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1. jeanie
   Member Profile

   Has anyone else seen a big jump in their Seattle Combined Utility (water, poop, garbage) bills? Mine was a shocker: $210 - and this is for a two-person household (and no, we don't have an indoor lap pool, nor are we water hogs). Is this normal? Where is the regulation? Hey, I'm willing to pay for services, but this is ridiculous. I wonder if our mayoral candidates have the guts to address this issue.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

2. transplantella
   Member Profile

   

   I think utilities in Seattle are DIRT cheap.

   We paid nearly $500 a month in Texas for electricity in an 800 sq. foot house. Water in the summer ran another $200 or so a month. Homeowners insurance another $200 or so a month.

   Utilities/insurance ran us twice the monthly cost of the mortgage in Texas.

   Here, the killer cost is the property taxes, not the utilities.

   In America you're gonna pay one way or another. Get used to it. Pay now or pay later. Pay the high taxes, or the outrageous utilities, or pay the exorbitant insurance. Any which way you're taken to the cleaners.

   You just get to choose where you want to live and which bill picks your pocket.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

3. Escondido
   Member Profile

   Jeanie, I agree. I've contacted the water department about the cost and they just encourage our family to keep on with our water conservation practices. Our last bill was $282. for a family of four. My sister, who lives near Riverside, California, pays much less for her water, and she basically lives in a desert. I think the real problem is that wages are flat and so many of our other living expenses have increased such as food and health care. My son complained last night that we were having pasta again - pasta and rice and bean dishes seem to be our mainstays of late. My husband and I are just grateful that we both have jobs!

   Posted 2 years ago #         

4. hammy
   Member Profile

   Was there a large jump in all your utilities or just water? We had a large jump in our water bill 1 1/2 years ago and after trying to conserve more, talking to water department, etc, we found out there was a leak in the water line coming in from the street. We replaced the pipe from the street into the house and that solved the problem. Our combined util. bill (water, sewer, solid waste) for family of four is about $120.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

5. Escondido
   Member Profile

   Hammy, you are doing really well than. The water department confirmed that our bill for a family of four was "right on target".

   Posted 2 years ago #         

6. miws
   Member Profile

   

   hammy brought up my first thought. The possibility of a leak.

   I've been in an apartment for 9.5 years now, so haven't received/been directly responsible for a water bill for that long, so don't remember if they have a current year to last year by service period comparison listed on the bill, as City Light does. And, if so, is it broken down into how much used/whatever rate, for each time period?

   Weren't garbage rates increased earlier in the year? Or did you already take that into consideration? If you get siginificantly more feedback here, stating that others have not experienced such a sudden, sharp, increase, I'd definitely look into the possibility of a leak.

   Good luck on this! It definitely sucks to be trying to do the right thing environmentally, only to feel like you're being "punished" in doing so! :-/

   Mike

   Posted 2 years ago #         

7. dhg
   Member Profile

   

   Our house, family of two, averages 88 gals/day, for a bill of $161. This was higher than our usual because we had put in new plantings and were watering our lawn heavily for a week.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

8. MTM
   Member Profile

   I get uneasy when I hear or read statements like "Get used to it" or "You're gonna pay one way or another." Sort of reminds me of the saying that annoys me the most - "It is what it is" which feels like lethargy to me. I personally think lethargy is dangerous to democracy, even at the lesser levels of government, like utility bills. Just a little personal agitation on my part.

   It's true our utility bills might be cheaper than elsewhere, but that bill might still be a hardship. I'd say, check on your billing if there has been a dramatic uptick. Question it, request a breakout of past yearly billings at that address to compare with the current year, keep an eye on your personal usage from month to month to see if there are wild swings in the bill and ask for a meter check to insure it's working properly (meters can go haywire sometimes). By the way, sewage is based on water flow - there's no sewage/poop meter... :) There might be a problem somewhere like other postings have suggested.

   My last bill was $226 for a 2-person household. That included a month with 4 people from out-of-town for two days, so extra showers and cooking/dishes each day, and we have a small pond which we supplement with water twice a month in warm weather, not to mention a yard which we water frequently through mid-September.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

9. Diane
   Member Profile

   

   yes, check for a leak; even very small leak can add up to a lot of $$$; about 10 yrs ago I had a HUGE jump in water/sewer, called them to find out why; they said mostly often it’s a leak in the toilet; had it checked; yep, it was the toilet, which was very old, possibly original in 1947 house; after toilet was replaced, water/sewer bill went WAY down

   Posted 2 years ago #         

10. sam-c
    Member Profile

    

    yes, check for leaks especially a leaky toilet.
    also, we replaced our toilet with a dual flush toilet, and our bill went down by $ 35/ $ 40.

    and don't forget, that bill is for 2 months. I always have to remember that.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

11. Diane
    Member Profile

    

    how timely; just saw this on sidebar of http://www.quicknbrite.com/about/
    ~
    "Fix those leaking and dripping faucets as soon as possible. A dripping faucet can waste up to 20 gallons of water per day. A leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons every day."

    Posted 2 years ago #         

12. jeanie
    Member Profile

    Thanks for the great feedback and suggestions. Oh, and MTM, I agree with you 100% when you wrote: "I get uneasy when I hear or read statements like "Get used to it" or "You're gonna pay one way or another." Sort of reminds me of the saying that annoys me the most - "It is what it is" which feels like lethargy to me. I personally think lethargy is dangerous to democracy, even at the lesser levels of government, like utility bills. Just a little personal agitation on my part.
    -----
    You expressed it beautifully! I think people (especially Seattleites) sometimes fall into the danger of being too complacent and passive.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

13. hammerhead
    Member Profile

    

    Hate to beat a dead dog. but to pay for the tunnel they did say they were going to increase utilities bills. now i don't when they were going to start that. so that may be one reason.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

14. westseattledood
    Member Profile

    

    OMG, yes! Check if your toilet is running or you have ANY drips from faucets. A stupid running toilet nearly tripled my bill. All I needed was a new tank part gizmo for less than $10 and I did not need a plumber for that either. Just asked the hardware store people how to do it. Thank God for hardware stores people.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

15. jeanie
    Member Profile

    And checking the toilet is dummy-proof. Tanks a lot, everyone! :)

    Posted 2 years ago #         

16. westseattledood
    Member Profile

    

    Lol!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

17. Bonnie
    Member Profile

    I've noticed ours go up, but I am in charge of paying my Dads bills (he lives in Burien) and I think his are higher than mine.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

18. Bonnie
    Member Profile

    westseattledood, a few years ago our toilet was running and my husband brushed it off (I blame it on him...lol..but I could have taken care of it too because I'm not helpless) when we got the bill our combined bill was almost $700! We fixed the toilet that very day.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

19. westseattledood
    Member Profile

    

    Wow Bonnie. I didn't take THAT big of hit! Ouch!!! And, for sure, blame the spouses/partners, if ya' got one! ;)

    Posted 2 years ago #         

20. Bonnie
    Member Profile

    Yeah, well that time of the year it was normally around $400 or so and it shot way up. Of course, since the bill only comes every 2 months...it was probably going on for awhile. Yep, blame it on the spouse. Or maybe the cat...

    Posted 2 years ago #         

21. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    A couple years ago we bought a dehumidifier and it warms the house better than the electric heat! Can't believe how much water it sucks up. Cost $150.00 and well worth it.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

22. jeanie
    Member Profile

    Hammerhead, thanks for your info re the possible connection between utility bills and tunnel costs. And I have a funny feeling that there will be signifant cost overruns (not with the toilet, but with the tunnel). Not saying if I am pro- or anti-tunnel - that's a whole 'nother matter, but these massive projects do tend to get expensive. And guess who ends up paying!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

23. mrhineh
    Member Profile

    You can always check your meter at the street too. Make sure all water is turned off, and check the dial if it is still running, or moves in an amount of time.

    I tend to agree, the rates have been moving higher and higher.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

24. seattleamiga
    Member Profile

    

    I just got a $500 water bill (normally less than $100). When I called I was advised to read the meter. The reading was off by A LOT!! A high bill does not necessarily mean a leak - thank God!! I called in again and all is well.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

25. cakeitseasy
    Member Profile

    "these massive projects do tend to get expensive. And guess who ends up paying!"

    So,who should be paying? It's not free.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

26. coolmama
    Member Profile

    Interesting! Our last bill was $217 and we are a family of four. It felt high, but we are first time homeowners and this is only the second water bill we've ever had to pay. I guess maybe that's even on the good side?

    Posted 2 years ago #         

27. rykrite
    Member Profile

    Our bill for a family of 3 just jumped from $180 to $205, and we haven't changed any habits. We are on the payment plan where the monthly bill is averaged to remain the same, so this shouldn't reflect a one month jump, but a permanent increase.

    I do think I'm going to check our toilet for leaks, though. Our downstairs toilet is who-knows-how-old, and it wouldn't surprise me if it leaked. Thanks for the ideas!

    Posted 2 years ago #         

28. JohnM
    Member Profile

    The SPU bill also includes garbage and yard waste, and both rates were increased when they they did that big change earlier this year.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

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