NEW ORLEANS — The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans is doing away with blanket water-use estimates for homes without readable meters, instead opting for a personalized formula.
The change applies to what the S&WB calls "rare" customers with meters that can't be read. Issues can range from unsafe weather conditions to a parked car blocking the meter. The utility provider previously used a flat rate for these buildings: 100 gallons per day.
But with the new rules being implemented Sept. 23, estimates will come from a formula based on previous billings.
The new formula takes the last four previous readings (at least two of which need to be actual readings and not estimates), calculates the average water use per day and multiplies that number by the number of days in the billing period.
S&WB officials touted the new system as an improvement because they say it will make water bills more predictable even when a meter can't be read. They also say it will reduce the chance customers will see a "startlingly high actual bill" the month after when S&WB is able to read their meter for both months.
“We are constantly working to improve the service we provide our customers and are now taking a more personalized approach to billing,” said Ghassan Korban, S&WB's executive director. “Within the past year, we recognized that using the 100-gallon-a-day water usage standard does not work best for our customers. This new approach will help give customers more predictability when budgeting month to month.”
If meter readers can't access a customer's meter, they will leave a door tag letting the resident know.
Here's how you can do the math yourself if you have your old water bills handy:
Any questions about the new system can be directed to 52-WATER.
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Ed. Note: the formula in this article is a rough equation meant to demonstrate how the bills are calculated. Some fees are estimated. Only S&WB can provide the exact bill estimate.