Saving money on your utility bill. My water bill = $51.30!!!

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My god, I opened my first utility bill today after checking my mail found my water bill was 51.30. The billing period was from 5/6- 5/15. So for a period of 9 days I spent 51.30 dollars on water. For those in the Atlanta area do not freak out…your monthly water bill will not be equal to 150 dollars. I called up the utility company and they broke down the bill for me - so expect something similar to happen to you when you get your first utility bill.

- 25.00 for set up fee of bill
- 8.50 automatic flat usage fee whether or not you use the water.
- 2.19 for every 1000 gallons used
- 3.22 for every 1000 gallons of sewage produced - first time i’ve heard of being charged for sewage as an individual fee. you get charged for water coming in and water coming out.
- 14.00 refuse charge
- 1.00 pest control charge

the refuse charge and pest control charge is a charge made by my apartment complex which i think they should prorate b/c they are billing me for 1 month when the bill was only for 9 days that equals 4.20, so a refund of 9.80 should be expected. If everything was to be prorated though - I should be owed $10.50 from 15 dollars of trash and pest control fees.

The 25 dollar utility set up fee however is tax deductible, and is even tax deductible as “over the line” deduction so you save some money there.

Some tips to save you money on your water bill as suggested from the state government office here in georgia
- do not hose down your driveway, use a broom
- check hoses and connectors and spigots regularly
- avoid recreational water toys purchase that requires constant stream of water.
- throw some food coloring in the toilet reservoir and wait for water leaks into the toilet bowl, if there is, there is a leak
- change to low flow toilet (i don’t know about this one, I want to make sure all my turds go down in one flush)
- use low flow shower head, and take showers vs. baths.
- fill up your laundry and dish washer b/f running them
- reuse water that you will just throw out for plants.
- water lawns during the night vs. during the day.
- finally…its always a good idea to call the company and ask them for your water and other fee rates so you know how much money you’ll owe at the end of the month and plan accordingly.
- any other advice would be appreciated in the comments section. Thanks

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