Consumers will start receiving new water and electricity bills featuring more detailed information on consumption to help them make an extra effort to cut down.

The bi-monthly bills in the improved format will include a calculation of the family's carbon footprint for that period. They will be spread on two pages with the actual bill on the first page and the detailed information on the second.

Although the new format was launched yesterday, it would only be formalised in April following feedback from customers, Investments Minister Austin Gatt said.

He said that, by April, there would also be a more efficient customer care service in place, where people could query bills.

The bills will no longer be issued by Enemalta Corporation or the Water Services Corporation but by Automated Revenue Management Services Ltd (Arms Ltd), a company co-owned by the two corporations.

Mark Lupi, company CEO, said the methodology of payment was also being changed and consumers could now pay their bills in six ways: by credit card, cheque, through internet banking, through bank ATMs, any Maltapost branch or at the Mtarfa, Cospicua, Gudja or Għaxaq councils. A pre-paid system will be introduced in April.

Mr Lupi said an internet portal would be launched where customers would be able to check their consumption levels practically on an hourly basis. This will be introduced in April for residences that already have a smart meter.

Dr Gatt said the 45-day time window during which bills could be paid would be retained. If not paid within that period, an annual six per cent interest would be charged as from the first 15 days from the date of invoice.

He said special reductions would be introduced to reward those who paid their bills on time.

With regard to the installation of smart meters, Dr Gatt said a pilot project to install 9,000 meters, including in all households in Senglea and Kirkop, was being assessed till the end of this month. A process to introduce the meters in the rest of the country will start in March. It is estimated that this will take three years but the plan is to conclude the project in two. This would make Malta the only EU country to have smart meters installed throughout the country, he said.

Speaking about the interconnector linking Malta to the European energy grid in Sicily, Dr Gatt said the tendering process had been delayed by five to six weeks as the six bidders were "administratively non-compliant" because their bid had missing information. Enemalta was now in the process of returning the tender documents.