Engen Highveld One Stop recovers an unapplied municipal credit.

In January 2024, the City of Ekurhuleni's metering contractor confirmed that 220,692 kWh had to be credited to Engen Highveld One Stop. A year later, the credit still had not been applied. Augos found it, quantified the claim and prepared it for the client. The City re-billed September to December 2023, cutting the charges for those months from R1,274,797.68 to R897,445.00 ex VAT, a difference of R377,352.68 ex VAT, and the client confirmed the refund appeared on its bill.

What was the situation?

Engen Highveld One Stop is a fuel site on the R21 highway in the City of Ekurhuleni, trading as Highveld Engen. Its November 2023 bill was far above the consumption the site had measured. In January 2024, the City's metering contractor confirmed that 220,692 kWh had to be credited to the account.

Confirmation is not the same as a credit on the bill. By January 2025, a year later, the credit had not been applied. The site was still carrying the overbilling.

What did Augos do?

The client engaged Augos in January 2025 for tariff and billing analysis. In working through the account history, Augos:

• identified that the confirmed credit had never been applied;
• quantified the claim; and
• prepared the claim for the client to submit to the City.

What did the City of Ekurhuleni confirm?

The City's rebill workings, dated 26 June 2025, re-billed September to December 2023 on Tariff C:

• Original charges reversed: R1,274,797.68 ex VAT
• Charges re-billed: R897,445.00 ex VAT
• Difference between the two: R377,352.68 ex VAT

The client confirmed that the refund appeared on its bill. Both figures come from the City's own workings, not from an Augos estimate.

Why can a confirmed credit go unapplied?

A written confirmation does not change the bill by itself. Unless someone compares what was confirmed with what was billed, an acknowledged credit can stay off the account, as it did here for a year. A claim that sets out the confirmation, the months and the kWh gives the municipality something specific to act on.

The next billing issue: a catch-up rebill

The account did not stay clean. In October 2025, Augos's bill verification looked at the City's catch-up rebill for 15 April to 30 November 2024, a period billed on estimated readings. The rebill charged 952,296 kWh. Consumption measured by Augos over the same period was lower: the rebill exceeded it by 93,657.72 kWh, or 10.91%. Augos recommended that the client dispute it.

Estimated readings followed by large catch-up rebills, wrong voltage bands and acknowledged credits that are never applied are billing pitfalls Augos has seen on City of Ekurhuleni accounts. The Much Asphalt case includes a wrong voltage band.

What comes next: the tariff

Billing accuracy and tariff choice are separate questions. Augos also recommended moving the site from Tariff C to Tariff E, the City's time-of-use tariff, with a projected saving of approximately R285,000 a year (an Augos projection). The client requested Tariff E on 19 November 2025, and its head office has confirmed the change. No bill on the new tariff was on file when this page was written, so no saving is claimed here.

What to check on your own site

• Has the municipality ever confirmed a credit or correction in writing? Check that it actually appears on a bill.
• Are any recent bills based on estimated readings? Expect a catch-up rebill and check it against measured data.
• Compare billed kWh with an independent meter for the same dates, not just month to month.
• Check the tariff and voltage band on every bill.
• Keep every piece of correspondence: claims are settled on documents.

Tariff analysis and bill verification are core to what Augos does. See how tariff optimisation works, or read how electricity tariffs work. To review your own sites, book a demo or call 087 093 6174.