Thursday, March 15, 2012

Saving Money on your Sewer Bill...

My kids are responsible for rinsing and loading the dishwasher every night, alternating turns.  One evening, as my son was doing his job, my husband noticed the water was turned on pretty high.  He stopped my son to talk about conserving water and our water bill, to help him see the wisdom in the water resembling a “trickle” as he scrubbed the dishes before the dishwasher. 
Water Conservation: "The trickle"
This conversation went even further as he explained HOW the sewer bill is calculated in connection to the water bill.  (I love listening to my "math teacher" husband explain the practicality of math!!)

I found myself riveted, as I have wondered for years HOW they calculated that bill.  It was an “Ah-Ha” moment for me.
HOW is your sewer bill calculated?
This notice arrived on our water bill the month after this conversation took place....what great timing, huh?
In the winter, you are NOT in an “extra water consumption” mode….such as watering lawns, gardens, washing your car or house, using slip & slides, filling kiddie pools, or having your kids run through the sprinklers.  In the winter, you are in a “basic water needs” usage time.  So for a certain chunk of time in the winter they are measuring your water usage that comes out of your faucet.   (For showers, cooking, toilet needs, washing hands, and laundry.)  So when winter is done, they have a pretty accurate idea of how much water is actually going down the drain heading off to the sewer!!  The charge of this calculation is reflected on your bill throughout the year.
So those extra long WARM showers that I am inclined to take in the winter, will just end up costing more ALL year long!!  (This information, in the back of my mind, helps keep that “simple pleasure” under control-- beyond the cost of electricity to heat the water!!)

Happy Stretching Pennies….

1 comment:

  1. Our sewer bill is based on water, they assume that everything you run from the tap is going down the sewer which isn't always true. Another reason to conserve water. (I have a post about it on my blog today too.)