Insights · Water
A month of water billing, meter to M-Pesa
Follow one scheme of 640 connections through a full month - readings in the field, the review queue, the billing run, payments landing, the statement import, reminders, a repayment plan and the water balance at the end.
Joseph Gitonga · 4 min read
On this page 7 sections
A water billing cycle has six connected tasks: capture readings, review exceptions, calculate bills, record payments, follow up arrears and check reports. BillGrid brings those tasks into one workspace, but the team still needs to verify the records behind the numbers.
Illustrative example. Jay's scheme has 640 metered connections, two boreholes and four zones. It is a fictional operation used to explain the workflow. Figures and timings are assumptions, not a customer case study or measured savings.
The numbered days below describe the team's work sequence, not a requirement to bill a complete calendar month's consumption at its start. Use the actual reading dates and the correct billing period for your scheme.
Days 1 to 5: capture the readings
Readers open the field reader, choose their routes and record readings at the meters. A clear photo helps them check the number and provides evidence for a later query.
BillGrid supports offline manual capture and later syncing. Photo recognition needs a connection; the reader confirms or corrects the suggestion before saving. Check that all pending work has synced before relying on the office totals.
By the end of this example's first round, 611 meters are read and 29 are missed. The missed list includes locked gates and flooded chambers. Those accounts need a revisit rather than an estimated customer reading.
Days 6 and 7: review and revisit
Seventeen readings need review. The team checks the meter history and available evidence, approves fourteen and sends three back for a fresh read. A flag identifies something to investigate; it does not establish a leak or a meter fault on its own.
Readers revisit the three rejected readings and the 29 missed meters. All three re-reads are completed, along with 26 of the missed meters. That leaves 637 ready accounts and three still awaiting access.
Assign someone to follow up the remaining three and inform the customers of any billing delay. Why BillGrid avoids estimated readings explains the approach.
Day 8: calculate, review and send bills
Jay creates a billing run for the correct period, calculates it and reviews Needs attention. The tariffs and readings produce 637 bills totaling KES 812,350, an average of approximately KES 1,275.
The three accounts without readings remain unbilled. When access is obtained, their readings and charges are reviewed and they are billed for the appropriate period. They are not billed twice.
The office posts the checked bills and sends them through the enabled channels for each customer. It checks delivery status and messaging costs rather than assuming every customer received every message.
Days 8 to 16: check payments
Confirmed payments through the bill's pay page update the billing records. In this example, 214 bills are paid that way. The office checks the payment status and receipt before treating them as settled.
Other customers pay directly into the scheme's paybill. The office imports the business statement and reviews the proposed matches.
The 214 pay-page receipts also appear on this example's paybill statement and must not be recorded again. There are 351 proposed account matches and 22 rows needing attention. The team resolves fifteen as customer payments, records four confirmed advances as account credit and sets three non-customer rows aside. Seven further rows are other statement activity.
A matched row is not necessarily a fully paid bill: payments can be partial, settle older charges or leave credit. Use the allocations and account balances to establish what is still owed. The detailed routine is in reconciling M-Pesa paybill payments.
Day 18: follow up checked overdue balances
After reconciling receipts, the office reviews overdue accounts. For this example, 141 accounts are selected for reminders, including accounts with partial payments or older arrears. The team checks unresolved payment queries before sending.
One household has KES 6,400 of confirmed arrears. The treasurer discusses a six-month repayment schedule alongside the normal bill and sends the confirmed terms. Check the plan's protection and status before further collection action. See repayment plans for arrears.
Day 28: review possible service action
The office reviews 18 eligible accounts under the scheme's collection terms. Accounts protected by repayment plans are considered separately. The example count is not a built-in threshold or a reason to disconnect without the applicable notice and authorization.
If a customer pays before field action, check and update the service instruction. Record completed work and review any permitted reconnection charge before notifying the customer.
Day 30: check the completed period's reports
For an illustrative completed service period, the scheme records:
| Measure | Volume |
|---|---|
| Net system input | 12,000 m³ |
| Billed consumption across 640 accounts | 7,800 m³ |
| Non-revenue water | 4,200 m³, or 35% |
These figures assume the three late accounts have been billed and that the volumes cover corresponding reporting periods. If either condition is unmet, label the report provisional. Don't compare a full month's borehole input with a partially billed or differently dated reading cycle.
BillGrid's water balance report uses the supply volumes and billed consumption you record. Check completeness before giving it to the committee. Non-revenue water for small schemes explains how to investigate the difference without treating it all as recoverable cash.
Review billed charges, payments applied, credit and outstanding balances separately. That gives the committee a clearer picture than a single total of money received.
See water billing for the product, or collections for the payment and follow-up routine.