Friday, March 29, 2024

Understanding Your Water Bill

It’s been a hot, dry summer. Triple digits are not fun for anyone and many of us turn to using more water to help cool down. From spending more time in the pool, running through the sprinkler and watering the landscape, it’s easy for water consumption to go up quickly. It’s easy to overlook until the water bill arrives with a higher number than usual.

The billing cycle covers the usage of approximately 30 days prior to receiving the bill; basically, you’ll be looking at charges for last month’s consumption rates. Here are a few important areas to pay special attention to when looking at the bill:

  • Reading Period – Make sure to take a look at the dates the meter was looked at.
  • Bill Number – This is a unique number assigned to the bill. If you have any questions about the bill, this will help customer service find your record quickly.
  • Current Usage – This shows the amount of gallons used during the reading period.
  • Usage Graph – This is a great visual to show which days had a higher usage rate.
  • Payment Coupon – This is what needs to be submitted with payment.

Water Bill graphic for MSNIt’s important to take a look at the current usage and the usage graph when looking at the bill and in particular, compare the same period in the previous year with your current usage which will give you a better comparison than looking at current usage versus the previous month. Of course, there are also things you may be aware of that should be reflected in your consumption.  Maybe you were on vacation during the billing cycle and the usage rates should be lower. There could be a leak somewhere that helped contribute to the higher numbers. If something does not look right with your numbers, we offer some great tools to help monitor water usage. The Eye on Water app brings water consumption monitoring to your fingertips and the WISE Guys program will bring a licensed irrigator to your house for a free irrigation system evaluation.

I know how to read my bill, but how do I pay it?

Southlake Water Utilities offers several different options for paying bills. The most convenient option is to pay the bill online. To do this, you’ll have to register and create an account.  In order to create an online account, you’ll need your account number and your customer number.

If paying the bill online is not an option, visit Southlake Water Utilities Customer Service office on the second floor of Town Hall in suite 200. Customer Service representatives are happy to help customers make payments and answer any billing questions. A third option is to use the Southlake Water Utilities drop box located in the breezeway between Town Hall and the west parking garage in Town Square.

If you have any questions about your water bill, please contact Southlake Water Utilities Customer Service at (817) 748-8051.