Water bill analysis to prove a leak: baseline, jumps and waste from a photo of the bill
The customer calls and says “the bill is through the roof”. Before the visit you need to know: is it a sudden jump or a gradual rise? Does it continue up to the latest month? And how many extra cubic metres have they paid for? A water bill analysis based on fixed rules gives you these answers, and gives the customer a figure they can understand.
In this guide you will learn the rules used by the Water Bill Analyzer in Kashf Pro: the usual consumption is the median of the lowest 3 months, a jump is more than 1.5 times that, and from there come the unexplained excess and its estimated cost. You will also learn when these rules can mislead you, and what to do next after each verdict.
What is the Water Bill Analyzer and what does it give you?
It is a tool in the Kashf Pro app that reads a photo of the bill and extracts the consumption history for previous months from the chart or table: the month name, consumption in cubic metres, and the amount if shown.
The reading uses AI, but the analysis afterwards is deterministic, using fixed formulas. You get a bar chart with jumps in red and the usual consumption as a dashed line, and four figures: the usual level, the unexplained excess, its estimated cost and the latest month compared with the usual level, plus a written verdict.
Who is this tool for?
- Leak detection technicians who want to understand the case before the visit and convince the customer with numbers.
- Booking staff at a detection company, to triage urgent cases.
- Facility managers who follow the bills of several units.
Homeowners will find a simpler tool in the high water bill guide.
When do you use it?
- At the customer's first call: ask for a photo of the bill on WhatsApp and analyse it before booking the appointment.
- Before the meter test: to know whether to expect a continuous or an intermittent leak.
- In the report: to document the size and cost of the excess next to the inspection result.
- Months after the repair: to prove consumption has returned to normal.
Where do you use it?
Anywhere, because the tool only needs a photo: in the office, in the car before a visit, or at the customer's home. It is built for Saudi water bills that show the consumption history for previous months, whether paper bills or screenshots from the utility's app. Bills from other countries can be read if they show a monthly history in cubic metres, but the cost estimate uses the Saudi residential tariff.
What do you need before you start?
- A Kashf Pro account: a free trial once per mobile number, then a plan or usage credits. Limits are shown on the plans page.
- A complete, clear photo of the bill showing the consumption chart or table.
- At least 3 months visible in the history, ideally 6 to 12.
- Information from the customer: were they travelling? Has the number of occupants grown? Is there a garden or a pool? These change how jumps should be read.
How to use it correctly, step by step
Water Bill AnalyzerSubscription — free trial available
You photograph the bill and the AI extracts up to 24 months of history; it is not asked to invent figures that are not shown. If fewer than 3 months are visible, the tool refuses to analyse and asks you to photograph the part containing the chart or table.
Month order: the reading is asked to return months from oldest to newest, with month and year. If every label is understood (such as “March 2025”, “2025-03” or Hijri months with their year), the server re-sorts them chronologically itself.
After reading, the analysis follows fixed rules:
1. Usual consumption (baseline): exclude zero months (vacancy or estimated readings), sort the rest from lowest to highest, take the lowest 3 and use their median, the middle one. If every month is zero, “No consumption recorded in the visible history — the usual level cannot be determined” appears.
2. Jump: any month whose consumption is more than 1.5 times the usual level.
3. Unexplained excess: the sum of (jump month consumption − usual level) across all jump months.
4. Estimated cost: for each jump month, the value of its consumption on the residential tariff bands minus the value of the usual consumption on the same bands, including wastewater and VAT, then the total. The bands are those configured in the site's water bill calculator (by default the Saudi residential tariff below), not the bill's average price.
5. Price per cubic metre on the bill: kept for reference only when amounts are shown, and not used in the cost.
6. Latest month vs usual: (latest month − usual) ÷ usual × 100.
The verdict:
- No jumps: “Consumption stable — no jumps that indicate a leak in the history”.
- Two or more jumps and the latest month is still a jump: “Consecutive jumps continuing to the latest month — a continuous leak is likely; a meter test is recommended now”.
- Otherwise: “Isolated jump or jumps — may be seasonal use or an intermittent leak; test the meter”.
Steps for correct use
- Photograph the whole bill
Open /pro/app/#/tool/bill and tap 📷 Photograph the bill. Shoot it flat and in good light, and make sure the consumption chart or table is visible with its figures and month names. A screenshot from the water utility's app also works.
- Wait for the reading and analysis
“…Reading and analysing” appears. If you see “The bill is unreadable” or “Not enough consumption history visible”, retake the photo closer to the history section. Each session allows two reading requests.
- Check the figures that were read
Compare the bars and month names on the chart with the original bill. Make sure the months run from oldest to newest, because the tool treats the last month in the list as the most recent. The server sorts them chronologically itself whenever the year is shown with each month; months without a year stay in the order they were read.
- Read the verdict and question the customer
Look at the red bars, the four figures and the verdict. Ask the customer about each jump month: were they travelling just before? Did they have guests? Was a garden watered or a pool filled? Was there an estimated reading followed by an actual one?
- Test the meter, then save
If jumps appear, a ⏱ Test the meter now button opens the meter tool. Then tap 💾 Save analysis to get a report link with the verdict, the usual level, the excess and the estimated cost.
How to read the result
The chart
- Green bar: a month within the usual range or less than 1.5 times above it.
- Red bar: a jump.
- Dashed gold line: the usual consumption.
The figures
- Usual (m³): the home's consumption in its quietest months. If it looks very low for the number of occupants, there may be months of travel in it.
- Unexplained excess (m³): the total above the usual level in jump months only.
- Estimated cost of the excess: the difference between the value of the jump months and the usual level on the residential tariff bands, including wastewater and VAT; the basis of the calculation is stated under the figures. It shows “–” if there are no jumps.
- Latest month vs usual %: the most important indicator of whether the problem is still present now.
What to do after each verdict
- “A continuous leak is likely”: the priority is a meter test with every outlet closed, then isolating the tank and the internal network with a pressure test.
- “Isolated jump or jumps”: review seasonal causes with the customer, then test the meter. An intermittent leak, such as a sticking tank float valve, may not show in a short test.
- “Consumption stable”: if the customer's complaint is about the amount rather than the volume, check the tariff band and any change in occupants before looking for a leak.
Why these rules? The logic behind the baseline and the jump
Why the median of the lowest 3 months?
A leak adds consumption on top of real use; it never reduces it. So the quietest months are the closest to the home's consumption without a leak. Taking the median of the lowest 3 protects against a single abnormally low month, such as an estimated reading or a short trip.
Why 1.5 times?
Household consumption naturally fluctuates with summer, guests and occasions. A threshold of 1.5 times ignores ordinary fluctuation and catches increases that are hard to explain by use alone.
Why does the latest month matter?
Old jumps followed by a return to normal usually mean a problem that has ended or seasonal use. Consecutive jumps up to the latest month mean water is still leaking now.
The Saudi tariff and the cost
The Saudi residential water tariff uses monthly bands, approximately: 1 to 15 m³ at SAR 0.10 per cubic metre, 16 to 30 at 1.00, 31 to 45 at 3.00, 46 to 60 at 4.00 and above 60 at SAR 6.00, with wastewater added at 50% of the water charge and 15% VAT. The reference is the official bill and the National Water Company.
That is why an extra cubic metre in a high band costs far more than the bill's average price per cubic metre. The tool's estimated cost calculates the difference on these bands (or on the bands configured by the site administrator), so it comes close to the real impact, while fixed charges and non-residential tariffs stay outside the calculation. Readers outside Saudi Arabia should treat the cost figure as illustrative only; the volume analysis applies anywhere.
A worked example: six months of a villa's bill
The history from oldest to newest: 18, 20, 19, 22, 35, 41 m³.
- The lowest 3 months are 18, 19 and 20, and their median is 19 m³. That is the usual level.
- The jump threshold: 19 × 1.5 = 28.5 m³.
- The jumps: 35 and 41.
- The unexplained excess: (35 − 19) + (41 − 19) = 16 + 22 = 38 m³.
- Latest month vs usual: (41 − 19) ÷ 19 ≈ 116%.
- The verdict: two jumps, and the latest month is still above 28.5, so “a continuous leak is likely; a meter test is recommended now”.
You ask the customer: no travel, no guests, no pool. A meter test with the outlets closed shows the indicator turning. You now have a clear figure for the customer: about 38 m³ of excess over two months, and the problem is still there.
Common mistakes that spoil the result
- Photographing only the amount, not the history: the tool needs at least 3 months of history.
- Not checking the figures read: one misread month changes the whole usual level.
- Months in reverse order: if months appear without a year and the newest was read first, the “up to the latest month” verdict ends up describing the oldest month. Check the chart.
- Ignoring travel months: summer is the travel season in Saudi Arabia. A nearly empty month lowers the usual level, so ordinary months appear as jumps.
- Ignoring estimated readings: a low estimated month followed by a high actual month combines two months of use and shows up as a jump.
- Confusing volume with amount: a higher amount without more cubic metres may mean moving into a higher band or a change in charges.
- Treating the verdict as final proof: the bill shows the excess, but the inspection finds where the leak is.
The honest limits of the tool
- Reading needs an AI provider connected to the server. If none is connected, “Bill analysis requires an AI provider to be connected” appears.
- It needs at least 3 visible months, and a verdict based on only 3 months is weak, because the usual level becomes the median of the whole history.
- The tool does not know the context: the number of occupants, travel, a garden, a pool, Ramadan and family occasions. That is your job.
- The cost is an estimate on monthly residential tariff bands, so it does not suit commercial tariffs, does not include fixed charges and assumes each bar is one month.
- The bill only measures what passes through the meter. A leak after the tank shows up because the tank refills, but the bill does not tell you where it is.
- Two reading requests per session.
- The result supports your decision and does not replace it. The shared report itself states that it does not replace a field inspection.
When do you need to escalate?
You are the technician, but these cases deserve escalation:
- A second opinion from Kashf: the bill confirms a continuous leak, the meter is turning, and you have not found the spot. Or the customer needs a technical report to submit with a bill review request. The Kashf team, which works in Saudi Arabia, inspects electronically without breaking, using thermal cameras, acoustic sensing, pressure testing and safe tracer gas, and hands over a documented technical report that can be submitted with the review request. Book from the order page or on WhatsApp at +966544027180.
- A licensed structural engineer: if a large amount of water has been lost over a long period and cracks or sinking appear in floors or the courtyard. See leak damage to concrete.
- The water authority: for disputing the bill itself, since the decision rests with them under their procedures.
Frequently asked questions
How does a water bill analysis prove there is a leak?
The analysis does not prove a leak on its own, but it measures the unexplained excess and shows whether it continues up to the latest month. Proof comes from a meter test with every outlet closed, then locating the leak by inspection. The bill gives you the size and duration; the inspection gives you the location.
What is normal monthly water use for a home?
It varies with the number of occupants, the type of home and whether there is a garden or a pool. That is why the tool does not use a general figure but calculates the usual level from the home's own history: the median of the lowest 3 months. This is more accurate than comparing the home with an average that does not resemble it.
Why do summer months show up as jumps when there is no leak?
Because summer raises consumption through watering, showers and evaporative cooling, or because travel months lowered the usual level so ordinary months look high. Ask the customer about travel and guests, compare with the previous summer if it appears in the history, then test the meter to be sure.
What is the difference between an isolated jump and a continuous leak in the verdict?
A continuous leak means two or more jumps with the latest month still above 1.5 times the usual level, so the problem is present now. An isolated jump is a high month or months followed by a return to normal, which may be seasonal or an intermittent leak such as a tank float valve that sometimes sticks.
How accurate is the estimated cost in the tool?
It is an estimate on the residential tariff bands with wastewater and VAT: the value of each high month minus the value of the usual consumption. So it reflects the fact that an extra cubic metre in a high band costs more, but it does not include fixed charges or non-residential tariffs. Use the figure to show the customer the size of the problem; the official bill is the reference.
How many months do I need on the bill for a reliable analysis?
The minimum is 3 months, and below that the tool refuses to analyse. With only 3 months, though, the usual level becomes the median of the whole history, so the verdict is weak. Six to twelve months give a clearer picture of the usual level and seasonality, and the tool reads up to 24 months.
Can the analyzer read a screenshot from the water utility's app?
Yes. It reads a paper bill or a screenshot as long as the consumption chart or table shows clear figures and months. If not enough history is visible, it asks you to photograph the part with the chart. Always check the figures read against the original.
The bill volume is stable but the customer complains about the amount. What should I do?
If the cubic metres have not risen, the problem is probably not a leak. Check whether consumption moved into a higher band, whether charges changed, or whether an estimated reading was followed by an actual one. If the customer has a tank, remember that an old, constant leak may already be built into the usual level, so test the meter.
This guide is educational. It explains estimation tools that help you understand a situation and decide what to do next; confirming a leak and pinpointing it always requires an on-site inspection with instruments. Structural questions are for a licensed engineer to decide.