Getting a Lower Water Bill
Saving water is not only good for the planet but also good for your wallet. Did you know the average American uses 88 gallons of water per day? That means each and every one of us uses just under 3 thousand gallons of water a month.
You’ll Learn
- The History receiving water
- How to read your water bill line by line
- Things you can do to save money
How to Read your Water Bill
At the top of your water bill like most other bills; you’ll find billing info like your name, account number, billing date & due date.
The middle section includes information like your water usage and line item charges.
If this isn’t your first bill you’ll see a graph for how much your water usage has been in previous months. You’ll probably start to see a pattern of how much water you use depending on what time of year it is.
Charges that make up your water bill
These charges vary depending on where you live but I’ll give you an idea of what to expect.
Average Daily Consumption
The average person uses 88 gallons a day.
If you notice an incremental increase on your monthly bill it could be an indication of a leak.
Meter reading
Just like your electric bill, your water bill has a meter that shows how much water you’ve used at the beginning of the billing cycle and where your meter is at the end of the cycle.
Next is your rate for water usage, there are at least 6 ways your water company can bill you.
1. Uniform Rate
which means your provider charges a certain amount based on what type of residence you live in. For example, they’d charge a different price for residential customers versus businesses.
2. Increasing Block Rates
These structures are most often found in urban areas and areas with limited water supplies and are designed to promote water conservation.
3. Declining Block Rate
The opposite of this is an increasing block rate. These rate structures are popular in rural areas that service large farming populations. As you probably guessed this normally happens when there’s more water than a need for it.
4. Seasonal Rates
These are designed to encourage conservation during peak use periods like summertime. They increase the price to discourage you from using excess water.
5. Drought Rates
Are similar to seasonal rates. Instead of applying rates for a season they adjust rates based on the local area’s drought level. Higher levels of drought result in higher prices for water.
6. Water Budget Based Rate
It’s a rate structure where households are given a “water budget” based on the anticipated needs of that household either by the number of people living in the house and/or property size.
Many utilities use a combination for their water rate structure.
Variable charges are the price the customer pays per volume of water used, which reflect the costs of providing water, such as costs for chemical treatment to provide safe water and energy to move and deliver water.
Sewage Usage
Many providers calculate this fee based on how much water you use in a winter month and charge a flat fee per thousand of gallons used that month.
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