Author Topic: Reduced my water bill by 84%  (Read 2075 times)

Radagast

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Reduced my water bill by 84%
« on: January 29, 2019, 11:14:12 PM »
I was stewing over how unfair my water bill was. I owned a small duplex occupied by usually 4 people with a modest lawn and paid two flat rates = $166 every month! I knew Mormon households with 8 members plus nice large lawns and medium sized businesses who paid half! my! rate! I mean I could have understood the same rate, but half!!!! So I was righteously pissed off.

After five years I finally went to City Hall to complain. After I got my righteous words out I learned that city code was city code and I could complain at a higher level if I wanted to and thought it might do me any good. But then I learned that if I paid to have a water meter I would have a flat rate of $25 per month plus $1 (!) per 1,000 gallons. The water meter cost $430 and there was a grant program to pay for its installation if I didn't dillydally.

Estimating my typical water use at an average of 7,000 gallons per month despite not knowing within of 10,000, I thought "would I pay $430 now to save $134 every month forever?" That was a short debate.

Anyhow I just got my first bill in the mail and it was for $27! Now granted that was for 24 winter days but I will take it and no questions asked.

If you have a flat rate water bill, it might be worth at least feeling out the opportunities for switching to a metered connection. As an additional benefit, I will no longer feel like I need to burn a few KGal each month to justify the absurd bill. Just kidding, I moved and it is an investment property now. But that extra 3% return on investment each year feels sweeeeet and also long overdue. If I had done that when I moved in I would have an extra $10k by now.
 

terran

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Re: Reduced my water bill by 84%
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2019, 05:59:11 AM »
Wait, mormons pay a lower rate for water in your city? How is that even legal?

I'm a red panda

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Re: Reduced my water bill by 84%
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2019, 06:47:35 AM »
Wait, mormons pay a lower rate for water in your city? How is that even legal?

I think the OP was using Mormon as an explanation for why the household had 8 people in it.  I don't think they get special pricing.


OP- I've never heard of flat rate water billing. That's crazy.  Great job on fixing that!

Our water bill is ridiculous, but we can't lower it. Most months we use 1 unit of water (1,000 gallons). You can't be charged for less than 1 unit. (Some months we use 2. The one time we had to water in the summer we used 3 units.)  With sanitary sewer, 1 unit is $46. It's $12 per unit after that.

Radagast

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Re: Reduced my water bill by 84%
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2019, 11:39:48 PM »
Wait, mormons pay a lower rate for water in your city? How is that even legal?

I think the OP was using Mormon as an explanation for why the household had 8 people in it.  I don't think they get special pricing.


OP- I've never heard of flat rate water billing. That's crazy.  Great job on fixing that!

Our water bill is ridiculous, but we can't lower it. Most months we use 1 unit of water (1,000 gallons). You can't be charged for less than 1 unit. (Some months we use 2. The one time we had to water in the summer we used 3 units.)  With sanitary sewer, 1 unit is $46. It's $12 per unit after that.
Correct, I was just noting that people with twice the lot, twice the lawn, and twice the occupants were paying half my rate. I think flat rate billing may be common in smaller places but not sure.

That is pretty expensive, basically a $34 connection fee plus $12/gallon. Hopefully you have a lot of shiny new water infrastructure to show for it :).

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!