Sewer Bill

Xstatic3333

I know everyone says that when they move to a new home, the bills will be surprising.  In our case I think we were pretty well prepared, with the exception of the sewer bill.  In our new city, sewer is completely separate from water.  We just got our first bill, which was $70 for a partial month and does seem to be based on "consumption".  I knew sewer bills were a "thing," but I honestly did not expect them to be so high.  I'm not sure there's a whole lot we can do about it except switching to a high efficiency toilet.  Has anyone tried that?  Does it work?  I'd love to figure out a way to get this down before we have kids flushing all willy nilly.  $100 a month won't destroy us, but it is pretty annoying, especially since our property taxes are already way up there.

Xstatic3333

There is a flat rate per dwelling and an additional consumption charge of $3.267/100 cubic feet of water used.  I don't know if they look at our total water consumption or have a way to just know what's coming from the bathroom. 

Xstatic3333

Yeah, it sucks. The water and sewer bills come from two totally separate agencies. Is it really unusual for it to be done this way?

formerlyGDaisy09

We get charged for the water we use and the water/waste we dispose of, I think the sewer rate is twice as much per 100 cu.ft. as the water...so yes they get you both ways, in some sense. pretty much the only think you don't pay twice for is water you might use in a garden or on house plants. 

they don't have a way to tell what water comes from the bathroom vs. the kitchen, so all water exiting your house through some kind of pipe is considered sewer water. 

we get charged quarterly, last quarter was about $140, so ~$45/month. If it helps this was for a good part of the summer when we were watering my garden every-other-day or so (about 500 sq ft of garden) and we had a guest staying with us for a good portion of this, so 3 adults showering etc. 

side note...we hosted two guests this summer, both took multiple showers a day, seemed totally abnormal to me, on took at least 2 showers a day, the other showered no fewer than 3 times a day. Is it just me, or is this weird?

vlagrl29

we don't have a sewer bill - it must be included in our water bill.

formerlyGDaisy09

AprilH81 said:

Gdaisy09 said:

We get charged for the water we use and the water/waste we dispose of, I think the sewer rate is twice as much per 100 cu.ft. as the water...so yes they get you both ways, in some sense. pretty much the only think you don't pay twice for is water you might use in a garden or on house plants. 

they don't have a way to tell what water comes from the bathroom vs. the kitchen, so all water exiting your house through some kind of pipe is considered sewer water. 

we get charged quarterly, last quarter was about $140, so ~$45/month. If it helps this was for a good part of the summer when we were watering my garden every-other-day or so (about 500 sq ft of garden) and we had a guest staying with us for a good portion of this, so 3 adults showering etc. 

side note...we hosted two guests this summer, both took multiple showers a day, seemed totally abnormal to me, on took at least 2 showers a day, the other showered no fewer than 3 times a day. Is it just me, or is this weird?

Weird...  Unless I am doing something really dirty/sweaty I only shower once a day.  I can't fathom THREE showers in one day.

and If I know I'm doing something really dirty/sweaty (gardening, running...) I wait until I've done it to shower.  one was a dance instructor, she would shower when she woke-up, when she got home from teaching, and before she went to bed...and sometimes one more time in there.  we have central air, so it wasn't like it was just really hot and muggy inside either. 

the only time I can remember intentionally taking multiple showers a day is when I was having an allergic (withdrawal) reaction to zyrtec and broke-out in hives anytime my body temp got a little elevated...so I was taking 3-4 cold showers a day to keep hives under control.

Xstatic3333

Gdaisy09 said:

We get charged for the water we use and the water/waste we dispose of, I think the sewer rate is twice as much per 100 cu.ft. as the water...so yes they get you both ways, in some sense. pretty much the only think you don't pay twice for is water you might use in a garden or on house plants. 

they don't have a way to tell what water comes from the bathroom vs. the kitchen, so all water exiting your house through some kind of pipe is considered sewer water. 

we get charged quarterly, last quarter was about $140, so ~$45/month. If it helps this was for a good part of the summer when we were watering my garden every-other-day or so (about 500 sq ft of garden) and we had a guest staying with us for a good portion of this, so 3 adults showering etc. 

side note...we hosted two guests this summer, both took multiple showers a day, seemed totally abnormal to me, on took at least 2 showers a day, the other showered no fewer than 3 times a day. Is it just me, or is this weird?

3 showers a day is super weird! Two I can see if it's one in the morning and one after exercising. For us that would have added a lot to our gas bill for the hot water.

Sounds like yours is quite a bit less than ours, but I do also know I'm in a much tax-happier state than you.

formerlyGDaisy09

Xstatic3333 said:

We get charged for the water we use and the water/waste we dispose of, I think the sewer rate is twice as much per 100 cu.ft. as the water...so yes they get you both ways, in some sense. pretty much the only think you don't pay twice for is water you might use in a garden or on house plants. 

they don't have a way to tell what water comes from the bathroom vs. the kitchen, so all water exiting your house through some kind of pipe is considered sewer water. 

we get charged quarterly, last quarter was about $140, so ~$45/month. If it helps this was for a good part of the summer when we were watering my garden every-other-day or so (about 500 sq ft of garden) and we had a guest staying with us for a good portion of this, so 3 adults showering etc. 

side note...we hosted two guests this summer, both took multiple showers a day, seemed totally abnormal to me, on took at least 2 showers a day, the other showered no fewer than 3 times a day. Is it just me, or is this weird?

3 showers a day is super weird! Two I can see if it's one in the morning and one after exercising. For us that would have added a lot to our gas bill for the hot water. Sounds like yours is quite a bit less than ours, but I do also know I'm in a much tax-happier state than you.

ugh, I barely even thought about the propane, I should probably send H out to check the tank, we usually get a fill in mid-november, but maybe we need to arrange for an early fill-up. 

CuriousKiddosMama

We have sewer included in our water bill, although it is a separate line item. I'm afraid to get our first bill. I've heard of up to $600 bills in the neighborhood because the rate is so high. I'm hoping that is for the houses twice our size, but we've never had a water bill over $65 so who knows! Call and ask about it. Maybe there was an error or a connection fee and the bill just didn't show it as a separate line item.

ab6704a

Our sewer bill was around $70 a quarter.  When we sold our house the sewer and water transfer to the buyer was handled by the closing company, BUT someone I know who called themselves to transfer the service when they just closed on their house was told it would be a $60 charge to do so.  Are you sure there isn't maybe a fee included in there somewhere?

 

Xstatic3333

I will definitely check for the transfer fee.  Good tip!  

blondie42107

Seems weird to me but my water, sewer and trash/recycling is all in one bill and billed quarterly. Our last one was about $180 however we water our small garden and put water in our (permanent) above ground pool.

bnunn03

OUrs is billed every 3 months and it includes sewer, trash, water. I personally think that it is the worst bill, mainly because It is every 3 months and it is so expensive(plus they only give you like a week to pay)! So for us we pay it $15 a week(we get paid weekly) towards that bill, so when the bill actually comes we arent surprised..

hoffse

We're on septic, which is a huge blessing where we live.  The city went bankrupt a few years ago, and sewer rates are pretty high and will be increasing for years to come to pay for it.

My realtor actually told us that people are expecting it to get so bad that having a house on septic actually increases property value around here.  She said in 10 years it's going to be something that realtors advertise in listings on a regular basis (they are already starting).

My old apartment was on sewer, and it was always twice as much as water.

Definitely check the connection fee.  All of our utilities charged a connection fee for the first month.

Xstatic3333

Research done: no connection fee, all but $16 of that $75 is based on our consumption. I think they're basing it on all water usage, not just what leaves through a pipe, because the meter number is the same. This is bad news for us since watering the lawn is super important to H (our compromise is that he can water it, but no chemicals allowed). Sigh. I guess this is my new normal! I still might try a low-flow toilet to see if it helps any.

ETA: And yes folks, that's monthly and completely separate from the monthly water bill (they come from different buildings on different letterheads).

formerlyGDaisy09

sometimes you can sink something in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water it uses each flush (like a milk jug fulll of water), sometimes that decreases the water pressure too much andcauses flow-issues. they've made some improvements in low-flow shower heads, you could try that too...and a timer on showers. I get after my H all the time about leaving the water running while he's washing his face, brushing his teeth, or spending time scrubbing a pan.

My grandfather is actually on a well that has a history of drying up in the summer, so whenever we visited there we followed the "if it's yellow let it mellow...." rule....a little gross, but it probably saved 10s of gallons of water a day. 

as far as the grass goes if you let it grow just a little longer, raise the deck on the mower one level, and if you usually go 7 days between mowing try letting it go 9-10 days, the grass will shade itself a bit and keep more moisture in the ground for longer so you'll have to water less often. 

jtmh2012

Xstatic3333 said:

Research done: no connection fee, all but $16 of that $75 is based on our consumption. I think they're basing it on all water usage, not just what leaves through a pipe, because the meter number is the same. This is bad news for us since watering the lawn is super important to H (our compromise is that he can water it, but no chemicals allowed). Sigh. I guess this is my new normal! I still might try a low-flow toilet to see if it helps any.

ETA: And yes folks, that's monthly and completely separate from the monthly water bill (they come from different buildings on different letterheads).

Where I've lived, the sewer has always been based on the water bill.  However, our bills are only about $60-70 every two months.  However, we don't water our lawn with it.

One thing they do around here though is if you install a sprinkler system, you can get it connected to another meter that only measures water usage.  Or get a well.

Sisugal

Do you have an option for a separate outside water hook up and billing that rate for water useage only? This is what we have done and it makes a huge difference on our billint (water, sewer, stormwater & garbage  - are billed together)  This averages $70 a month for a low water useage amount.

Xstatic3333

Sisugal said:

Do you have an option for a separate outside water hook up and billing that rate for water useage only? This is what we have done and it makes a huge difference on our billint (water, sewer, stormwater & garbage  - are billed together)  This averages $70 a month for a low water useage amount.

This is a great idea, @Sisugal‌ and @jtmh2012‌. I think we'll look into this before next year's lawn season, especially since I plan on a pretty major veggie garden.

ab6704a

Xstatic3333 said:

Research done: no connection fee, all but $16 of that $75 is based on our consumption. I think they're basing it on all water usage, not just what leaves through a pipe, because the meter number is the same. This is bad news for us since watering the lawn is super important to H (our compromise is that he can water it, but no chemicals allowed). Sigh. I guess this is my new normal! I still might try a low-flow toilet to see if it helps any.

ETA: And yes folks, that's monthly and completely separate from the monthly water bill (they come from different buildings on different letterheads).

That's a bummer about the bill. DH and I bought a new Kohler dual flush toilet when we moved into our new house and it's pretty cool.  In our new town sewer is covered by taxes and we're on a well so I don't really know how it's affecting our consumption, but it works great.

ETA:  How can you tell you're an "adult"??  When you recommend toilets to people....

Sisugal

How much water are you using? Can you cut back a bit on both inside and outside amounts used?
We use 3 units a month, 4-5 when kids(2) are home on school vacations.

Xstatic3333

Sisugal said:

How much water are you using? Can you cut back a bit on both inside and outside amounts used?
We use 3 units a month, 4-5 when kids(2) are home on school vacations.

We can definitely cut back-shorter showers is a good idea, plus non-daily watering. How much is a unit for you? I don't have a bill on me but I'll check our consumption when I get home.

jtmh2012

Just another thought.  Make sure you don't have any leaks.  With everything off, go look at your water meter and see where it reads (ours has a little rotating arrow).  Then wait say an hour or two and then see where it is.  The arrow shouldn't have moved if you haven't used any water.

Also, our usage is tiered.  About a certain amount the billing rate goes up.  We've never hit that, but you might be.