Want to know how to lower your sewer service charge on your bill?
Wouldn’t it be great if you had a say in how much you’re charged for sewer service? Wait a minute, you actually do! That’s because SAWS sewer charges are based on your average winter water use. So, the less water you use during the winter, the lower your monthly sewer charge will be for the next billing year.
How winter averaging works
SAWS averages your water use over three consecutive billing periods between mid-November and mid-March to calculate the monthly sewer charges for the year.
Why winter? Most winter water use occurs indoors, and therefore leaves your home via the sewer pipes. Since there are no sewer meters to measure the outgoing flow, winter averaging is a fairly accurate way to estimate your sewer use.
Bottom line: Saving water now can add up to big savings throughout the next year.
Check the schedule
The chart shows the approximate start and end dates of the winter averaging period for each SAWS billing cycle. Your billing cycle is shown in the blue “Current Bill Summary” section on the upper left portion of your bill. SAWS will begin billing you at the newly calculated sewer rate in the month shown.
The schedule changes yearly, so be sure to come back here or check Water in the News, your monthly bill insert, in the fall for the updated winter average period.
Switch off sprinklers
Do you run your irrigation system at least once per week during the winter? If so, you’re making an expensive mistake. Watering dormant grass will not make it grow, no matter how much water you apply. Only the roots are active in the winter and usually do just fine on the occasional rainfall we receive. What will turn green if you water are the winter weeds.
What if there’s no rain? Simple — you can always run your irrigation manually to water once a month.
Good programming of your irrigation controller is critical to saving water.
Your Irrigation SystemYour in-ground irrigation system can account for 50 to 70 percent of your home water use.
Free Irrigation ConsultationSAWS offers Irrigation Consultations to residential homeowners with irrigation systems.
Garden Style San AntonioVisit for more ways to save water and money all year long.
What else can affect the winter average?
There’s a lot of little things that together end up as this great big water wasting problem. Having an unrepaired leak could also cause your winter average to be higher.
Here are some tools and resources to help you on your way to water-saving savviness.
Searching for a leak after receiving a continuous use alert or a high-water bill?
Reading Electronic Water Meter to Help Identify LeaksYou can monitor your meter to check for leaks in your water system.
Pool Problems: Check the Autofill ValveIf you have a swimming pool, your auto-fill device can malfunction and continuously fill the pool.