Electricity & water

Water 💧

Bagamoya, like a lot of older apartment blocks, has a single municipal pipe providing water to the entire building. The meter for this is on Brunswick street at the back, under a manhole cover on the sidewalk.

The cost of water is currently just divided between all of the units, regardless of consumption, since it isn’t currently possible to measure the water use of each individual unit.

The city inspectors have access to read our water meter and bill us the appropriate amount.

Werner tracks our water usage (from our CoCT bills) to look for sudden spikes in average daily usage, which could indicate an issue.

Tracked here⁠

(The monthly average that each flat paid for water for 2024 was R131 per month and for 2025 it was R181 p/m. Even though it means some are subsidising others’ water, the labour effort and cost of getting individual water meters installed and individual water use billed to the individuals apartments would be high.)

Electricity ⚡️

Electricity room

The electricity room is on the ground floor, next to unit 3. The key is in the lock box. Code 1995.

Electricity is fed from the municipality to the electricity room, from where it is divided to the individual units (and the common property). Also in this room are a ladder, garden tools, and other things that Farrington uses on the property.

Werner installed a motion-detection light (since the light in this room used to be on 24/7 as there isn’t a light switch)

Electricity readings

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The top half in the photo above shows the electricity readings for each unit, the bottom half has the breakers to turn off electricity in the individual flats. Also, a mains switch to turn off all electricity for the block in case of maintenance, leakage, or other emergency.

Once a month one of the owners (thanks, Melani!) sends a photo of this to both the Bagamoya WhatsApp group and to Steer, who calculates and charges the amounts due to each unit, including the common use areas.

Setting the on-off times of the corridor lights

The on-off timer for the corridor lights is on the bottom left of the panel.

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Here, it is set to turn on at 18:00 and turn off at 06:00. This can be adjusted seasonally, based on the times for sunrise and sunset. The inner most dial shows the current time; turn it to make sure it is accurate. To turn on all corridor lights (for instance during the day, while the timer is off), turn the small ON/OFF dial at the top right of the timer switch.

Council meter readings

The City of Cape Town currently bills our electricity usage based on estimates and moving averages, rather than actual meter readings. As a result, the amount we are charged each month may be higher or lower than the electricity actually consumed by the twelve units and common property during that period.

Over time, these differences should balance out once actual meter readings are taken. However, it’s important to note that if we have been over-billed for several consecutive months, our cash flow may appear reduced during that period. When the City eventually reconciles the account based on real readings, our statement should reflect a credit for any over-payments.

How to get the council to come in to do readings

The council can come and do meter readings on request: on (Cell/Whatsapp) 074 268 8381 / Email Jeremy.Ackerman@capetown.gov.za. You will need to arrange for a date and a time to be present to open up for them. The council meter is not in our electricity room (that is the sub-meter), but it is around the corner, next to the staircase by the electricity room (on the exterior of the building). Council has a tool to open it up, but you can also use needle-nosed pliers.

How to send photos to council so they don’t need to come in

Open up the council meter box as explained above, and take a photo.

Use the following email address: electricity.meterreading@capetown.gov.za or phone 021 444 8432/8478/1554 or WhatsApp to 060 368 6804 / 083 387 5573 to send your monthly electricity readings.

Eg:

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Our details with the council

Our municipal account details with CoCT that you need to include in your email/Whatsapp message

Account: 112590157

Meter no: 237339

Building: Bagamoya

Address: 3 Brunswick Road, Tamboerskloof, 8001

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