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SMART Water Meter

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions 

George Municipality continues to improve customer service delivery while reducing costly water losses, with the installation of SMART  water meters in the Blanco, Bos en Dal, Heather Park, Heatherlands, Groeneweide Park, Dormehlsdrift and George South areas.

The existing water meters have reached their end of life and need to be replaced to ensure accurate meter readings and detection of water leaks within the homeowner’s property. Challenges experienced by the George Municipality in the past with the original meters included unreliable billing data, infrequent and inconsistent account invoices and delivery, extended collection cycles and debit accumulation, inaccurate reporting of household’s consumption, vandalism, no access, excessive leaking and wastages.

The SMART Water meters which have an expected 15-year constant accuracy lifespan enable a multitude of benefits for both George Municipality and its citizens:

  • The smart water meters are not pre-paid and will not disconnect a consumer’s water supply.
  • The meter reading and billing cycle is automated.
  • Daily water usage and trend analysis can be monitored,
  • and importantly leak and burst alarm notifications enable consumers to better control and manage their water consumption.
  • The SMART water meters also enable George Municipality to react faster to water losses and provide a holistic view of the city’s water usage.

PROCESS OF INSTALLATION 

  • Homeowners will be issued a pre-installation notice together with a flow chart, 1 – 2 days before installation by the Contractor.
  • The contractor will request and arrange property access for installation of the new stop valve and removal of old meter if installed inside the property.
  • The excavation team will locate, excavate and expose the old pipes. Property access might be required from the resident.
  • The property water will be closed off (Maximum 2 hours) and the old meter is removed once it’s meter reading has been recorded.
  • The new SMART Water Meter is installed, and the serial number is written on the meter box. Property access is required for the stop valve installation.
  • Water is restored to the property and the pipework is left exposed for 1-2 days for inspection and approval by Engineer.
  • Once the inspection is completed, the reinstatement team will backfill around the meter, pipework and restore the property to original condition within one (1) week of approval.
  • The contractor leaves a pamphlet for the resident containing the serial number of the new SMART Water Meter at the premises.
  • The resident can now choose to register the new SMART Water Meter on the smartphone application Ontec George Home App or via the website link https://george.ontec.co.za/index.html.
  • Ontec will integrate the meter with the  municipal account – the resident does not have to take any action.

REGISTRATION TO ACCESS YOUR HOUSEHOLD’S SMART METER DATA

Residents will have access to George Home online at http://george.ontec.co.za and George Home smartphone application to track their own daily water consumption, respond to leakage alerts and manage multiple meters in one space. As the resident you will receive high usage warnings via SMS and Email and the near real-time consumption allows you to understand exactly where and when you are using water right now.

  • Please proceed to register your smart water meter by following this link to the SMART WATER METER Registration Page or by downloading the George Home App from Google Play Store or iStore.
  • The George Home App will guide you on the steps to be taken to register.
  • Detailed instructions are provided on the pamphlet which is left at the home, or you can follow the Five Easy Steps listed below:

REGISTER IN 5 EASY STEPS

  1. Go to george.ontec.co.za and select Customer Registration.
  2. Enter your details, read and agree to the Terms and Conditions and select the Register Button.
  3. An activation email will be sent to the email address specified.
  4. Click on the Activate my George Home Account link in the email received.
  5. Activate your SMART Water Meter
    a) Go to My Profile > My Meters
    b) Enter the above Meter Number at Add a Meter and Search.
    c) Confirm details, complete the additional details and select ADD.

ONTEC REGISTERS YOUR NEW WATER METER TO ACTIVATE THE INTEGRATION WITH THE MUNICIPAL BILLING SYSTEM

  1. Once installed, integration of the meter with the account is completed. George Municipality Accounts updates the meter number and the account data of the resident. OnTec submits information to municipal Accounts department to link the new SMART water with the customer’s account and the customer is then billed correctly via municipal billing system.
  2.  To ensure that billing is undertaken correctly and accurately, please expect to see Meter Readers come through to check the SMART water meter readings during the changeover process until the integration of the billing system with the electronic meter data is complete.

George Municipality acknowledges that some residents have faced difficulties during the implementation of the SMART water meter project and remains proactive in responding to residents’ concerns.

SMART WATER METER BILLING EXPLAINED – METER READING INTERVAL PERIOD
Once your SMART Water Meter has been installed you may note that your municipal account reflects a higher-than-normal level of water consumption which results in higher billing charges. This is caused by the change in the meter reading interval period, from the old meter to the new meters. To address this challenge, George Municipality has implemented a maximum interval period of 35 days.  This interval period will be applied for a number of months until the interval period is aligned to the monthly reading date of the 10th of each month. This will prevent higher consumption charges due to the rising block tariff.

OLD METER READING 
After installation, there is an administrative changeover which links the SMART Water Meter to your account. In isolated cases some consumers with a SMART Water Meter have been billed on an estimate of the old meter where this changeover has not taken place yet.

To ensure that billing is undertaken correctly and accurately, please expect to see Meter Readers still come through to check the SMART water meter readings during the changeover process until the integration of the billing system with the electronic meter data is complete.

WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO RECONCILE MY ACCOUNT TO THE CONSUMPTION READINGS ON MY SMART WATER METER?
This process might take up to 3 months or longer, this is due to the administrative changeover process after installation until the integration of the billing system with the electronic meter data is completed.

WHAT IF I WAS ALREADY BILLED AT A HIGHER-THAN-NORMAL CONSUMPTION DUE TO A LONGER INTERVAL PERIOD?
Please contact our Finance Department for assistance in rectifying your billing, on 044 801 9111 or 072 501 1843 after hours or e-mail accounts@george.gov.za

  • For queries related to the smart meter registration process please contact Ontec at 044 873 5474 or follow this link to the SMART WATER METER Registration Page 
  • For any queries related to meter readings and billing please contact George Municipality Financial department at 044 801 9111 or 072 501 1843 after hours or e-mail accounts@george.gov.za.
  • For complaints/compliments, please contact George Municipality at 044 801 9260/9262