Conserve Water in the Winter and Save All Year Long
Wednesday, December 18th, 2013
Your water meter measures your monthly water use, but your wastewater line has no meter. To calculate your wastewater fee, Austin Water monitors your water usage during three consecutive winter billing periods and bases the fee on the daily average use during these months. The monitoring periods occur between mid-November and mid-March. Since water usage during these months is generally only inside household use, it’s a good measure of the volume flowing through your wastewater system. You can lower your wastewater costs for the next year by conserving water use during these billing periods. Check your bill to find the specific dates for your wastewater averaging period.
How can you manage water use so it best represents your actual wastewater volume?
*Conserve water — here are some tips:
- Don’t water outside during fall and winter months — turn off automatic irrigation systems.
- Fix leaky toilets and faucets.
- Wash only full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine.
- Take shorter showers, place a timer in the bathroom.
- When buying new water-using appliances and fixtures.
Source: Austin Energy Consumer Newsletter, December 2013
