was told by sp power officer that besides usage charges, the utilities bill also include other charges that is independent of usage - sewage, no of toilets in flat, these are flat rates chargable monthly, eventually was told by them to withhold opening an account until i'm ready to renovate.
no guideline when u have to start ur renov.my fren;s new flat was vacant for 2yr till she moved in last mth. all these yrs, she had to pay the S&CC charges.
but once u start renovation, u have to complete within 4 mths for new flat in new estate, or within 1 mth for resale flat