ECWSA NEWS - Spring 2016: Understanding Your Bill

UNDERSTANDING YOUR BILL

Your monthly water & sewer bill contains a lot of information, which can be a bit overwhelming.  

The following example is a typical ECWSA bill. The key below shows where important information is found.

Information on the front of the bill includes:

A.  Customer Name.

B.   Property Address.

C.   Billing Address / Mailing Address.

D.   Account Number.

E.   Sequence Number – this is a number used by our meter readers to locate your meter.

F.   Billing Date – The date the bill was generated and the date payment is due.

G.  Billing Cycle Dates – The period the billing is for.

H.  Total amount due and the amount due after the due date, which includes a penalty.

I.   Announcements or memos.

J.  Meter Reading and Usage

Sometimes our customers get behind on paying their water and sewer bill. When this happens, the next bill will show a “previous / past due balance, designated with the billing code “PB.”

Even though the computer adds the past due amount into the total balance due of the billing, the PB amount is due immediately.

Meter readings are taken during the odd numbered months. Even numbered months’ usage charges are estimated based on the previous twelve months of usage. Sometimes our computer will estimate usage too low. In this instance, the customer will be charged for the additional usage on the following billing cycle, after an actual reading.

Other times, our computer may estimate usage too high. When this happens, the customer will see a usage credit on the next billing cycle, after an actual reading. In either case, customers only pay for water and sewer that they have actually used over a two month period. When there is no usage or meter reading listed on your bill, this means that either the computer estimated that you would have less than 1000 gallons usage that month, or your meter reading was the same as the previous month’s estimated bill.

The back of your bill is where answers to frequently asked questions are found, including:

A.   ECWSA Contact Information.

B.   ECWSA Office Hours.

C.   Information regarding late charges.

D.   Common Billing Codes.

Other, less common codes, may also appear on your bill. If you have any questions about billing codes, please contact our office and we will happy to explain them.