The bill also shows a similar facility charge for sewer and a "rate case expense surcharge" to help pay for the utility's rate setting process.
![newton county water company budget billing newton county water company budget billing](https://www.lcfwasa.org/images/images_rwi/rwi_387_Edge_146_x_162_pixels_1352902479_3884.jpg)
This utility uses a uniform rate structure that charges the user $0.00295 per gallon (or roughly 3 cents for every 10 gallons) used during the billing period. Most utilities charge a set flat fee (the "Water Base Facility Charge" in the example) that helps to pay for the base costs of providing water including the electricity needed to transport and clean the water, the personnel and others costs of daily maintenance of the delivery system, and other fixed operating costs. Uniform Rate Example - in the first example, roughly half of the $147.62 being charged is directly related to water use. If you're curious about what various surcharges and other charges on your utility bill mean, you can usually find that information either on the back or appendix of the bill or on your local water utility's website. This is yet another reason to reduce your own water use. Note that some utilities measure both water entering the house and waste leaving to the sewer, but many utilities have only one meter on location and will charge both volumes based on water entering the house. Most utilities will provide you with a breakdown of charges in your "billing detail" or "summary of charges" section. 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. Fixed charges generally include the price the customer pays as a base charge to help cover costs for maintaining existing infrastructure and repaying loans and bonds used to build that infrastructure. Many utilities use a combination of a fixed fee (base) and a variable fee (volume) for their water rate structure. The goal is to encourage efficient water use of every individual customer. Users are charged a certain rate for use within their budget and a higher rate for use that exceeds their budget.
![newton county water company budget billing newton county water company budget billing](https://ncwsa.us/wp-content/uploads/Fo-Water-Auth-042-1-705x529.jpg)
Water Budget Based Rates is 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. This can help you see how your usages stacks up versus other users in your same climate area and can be a helpful way of gauging your "WaterSense." Some utilities use bills that compare your use to a random group of your neighbors while some utilities use a "tiered system" to differentiate users such as in the example below. Some utilities provide information on how your household compares to that of your neighbors. How does your use compare to that of your neighbor? Some systems may be forced to restrict outdoor watering during the peak to ensure that water is available for more important community needs. Water utilities operate with this higher, summertime use in mind because they must be able to provide for all the water a community needs over an extended period. WaterSense has tips to help you reduce your water use when it's hot outside. While using water efficiently is important throughout the year, sometimes the timing of water use can make a big difference for community water supplies-and your water bill. This can be a helpful way of seeing when your own water use reaches its highest levels. What is your usage trend?ĭoes your bill explain your household's usage trend? Some utilities provide graphs like the ones below that show how your water use has varied over the course of the year and previous years. For example, water use tends to be higher in drier areas of the country that rely more on irrigation for outdoor watering than in wetter parts of the country that can rely on more rainfall.īased on information from Water Research Foundation, “Residential End Uses of Water, Version 2.” 2016 and The US Geological Survey, “Estimated Water Use in the United States.” 2010.
![newton county water company budget billing newton county water company budget billing](https://ncwsa.us/wp-content/uploads/Coating-of-Salem-Tank-773x1030.jpg)
But usage varies a great deal across the country, mostly because of differences in weather patterns.
![newton county water company budget billing newton county water company budget billing](https://www.8shots.com/img/s/v-10/p891425124-4.jpg)
That means a family of four would use around 10,500 gallons in a 30-day period. What does your usage mean? The average American uses around 88 gallons per day per person in the household. But you may be more familiar with the other unit, the gallon. The first "C" comes from the Roman word for hundred, "centum.” This is the most common unit used by both water and natural gas utilities. A CCF also called an HCF (hundred cubic feet), represents one hundred cubic feet of water. The most common units are centum cubic feet (CCF) and the gallon. Different utilities use different units for measuring water use.