How to read your bill

Balance

The balance is the difference between estimated and actual consumption. In the balance bill, service charges are calculated on the the difference between the consumption values of two actual meter readings taken by Gruppo CAP or communicated by the customer. The amounts previously paid with down payment bills are deducted and the amount shown on the balance bill is the balance to be paid, if any. In the event that the down payments made were greater than the amount due, the balance bill will have a negative total (negative bill) which will either be credited in the next bill or refunded by transfer to the bank account to be indicated by the customer.

Billing intervals

This is the annual frequency bills are issued. According to current legislation, the billing intervals are established based on average annual consumption and are divided into the following brackets:

• 2 bills per year, every six months, for average annual consumption of up to 100 cubic metres;
• 3 bills per year, every four months, for average annual consumption of 101 to 1000 cubic metres;
• 4 bills per year, every three months, for average annual consumption of 1001 cubic metres to 3000 cubic metres;
• 6 bills per year, every two months, for average consumption of more than 3000 cubic metres.

The interval applied involves a greater number of bills, up to six per year, than that required by the law.

Consumption billed in the period

This the water consumption in cubic metres that you are paying with your bill. It is your actual consumption in the period plus the estimated consumption for the current bill minus the estimated consumption already invoiced in the previous bills. 

Contacts

These are all the contact channels available for you to get in touch with Gruppo CAP.

Contract code

This is identifier of your supply contract.

Cubic metre

Unit of measurement used for water consumption. One cubic metre is equivalent to 1,000 litres.

Customer code

This is the code that groups all utilities (if you have more than one) associated with your tax code or VAT ID number. 

Detail of outstanding bills

This is the list of outstanding bills.

Direct debiting

This is a free option that allows your bank to settle your bills directly. You can settle your bills via www.gruppocap.it, accessing your personal area, or by sending the SEPA form included in your bill, duly completed and signed, to adesionisepa@gruppocap.it.

Emergency service

Inefficiencies or faults may be reported by calling the technical emergency service at the free phone number 800.175.571, available 24/7. 

Equalisation charges

These are charges to be borne by water service customers and determined by the Regulatory Authority (ARERA) for offsetting costs incurred in the general interest of the system, such as costs relating to pricing concessions in favour of users located in municipalities damaged by seismic events (UI1), costs for the promotion the quality of the service (UI2), costs for the promotion of the technical quality of the integrated water service (Ui2), costs for improving the quality of the integrated water service (Ui2 int), costs for the equalisation of the costs for social water bonus disbursement (UI3), costs for covering the management costs of the Guarantee Fund for water works (UI4).

Estimated consumption

This is the water consumption in cubic metres that is estimated when there are no operator readings or user self-readings. It is calculated by applying your average daily consumption to the number of days in the estimated period.

Fixed fee

This is the amount charged on the bill irrespective of user consumption; it is applied per each individual service provided (water, sewage and purification). It covers part of the fixed costs that the operator incurs to provide these services. For domestic users, a fixed daily fee per person is charged based on the number of resident household members, up to a maximum of three persons per housing unit. For non-domestic users, it is calculated as a fixed fee in €/day, while for condominium users it is applied according to both the number and intended use of the building units and the number of residents. For non-domestic users, it is calculated based on the diameter of the meter.

Hidden leak protection

In addition to the minimum legal protection, you can subscribe the hidden loss protection, which provides additional protection in the event of excessive consumption caused by hidden leaks from the private network. In the event of a hidden leak, the subscriber of the Hidden Leak Protection will be only charged a 30% deductible.  Customer choosing the Online Bill option gets Hidden Leak Protection coverage for free.

Historical averaged daily consumption

This is the monitoring of user consumption. The graph considers balance readings, so it is based on actual consumption.

Integrated water service

It is the combination of water, sewage and water treatment services. Payable fees for the three services are included in the bill.

Integrated water service charter

This is a document required by current legislation. In this document, the operator undertakes to comply with the quality standards that set maximum times for providing the main services. Should the operator fail to comply with one of the standards, the customer is entitled to a compensation which will be credited in their bill. You may request a copy of the Charter by writing to assistenza.clienti@gruppocap.it

Meter serial number

This is the identifier of your water meter. Each water meter has a unique serial number.

Minimum number of readings per year

Gruppo CAP ensures the performance of operator readings of user consumption and makes at least the following operator reading attempts:

• 2 attempts per year for users with an average annual consumption of up to 3,000 cubic metres;
• 3 attempts per year for users with an average annual consumption of more than 3,000 cubic meters.

The calendar of scheduled operator readings is regularly published on CAP Group’s website. In the event of a meter not being accessible, CAP personnel in charge of operator readings will deliver you a sheet for you to record your self-reading. You always have the option of periodically reporting your self-reading.

Minimum protection

This is the protection envisaged by Regulatory Authority ARERA. In the event of hidden leaks, it ensures the entire surplus is corrected with reference to the average sewage and purification consumption fees. For the aqueduct fee, the customer is charged a 30% deductible calculated at the full price, and the remaining 70% is calculated at a price equal to half of the user's base price.

MyCAP App

This is CAP's free APP. It allows you to manage your water supply quickly and easily. You can keep track of your consumption and report your self-readings. You can display and check the water label of your municipality and use geolocation to find the water kiosks nearest to you.

Online bill

This is a free service that allows you to receive your bills via e-mail as attachments. If you choose the online bill option you will get free subscription to the Hidden Leak Protection and help protect the environment. 

Paying by instalments

The bill amount can be divided into instalments. The request to pay by instalments must be submitted within ten days of the due date of the bill by writing to rateizzazioni@gruppocap.it

Payment methods

List of all methods available for you to pay your bills (e.g., PagoPA, CBILL, etc.).

Payment status

It specifies whether your payments are regular or you have outstanding bills. Late payment of the bill results in interest being charged, while non-payment may lead, in some cases, to the supply being interrupted.

Reading detected

Is the meter readings taken by personnel appointed by Gruppo CAP, who record the consumption value shown by the meter on the date of the reading.

Security deposit paid

This is the amount paid as a security deposit to guarantee the payment of your bills. The initial security deposit and any annual adjustments are spread over two bills, starting with the first bill following the activation of the service and the bill with the annual recalculation. The security deposit is equal to the payable fees for maximum three months of historical consumption and is adjusted every year.

Self-reading

For your bill to reflect your consumption in a more realistic way, you may regularly perform a reading of your meter by yourself. You find an explanation of the ways and timing for performing the self-reading and sending us the reading results in every bill. 

Sewage system

The sewage service collects and conveys waste water through the sewage system to the waste water treatment plant. The fee charged for the sewage service includes a fixed part that is independent of user consumption and a variable part (€/m3) that is applied on the cubic metres of water consumed by the user.

Shipping data

It is the address we send your bill to and may be different from your billing address.

Sundry charges and credits

These are amounts that charged or credited to users for reasons other than water supply, sewerage and purification services or the fixed fee. They may refer, e.g., to default interests or compensation under the Integrated Water Service Charter. The bill must always show what sundry charges and credits refer to; VAT may apply or not depending on the type of charges or credits.

Supply data

This is the billing address (where the meter is located).

Unique identification code

This is the identifier of your supply address (where the meter is located).

Variable fee

It is calculated by consumption brackets based on per capita consumption determined as a function of the number of resident household members. It is determined as 33 cubic metres per year at a subsidised price per resident (about 90 litres per day).
It is organised as follows: 

• One subsidised price bracket (resident domestic use and condominium use only);
• One basic tariff bracket; 
• Three surplus brackets.

Villoresi reclamation fee

This is a fee that is charged in the user bill and subsequently credited to Consorzio di Bonifica Est Ticino Villoresi (reclamation consortium), when applicable pursuant to Regional Law 31/2008 Art. 90 para. 7. This fee is used to finance the activities of the consortium, i.e., distribution and management of irrigation water, participation in environmental protection and preservation of the hydraulic system, including groundwater replenishment. For more information visit www.etvilloresi.it.

Waste water treatment

Waste water treatment is a service that uses special plants to treat sewage water to make it compatible with environment so that it can be returned to the waterways. The fee charged for the sewage service includes a fixed part that is independent of user consumption and a variable part (€/m3) that is applied to the cubic metres of water consumed by the user. Relevant information with reference to Art. 8 of the Ministerial Decree of 30/09/2009 on user supplies served by a treatment plant is available on www.gruppocap.it.

Water bonus

It is the share of the social water bonus credited in your bill. In order to obtain it, every year you must submit a Dichiarazione Sostitutiva Unica (‘single self-declaration’) and obtain an ISEE (‘equivalent economic situation indicator’) certificate. The water bonus application MUST NOT be sent to Gruppo CAP.

Water label

This is the water potability certificate of your municipality. The table shows the analyses and values of the main chemical, physical and microbiological parameters.