|
FAQ's & Billing
by Brodhead Creek Regional Authority on Wed 04 Oct 2006 08:35 AM PDT
Department Billing
The Billing Department of the Brodhead Creek Regional Authority is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for payment of bills or to assist you with any concerns or questions you may have. You may also call us for questions other than billing at (570) 421-3232. If we cannot answer your questions, we will direct you to the number you need to call for assistance.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
The questions we are most frequently asked are found below.
Q - What are your rates?
A - Effective October 1, 2006 the the Basic Rate for quarterly billing is $43.95 and $14.65 for monthly billing. There is a Consumption Charge of $.23 per 100 gallons.
Q - What is your billing schedule?
A - Bills are sent out on a quarterly basis. Your bill is sent out by the fourth week of January, April, July and October. However, for commercial and industrial customers, bills are sent monthly. Bills for those customers are mailed out by the fourth of each month.
Q - I am planning on building a new home. What is the hook up cost?
A - When making plans to build, you should contact the office of the Brodhead Creek Regional Authority at 570-421-3232. You will be asked the location of the property, what size water connection you need and the type of use for the building. It may be necessary to set up an appointment with our Superintendent to meet you at the property. Once we have all this information, we can provide you the connection cost along with and application for service.
Q- How is my bill calculated?
A – There are two parts to your bill calculation. First, there is the fixed minimum quarterly charge (basic rate) for every home or non-residential user. The basic rate is $43.95 per quarter. This rate charge is calculated on an “Equivalent Billing Unit” (EBU) which represents a “reserved” capacity equal to 48,000 gallons of water per year. Every year the EBU’s for multi-residential and non-residential users is re-calculated. For each 48,000 gallons of water used there is an EBU charge. An example of this would be as follows: a business uses 128,000 gallons of water for the year. The 128,000 gallons is divided by 48,000 gallons for the total EBU’s of 2.7. The quarterly base rate for this business would be 2.7 x $43.95 = $118.67.
The second part of the bill calculation is the usage fee which is 23¢ for every 100 gallons of water used. This cost is added to the fixed minimum charge.
For the first example, a quarterly bill for the business above using 128,000 gallons per year. As shown above the EBU’s are 2.7.
Quarterly usage – 32,000 gals.
X .23/100 gallons
$ 73.60 Usage Fee
Quarterly base +$118.67
rate is the EBU
x $43.95 $192.27 Total Bill
The second example is a single family home using 72,000 gallons per year. A single family home is 1 EBU.
Quarterly usage – 18,000 gals.
X .23/100 gals.
$ 41.40 Usage Fee
Quarterly base +$ 43.95
Rate
$ 85.35 Total Bill
A third example is a “monthly” bill with a business using 5,475,000 gallons per year. The EBU’s are 5,475,000 gallons ÷ 48,000 gallons for an EBU total of 114.1.
Monthly usage 456,250 gals.
X .23/100 gals.
$1,049.38 Usage Fee
Monthly base + $1,671.57
rate is the EBU
x $14.65 $2,720.95 Total Bill
If you need further clarification, please call our office and we will be happy to take you step by step in understanding how your bill is calculated.
Q - My neighbor uses more water than I do and my bill is not much lower than his. Why is that?
A - The main part of your billing is the basic rate, which everyone pays per EDU. The difference between you and your neighbor is the usage charge. If your neighbor used 15,000 gallons, their bill would be the basic rate of $43.95 plus 23 ¢ per 100 gallons of the 15,000 gallons which would give them a bill of $78.45 If you used 8,000 gallons your bill would be the basic rate of $43.95 plus 23¢ per 100 gallons of the 8,000 gallons which would give you a bill of $62.35.
Q - There is no way I could have used that much water. Did you make an error in the reading?
A - Our service men read thousands of meters each billing and at times there may be a meter which was not read correctly. If you feel this may have been the case with your reading, we will gladly re-read your meter at no charge. If the reading is correct, our service men will see if they can find a resaon for the higher usage such as a leak.
Q - I have a leak but it is impossible to have used that much water. My house would be full of water!
A - A leak can use a tremendous amount of water. For example, a leak which uses a great deal of water is a running toilet. Many customers do not think that this is a leak due to the fact that there is no water lying on the floor. When a toilet is running, the water is going right down the drain.
Did you know that a leak, which has a stream smaller than the flat head of a straight pin, can use 74,000 gallons per quarter. And that a leak, which runs continuously, that has a stream the diameter of a pencil, can use 1,181,500 gallons per quarter! If you have a leak, it is best to repair it promptly, as the water usage will only continue to get higher resulting in a higher water bill.
Q - Why do I have a penalty on my bill when I paid it on time?
A - The water bill is due in our office on the printed due date. A bill that is postmarked on the due date would be considered late. The penalty is assessed at 1.5% per month. If you pay your bills two months late and only pay one month of penalty, you will have the balance of that penalty on your next billing. If you are paying a bill after the due date, do not hesitate to call our office if you have any questions on the amount of penalty owing.
Q - There is a man walking around my house, do you have men out working?
A - Depending on the location of your remote, our service men may have to walk around your home to read it. Our service men wear brown uniforms with Brodhead Creek Regional Authority written on them and have Authority issued Identification Cards, if you feel it is necessary to check. Authority vehicles are bright yellow or white and are properly labeled with the Authority's name on them.
Q - Why don't I have any water?
A - If our service men are sent out on a water main leak, it may be necessary to turn water off immediately. We try to avoid this if possible and to notify residents by going door to door. Other reasons for your having no water may be that a valve was turned off in your home or due to frozen pipes. If you are unsure as to why you are without water, do not hesitate to call our office and we will send out a service man if necessary.
Q - Why can't the bill be put in my tenant's name?
A - It is the policy of the Brodhead Creek Regional Authority to keep the billing in the owner's name. The owner is ultimately responsible for payment of a bill if the tenant does not pay and this keeps the owner up to date on a quarterly basis as to the status of any arrears.Depending on arrangements you have with your tenant, you can give the bill to your tenant for payment.
Q - Is my bill estimated? No one came to my house to read the meter.
A - Our service men do not read meters inside the home. Located on the outside of your home, is a 4-inch box which is called a remote to track the reading (water usage). Our service men read the remote for water billing.
A billing is estimated only if it is impossible to read the remote if the access is limited in any way or due to extreme amounts of snow where they would not be able to get to the remotes.
For more FAQs, please go to the Water Treatment Plant page.
|
