For Immediate Release: Wednesday, September 18, 2019 9:43 AM
Estimated water bills will more closely reflect each customer’s daily routine
NEW ORLEANS – Today, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) announced it is implementing a more personalized method to estimate customers’ water use. This improvement will produce more accurate bills for customers in those rare instances when a meter can’t be read. Previously, when an estimate was required, we charged 100 gallons a day per property. Starting on Sept. 23, 2019, we will no longer use a blanket formula to estimate your bills. Estimates instead will be tailored to your individual account, based on your typical daily water use. This change reflects our renewed focus to improve the service we provide each customer.
While we make every effort to read every single meter, certain situations can cause your usage to be estimated. This includes such circumstances as unsafe weather conditions or an obstruction, such as a parked car, blocking the water meter cover. When an estimate must be made, we will:
This improved, customer-focused process will ensure that any billing estimations are closer to your actual monthly water usage. This will make it easier for you to budget for your water bill each month. It will also reduce the chance you will face a startlingly high actual bill meant to correct an earlier, artificially low estimated bill.
If, for any reason, you have fewer than two actual reads, we will estimate that each residential account uses 170 gallons a day. This number is based on the typical consumption of SWBNO customers.
“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, Executive Director, SWBNO. “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.”
Over the past year, we have made a number of improvements to our billing system with the goal of improving its accuracy and predictability for our customers.
Several major improvements toward that end include:
To help reduce the number of billing estimates, we ask that you remain mindful of where you or your guests park outside of your home. If for some reason our meter readers can’t access your meter, they will leave a door tag letting you know.
If you have any questions, please call 52-WATER. Our customer service agents are ready to assist you.
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