Water Billing FAQ

Water Billing FAQ

The SimpleSUB solution was designed to make unit-level water billing straightforward and painless. Whether your property relies on a third party billing company, property management software program, or in-house billing system to facilitate water billing for your property, the SimpleSUB web app’s cost report tool and downloadable reports can help streamline your systems.

As you read through this article, please keep in mind that no two properties or utility bills are alike. There is lots of variation in how properties are managed and billed, and in how water providers break out charges. You may not encounter the exact terms or criteria you’re accustomed to for your property, so please contact the SimpleSUB Support Team if you have questions.

SimpleSUB Water’s Cost Report Tool

The cost report tool allows customers to input their utility bill information to generate unit-level cost reports for their property. The cost report tells SimpleSUB Water customers how much water each unit occupant used during a given billing cycle, and what they owe. Cost reports are generated using two inputs: automated Z1 Flow Meter meter readings and the customer’s utility bill information. In the graphic below, you’ll see a view of the cost report tool and the customizable inputs.

SimpleSUB Water vs. Traditional Methods

The charts below illustrate how water billing with the SimpleSUB Water solution compares to billing using traditional ratio utility billing systems (RUBS). Based on unit-level measurements, SimpleSUB Water’s cost reports generate fair bills. This side-by-side comparison makes it clear that using unit-level measurements creates equitability, while merely dividing a bill cannot.

Pilot Property - Denver, CO

8-Unit Commercial Facility

December 2022 Billing Cycle

Exports from the SimpleSUB Web App

Your property’s water usage data is viewable in the web app, and can be downloaded to your computer as a CSV (Excel, Numbers) file. Different reports are available to meet varying customer needs.

Property Usage Report: View daily usage totals for every unit on the property for the selected month. Accessible on the detailed property view, by clicking the property name in the web app and scrolling down to the bottom of the page, below the usage data chart. 

Unit Usage Report: View a single unit’s daily usage totals for the selected month. Accessible on the unit-selected view in the web app, below the usage data chart. 

Cost Report: View unit-level usage totals for the month selected, with or without billing information included. Accessible on the detailed property view, by clicking “Add Bill” at the top of the page. 

Common Water Billing Terms

Fixed Fee: Any fee that is fixed or consistent on your water bill. Common fixed fees include meter fees and service fees. 

Usage- or Rate-Based Charge: Charge that is calculated based on the total usage amount for a particular billing cycle. For example, if your property’s utility meter measures 10,000 gallons for a billing cycle, any usage-based charges will be calculated by 10,000 gallons. If your property consumption rises to 20,000 gallons the following billing cycle, the usage-based charges will be calculated using 20,000 gallons. 

Water treatment, sewer, and stormwater charges are typically rate-based, and can be expected to fluctuate each billing cycle depending on usage.

CCF or HCF: Centum Cubic Feet or Hundred Cubic Feet.

TGal: Thousands of gallons.

Rate: The cost per volume unit (Gal, TGal, CCF, HCF, for example) for water. Water rates vary by region. In areas where water service providers use tiered pricing, your property’s rate may increase or decrease across billing cycles.

Meter Base Rate: The fixed charge per utility meter. The base rate typically varies based on the size of the meter, so a smaller meter (on a 0.75” pipe, for example) will have a lower base rate, and a larger meter (on a 3.0” pipe, for example) will incur a higher base rate. 

Tiered Pricing: It is becoming more commonplace for utilities to employ tiered pricing, so higher users pay more for water. An example of a tiered pricing model is displayed below. Additionally, it is common for utilities to increase water rates year over year, so you’ll often see old rates published next to new rates.