Utilities Bill

I received my current utilities bill in the mail, yesterday.  I get one combined bill, every 2 months, for water, electricity, sewage services and curbside solid waste (trash/yard waste/recyclables) collection.  I generally allocate $150 per month, in my monthly budget, towards this bill.  Most of the time, I come under this budgeted amount; occasionally, however, usually in the summer, I go over it, because the garden needs more watering during the summer.  This current bill is for $209.83.

 

The solid waste collection fee is fairly straight forward.  Each single family residence is issued 3 containers, a 60 gallon black bin for trash, a 90 gallon green bin for yard trimmings, and a 90 gallon blue bin for recyclables, which are collected weekly.  These are standard sizes for the containers, although I don’t generate anything close to 60 gallons of trash a week (and larger containers are available for a higher rate).  However, the rate at which they are billed can change over time, and the amount billed will vary with the number of days in the billing period.  My trash collection charges have varied between $76.42 and $69.26 in the past 18 months.  The current bill's trash fee is $69.26. It is a standard fee based on the size of the containers, which I can't reduce by reducing the amount of trash I generate.

 

The sewer service fee is based on winter (i.e. rainy season) water use; it is calculated once a year, based on the lowest daily average of water use during the winter months ( generally October to March) and the rate stays the same for that year; any variation in the billed amount is due to a change in the number of days in the billing period.  My sewer service fees have fluctuated between $35.40 and $15.99 (the current bill).   I can lower the fee by reducing the amount of water I use during the winter.

 

Both electricity and water are billed on a tiered system, with higher rates for increased usage.    

 

There are 3 tiers for electricity:  Tier 1 rates apply to the first 1,000 kiloWatt-hours (kWh).  Tier 2 rates apply to the next 2,000 kWh.  Tier 3 rates apply to any electricity more than 3,000 kWh.  The current Tier 1 rate is just under $0.15 per kWh.  I don’t know what the rates are for the other 2 tiers as I’ve never used that much electricity.  According to the newsletters enclosed with the billing, “typical” residential customers use 500 kWh per month (thus the 1,000 kWh for the 1^st tier for the 2-month billing period).   I have consistently come under 750 kWh in my electricity usage; this most recent bill indicates that I used 472 kWh during the current billing period (March 20-May 19).  My bill for electricity came to $69.15; with City utility taxes and State energy surcharges added, it comes to $76.21.

 

I do most of the usual things to reduce electricity usage - I turn off lights in rooms that are unoccupied, replace regular bulbs with energy saving bulbs, unplug most appliances such as the microwave, toaster, and rice cooker when not in use (but not the stove, washer, dryer, etc.) to minimize "phantom" energy use, air dry clothes.  I don't have central air conditioning, just a small window unit which I put in my bedroom window during the summer, so that's a big energy use I don't have.  I am sure there are other things I can do; I should probably go around and unplug a few other things. 

 

There are 2 tiers for water.  But, because of the drought and mandatory water conservation measures in place, things are a little more complicated.  We are given a water allotment based on our “temperature zone” – there are 3 zones: low, medium, and high, based on average temperatures.  My house is located in the Medium Zone.  As such, I am allocated 24 hundred cubic feet (HCF; 1 HCF = 748 gallons) of water at Tier 1 rates during the winter and 29 HCF in the summer.  Currently, I pay $4.84 per HCF, at Tier 1 rates, but water rates fluctuate.  Last summer, I paid $5.89 per HCF.  The current Tier 2 rate is $6.16 per HCF.  According to my current bill, I used a total of 10 HCF during the billing period and my charge for water is $48.37. 

 

I am doing what I can to conserve water.  While we are allowed to water the garden 3 times a week with sprinklers, before 9 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m., I water the back garden, using sprinklers, once a week.  I usually hand water the front garden, but although we are allowed to hand water every day, provided it is done before 9 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m., I water the front garden only once, or occasionally, twice a week.  I am also planting more drought tolerant plants such as succulents and have stopped watering the lawn.  I haven't started to replace the lawn with a non-lawn option, yet, though.

What are some of the things you do to save electricity and water?  How do you keep your utilities bills low?