Metering Options

Learn about the types of meters and metering options, if you intend to buy electricity from a retailer.
 

• Most residential premises today use cumulative meters to measure electricity consumption. SP Group sends meter readers to your premises to record your electricity usage from cumulative meters.
• Cumulative meters are read once every two months. On the month where your meter is not read, SP Group will estimate the month’s consumption based on a methodology approved by the Energy Market Authority.

• Advanced meters, also known as smart meters or Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters, allow electricity consumption to be measured at half-hourly intervals.
• Consumers with advanced meters can view their half-hourly electricity usage on the SP App.
• There are two types of AMI meters – single-phase and three-phase. The type of meter required for your premises depends on your premises’ voltage intake level. Residential consumers typically require single-phase AMI meters.
• To empower households to use electricity more efficiently, advanced meters will be installed across Singapore by 2026. SP Group will notify you in advance via mail when your advanced meter is scheduled to be installed at your premises.

You can contact SP Group at choice@spgroup.com.sg or 1800-233-8000 to find out which type of meter is installed at your premises.

If you are eligible to switch to a retailer, the following metering options are available:

• Load Profile Metering Option

Retain your existing meter while signing up for a time of use plan. Your meter will continue to be read once every two months. A load profile will be used to estimate your half-hourly consumption for billing purposes. Learn more about the load profile in the section below. 

• Advanced Metering Option

Install an advanced meter* and be billed based on your actual consumption on a half-hourly basis. A meter installation fee (inclusive of prevailing GST) will be chargeable. Details are available under Market Support Service Charges. Consumers who are on an advanced metering option can also view and download their half-hourly electricity usage when they sign up for an e-Services account.

*If you have an advanced meter installed prior to switching to a retailer, you can choose to be billed based on i) your actual half-hourly consumption or ii) a load profile at no additional cost. Please check with your retailer for more details.
 

You can continue to retain your existing meter, or install an advanced meter when switching to a retailer. Please check with your retailer on the cost, if any, of installing an advanced meter.

As at end September 2019, about 290,000 advanced meters have been deployed at households across Singapore. The remaining 1.1 million households will have advanced meters installed by 2025. Learn more about this initiative here.
 

EMA has developed a load profile of the average household in Singapore. This load profile can be applied to the monthly electricity consumption of a household to derive your estimated half-hourly electricity consumption for billing purposes. EMA will periodically update the load profile to ensure that it remains reflective of the average household’s consumption.

Based on EMA’s study, households exhibit similar consumption patterns. As such, having a Load Profile is suitable for all households regardless of dwelling types. On the other hand, having a Load Profile is not feasible for businesses as they have different consumption patterns depending on the nature of their business.

Here is a diagram showing the load profile of an average household.