line at 204-986-4445.
To read the water meter:
- Make sure you have the meter number. You can find it on your meter reading card or on your MyUtility account.
- Locate the water meter. It is normally found in the basement or in a crawl space.
- Lift the lid if the meter has one.
- When you read the meter, write down every number from left to right exactly as it appears on the ‘odometer style’ display of the meter’s dial. This includes all zeros at the beginning and the black number(s) at the end.
Submit your reading as soon as you can after reading your meter.
With MyUtility, you can also manage your utility account online. After you sign up for an account, you can:
- Get your bills quicker with paperless billing
- Check your current balance
- See your bill payment due date
- Set up pre-authorized payments
- Track how much water you’re using and find leaks faster
- Request a new water meter if we let you know a replacement is needed.
