October 2025
Educating Customers About Winter Months Averaging for Sewer Billing If your utility uses winter months averaging to calculate sewer charges, now is the time to educate your customers. Winter months averaging typically occurs between November and February when outdoor water use is minimal. This method helps ensure sewer bills reflect actual indoor water usage, which is water that enters the wastewater system; however, many customers don’t know how their winter water habits can impact their sewer bills for the entire year. Here are ways your utility can help customers understand and prepare:
Send out reminders via bill inserts, email newsletters, and social media explaining what winter averaging is and why it’s used.
Provide tips on reducing indoor water use, such as fixing leaks, running full loads in dishwashers and laundry machines, and taking shorter showers.
FAQ
Update your website with a dedicated page or FAQ section on winter averaging, including billing cycle dates and conservation tips.
Clear communication builds trust and helps customers make informed choices. By educating your community, you can reduce confusion, improve satisfaction, and promote water conservation. Retail public sewer utilities that use winter months averaging for sewer billing should also review their tariffs and rate schedules to ensure they include the correct winter months used by the utility to calculate sewer bills. The tariff and rate schedules should also inform new customers how sewer bills will be calculated if a winter months average has not been established.