Seoul residents saved approximately 900 million won ($630,000) this year through the city's electronic water bill notification system, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday.
Since introducing electronic billing for water charges in 2006, the city has achieved cumulative savings of 4.8 billion won through the program, according to the announcement.
Users of the e-billing system receive a 1 percent discount on their water charges each billing period, amounting to 200 to 1,000 won per household. Currently, 460,000 households use electronic billing, with approximately 72,000 new households signing up this year alone.
The city attributed the surge in e-billing applications to growing awareness of benefits including the fee discount, combined automatic payment discounts, and convenient sign-up and payment options through mobile payment apps.
Since 2021, residents can receive bill notifications through mobile payment apps including Shinhan Card, Toss, KakaoPay and Hana Pay. The city noted that electronic notifications arrive one to two days earlier than paper bills and eliminate the risk of lost mail, providing better personal information protection.
The expansion of e-billing also reduced paper consumption by approximately 2.55 million sheets this year, saving 500 million won in production, printing and delivery costs while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by about 9 tons.
Residents can apply for electronic water billing and automatic payment through the 120 Dasan Call Center, local water service offices, the Arisu Cyber Customer Center website, or the Seoul Arisu Headquarters KakaoTalk channel.
"We will work to encourage more citizens to participate in e-billing, which can create significant change through small everyday actions," said Lee Hoe-seung, head of the Seoul Arisu Headquarters.
