High EWA Bill in Bahrain? How to Check It and File a Complaint

01What the new disconnection proposal would change

The Daily Tribune's 25 September report describes MPs seeking to prevent disconnection over qualifying disputed amounts while complaints are examined. Under the proposal, the customer would continue paying an amount based on previous average use. It also proposes unusually high-bill alerts and procedures for checking readings and correcting errors.

Those are proposed provisions. The report does not establish an effective date for a new protection. EWA's published customer terms, section 4.3, still provide for disconnection for non-payment after notification. Ask EWA what applies to your account and notice.

02Check what increased before disputing the bill

Download the current bill and earlier bills through Bahrain's official electricity and water services. The portal provides current and past bills, previous payments and meter-reading services. Use EWA's own bill explanation alongside them.

1. Confirm the account and dates. Check that the bill belongs to your property and compare the number of days covered.
2. Separate consumption from money owed. Compare electricity kWh and water units, then check previous balances, payments and other charges. A larger amount due does not by itself show higher electricity use.
3. Check the reading basis. If you cannot tell whether the reading was actual or estimated, ask EWA. Its terms allow estimated billing when actual consumption cannot be determined.
4. Compare similar periods. Use the same month last year where available, accounting for occupants, travel and AC use. EWA's published tariff page can help you check the category applied to your account; do not assume another household has the same tariff.
5. Record the current meter display if safely accessible. Photograph the reading and meter identifier with a date. Do not open a sealed enclosure or interfere with the meter.

For a simple usage comparison, divide billed kWh by the days covered. An illustrative 900 kWh over 30 days is 30 kWh/day; 1,020 kWh over 34 days is also 30 kWh/day. The second bill has more units but no increase in average daily usage. This calculation checks consumption, not the correctness of the tariff or total charge.

03Submit a complaint with the evidence in one place

EWA's Virtual Centre page lists a 24-hour call centre on +973 1751 5555, email at [email protected], live chat and Tawasul for complaints. It also links to video appointments. Use an official channel and retain the acknowledgement.

• Account number and current contact details.
• Disputed bill, billing dates and the line or amount you question.
• Earlier comparable bills and payment receipts.
• Meter identifier, dated reading photo and any relevant maintenance report.
• Any payment reminder or disconnection notice, including its deadline.

You can adapt this message:

Please review bill [reference/date] for account [number]. The issue is [reading, consumption, calculation or missing payment]. My supporting bills, receipts and meter photograph are attached. Please confirm the reading basis, explain the calculation and provide a complaint reference. Please also confirm the payment required and whether any disconnection action is scheduled while you review the complaint.

Send account details privately to EWA. Keep your reference number and a dated record of each reply.

04If you suspect the meter is faulty

A billing complaint and a technical meter test are different requests. EWA's electricity meter-test service currently lists a BD10 fee and five working days. Its application process includes paying outstanding bills, submitting the required documents and paying the quotation. It lists identification and a technical-services application among the requirements.

Ask the complaints team whether a reading or calculation check should come first, and how the listed test requirements apply to your disputed account. Do not assume the test is free or that requesting it suspends collection. The five-day figure belongs to the meter-test service; it is not a promise that every billing dispute will finish within five days.

05If the bill is correct but you cannot pay it all now

Tell EWA about the difficulty before the deadline and ask for an approved arrangement. Get the amount, dates and consequences of a missed payment confirmed for your account. A self-chosen partial payment is not the same as an agreed plan.

For managing future seasonal bills, EWA offers a Fixed Monthly Direct Debit service. The published service uses the previous 12 months' bills and applicable tariffs to calculate a regular deduction. New customers without that history initially pay the actual billed amount. The service page provides bank-account and credit-card application routes.

Fixed deductions spread payments; they do not erase consumption or arrears. EWA's direct-debit terms provide for review and adjustment. Ask separately how an existing disputed balance or arrears would be treated before signing up.

06If a disconnection notice has already arrived

Call EWA with the notice and your complaint reference. Ask for the exact account deadline, required payment, available arrangement and written confirmation of any hold that EWA agrees. If the first answer does not address your evidence, request escalation; EWA's terms provide for escalation to the relevant department.

The next step is to secure an account-specific response from EWA. The September proposal alone does not replace the instructions on your notice.