Water charges and water consumption
In buildings with apartment-specific water meters, the tenant usually pays a water charge according to their water consumption. If there is no apartment-specific water meter, water is included in the rent.
Water charges
Water included in the rent
If there is no apartment-specific water meter, water is included in the rent. In some properties the water is included in the rent. The use of water is included in the rental amount in the rent calculation. This means that the rent in these properties is slightly higher than it would be if the water was billed separately. Thus, the resident does not use the water free of charge but pays for the water in connection with his rent according to the average water consumption.
Water charge based on consumption
If your water charge based on consumption, your home has two water meters: one for cold water and one for hot water. Hot water is more expensive because the cost of heating the water is added to the price. Billing prices change every year, and you can check them below.
- Price of cold domestic water 4,45 € / m²
- Price of hot domestic water 9,00 € / m²
- Price of cold domestic water 4,67 € / m²
- Price of hot domestic water 9,20 € / m²
Some apartments have a display where the residents can monitor their own water consumption. Please note that the consumption data is not updated on the display in real time and may have a 15-minute delay.
The water consumption data is transferred from the meters to Heka’s invoicing and to a system that allows us to monitor water consumption and the meters’ operation. Your water bills are sent monthly, and they include information on consumption and water costs. In some apartments, a water prepayment is included in the rent, which is later adjusted with a separate water bill.
Monthly water bill
You will be sent a separate water bill according to your actual consumption on a monthly basis. We have sent additional information about water billing to all tenants subject to monthly water billing on December 2023.
The water consumption for example January will be invoiced in February, and the invoice will be due in March.
Please note that in January 2024 you will receive a water bill for the period October–December 2023. If you receive a credit note and have no debt, you can deduct the credit amount from your next month’s rent.
The advance water charge is 15 euros per month per tenant
Consumption-based water billing uses advance invoicing. An advance water charge of €15/person/month will be added to the rent invoice, based on the number of occupants listed in the register of occupants. For example, the advance water charge for a family of four will be 4 x 15 euros, i.e. a total of 60 euros a month.
The advance water charge is invoiced based on the number of occupants recorded in the register of occupants. If there are changes to the number of occupants, e.g. someone in your household has moved out, or a baby is born into the family, you need to inform Heka of these changes on the Resident Portal.
If an underage child registered as living in the apartment lives in the apartment only some of the time (every other week, for example), the advance water payment can be halved for the children. Request halving of the advance water payment via the Resident Portal, for example.
Advance water payments cannot be interrupted for the duration of a holiday or a longer period of time spent away from home.
Balance invoicing is every three months
We will send you a balancing invoice every three months, in which the advance you have paid will be taken into consideration. The billing rhythm:
- January-March, billing in April
- April-June, billing in July
- July-September, billing in October
- October-December, billing in January.
Refunding of advance water payment
If the consumption of water during the invoicing period is lower than the paid advance water payment, the difference will be refunded to the resident.
If you do not have rent or other debt to be paid to Heka, you can deduct the refund from your next month’s rent.
If at the time of invoicing, you have rent or other debt to be paid to Heka, we will transfer the refund to cover it.
If you do not deduct the refund from your rent yourself, you can request that the excess you have paid be returned to your account once the refundable sum is over EUR 10.
If the consumption of water during the invoicing period is higher than the advance water payment, we will invoice you for the share not paid in the advance payment every three months with so-called balance invoices i.e. water bills.
If you do not have rent or other debt to be paid to Heka, you can deduct the refund from your next month’s rent.
If the refund sum in the credit note has not automatically reduced the sum in the next month’s e-invoice, deduct the refund sum from your usual rent in your online bank.
If you pay the rent monthly in your online bank, deduct the refund sum from the total sum you would pay normally.
At your request, we can pay a refund of at least EUR 10 directly to your account Provide us with your account number in the Resident Portal (Settings – My information) and submit a refund request (Messages – New message). The money will be returned in about a week if your bank account information is correct in Heka’s database.
We do not pay interest on the refund.
How to read your water bill
Your water bill contains a section that tells you the billing period, the time the bill covers, the amounts and prices of cold and hot water used and the total charge. The price of hot water is higher because it includes the cost of heating the water.
Sometimes water consumption data is not passed on in the systems and there is a delay in billing. If that happens, a bill for one month may not be issued, and you may receive a bill for two months the following month.
As with other meters, a water meter can make a measuring error. A large portion of water meters are mechanical. They wear out over time, and sediment can accumulate in them. As a result, the meter will show a consumption that is too low. It is rare for a correctly installed water meter to show a consumption that is too high.
If you suspect an error in your water bill, please first monitor your household’s water consumption. Time your showers and count the number of times you use your washing machine. Think about all the things you use water for. Also think back to possible changes in your water use or if you had any overnight guests during the billing period, for example.
If you still suspect that there is an error in your bill, please contact Heka’s customer service, for example via the Resident Portal. When making contact, please specify which bill and dates you are referring to and how you have monitored your water consumption.
Individual water consumption varies widely and can be influenced to a large extent. It is worth paying attention to how frequent and how long your showers are, and whether the water is kept running while not being used. Savings can often be made quickly and easily.
An example calculation of a three-person household’s water consumption and costs, assuming a daily use of 120 litres per person. With the 2025 prices, their water bill is €66.
The family decide to save on water. They reduce their showering times by a couple of minutes each, and consumption drops to 100 litres per person per day. By also saving hot water at the same time, their monthly bill drops by more than €10 to €53.
Their total saving is €156 per year.
Water consumption
Although the price per litre of water is low, water consumption over the course of a year is a significant expense that also affects Heka’s rents. The energy required to heat water also adds to the cost. Reducing water usage and choosing cold water over hot water help to lower the costs associated with water consumption.
According to a 2020 study, the average daily water consumption per person in blocks of flats and terraced houses is 120 litres per person.
Most of the water is used for hygiene, i.e. showers. So, the biggest savings come from reducing your shower times.
Avoid long showers
A 10-minute shower uses about 120 litres of water. This is equal to 12 buckets of water, of which five buckets are hot water and the rest are cold. Hot water is about twice as expensive as cold water because the cost of the energy to heat it up is added to the price.
- Through small actions, you can reduce that amount considerably:
- Shorten your shower time and do not linger.
- Instruct children on shower times.
- Do not run the water at full power.
- Turn off the tap while soaping and use water only for rinsing.
- Do not use the shower to warm up. Use lukewarm water, which also feels warm.
Do not run water unnecessarily
- Do not leave the tap running when you are not using the water, for example when brushing your teeth.
- If you brush your teeth for two minutes, you will waste 12 litres of water – more than a bucketful.
Dishwashers use 2–5 times less water than hand washing
- If you have a dishwasher, avoid washing up by hand.
- If you wash dishes by hand, wash them in the sink, not under running water.
- Avoid the unnecessary rinsing of dishes before putting them in the machine.
Wash full loads
Washing clothes uses cold water, because the machine heats the water it needs with electricity. However, you can save water by doing laundry wisely:
- Wash full loads in the washing machine.
- Air your clothes out and extend the washing intervals.
- Choose a shorter, cooler cycle for clothes that are not very dirty.
Leaking taps and toilets consume a surprising amount of water.
- A dripping faucet with a leak rate of 50 ml per minute leaks 500 litres in a week.
- A leaky tap can also consume hot water, which is more expensive.
- A running toilet that leaks half a litre per minute wastes over 5,000 litres in a week.
Report leaking water fixtures as soon as you notice them. You can report a fault either by logging in to OmaHeka Resident Portal or without logging in by using an online form.
Maintenance and repair work carried out on the property or in the water supply network may disturb the water supply. Maintenance and repair work on the heat distribution can disturb the supply of hot water. If there is no water coming out of the tap and you have not been notified of the water supply cut in advance, proceed as follows:
- Check the resident page to see if there is information about the water supply cut and instructions for what to do during the interruption.
- The distribution of cold water is the responsibility of the Helsinki Region Environmental Services HSY. Go to HSY web page to see if there is a disturbance in cold water distribution in your area. From there, you can also see where the possible temporary water supply point is located.
- If the water coming out of the tap is only cold and not warm, this is probably due to a disturbance in heat distribution. Wait for the disturbance to end.
Tips and advice for smart water use at home: