Home › Forums › Open Discussion › anyone receive an extremely high sewer bill during past billing cycle?
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
February 13, 2010 at 6:27 pm #593876
tiggerParticipantMy sewer bill doubled during the last billing cycle (Jan-Feb). I’ve lived in my house for over 3 years and it has never been this high. I’m wondering if the city raised the rates and I missed the communication. Anyone else experience a similar increase?
February 13, 2010 at 6:49 pm #688377
AimParticipantYES! Ours went from $17 to $53 JUST for the sewer portion.
February 13, 2010 at 7:08 pm #688378
tiggerParticipantmine is usually $44 and it jumped to $89! I don’t remember seeing any communication that it was going to increase. But regardless an increase this high really seems out of line
February 13, 2010 at 7:33 pm #688379
JoMemberI live in an apartment, but pay for water/sewer for my unit. We have a meter installed on our individual hot water heaters.
My sewer-only charge jumped from $8.02 (previous month) to $54.18. In fact, my entire water/sewer bill (combined) jumped from $15.14 (previous month) to $75.02 (current billing).
I also didn’t see any communication re: increase.
What’s up?
I have my management co. looking into it, but not expecting a swift answer from them, as usual.
February 13, 2010 at 8:32 pm #688380
AimParticipantThere was no communication AT ALL about the rates changing. I’m in my account online and don’t see a thing about it. I’ll be calling to dispute it first thing Monday morning.
February 13, 2010 at 8:38 pm #688381
SueParticipantI rent a house where water/sewer is included, so I don’t get a bill. However, I noticed my last electric bill was very off, and then realized it was an estimated bill (which is strange since the meter is outside and nothing kept them from reading it, other than not showing up). Is it possible that these are estimated bills for sewer that are just badly estimated?
I see online that sewer did increase on 1/1, but it looks as if it’s a very small increase and shouldn’t be causing the increases that others are reporting here.
February 13, 2010 at 8:41 pm #688382
WSBKeymasterThere was a rate increase Jan. 1.
http://www.seattle.gov/UTIL/Services/Drainage_&_Sewer/Rates/COS_004081.asp
February 13, 2010 at 9:17 pm #688383
velo_nutParticipantSomething I learned in the navy…
If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.
February 13, 2010 at 9:35 pm #688384
JoMemberSue & WSB:
My electric bill was also hugely increased.
I called city light and was told the increase on 1/1 was 13%.
My electric bill last winter, during the horrible snow storms, etc., and I was home alot during that time, was $117.92 (heating included) The bill I just got for the same billing period, this year, was $195.39. Figuring in the 13%, and a VERY MILD winter, it’s way too high.
City light did not offer any solution. So….am going to have to officially protest this billing, also
Anyone else experiencing an abnormally high electric bill? (Over and above the 13% increase, that is)
February 13, 2010 at 9:36 pm #688385
tiggerParticipantSo the notice says the following:
Effective January 1, 2010, the wastewater rate increases from $8.89 to $8.98 per CCF (100 cubic feet).
So it is only a 10 cent increase, yet my bill is double.
February 13, 2010 at 9:57 pm #688386
tiggerParticipantAnother thing to check on your bill. Are you seeing that yourCCF usage has gone up for both water and sewer? My bill is usually 4-5 CCF in the winter. This past billing cycle it jumped to 10CCF. We didn’t have any abnormal water usage the past two months so again this seems odd
February 14, 2010 at 12:00 am #688387
ValerieMemberHey Tigger – my water usage almost doubled. I thought maybe I have a leak, or it had something to do with the filter I just installed. But if I’m not the only one, what’s going on?
February 14, 2010 at 12:49 am #688388
AimParticipantMy CCFs were exactly the same: 6.
February 14, 2010 at 1:15 am #688389
sam-cParticipanttigger- we were shocked too- I remembered hearing about City light increase, but not SPU.
and they *estimated the usage at 10CCF. I haven’t dug up the old bills to compare.
what bugged me was that they charged us as the low rate for 4.6 CCF. and the high rate for 5.4 CCF. why not divide in half? I guess it has do with the actual number of dates after the jan 1 increase
February 14, 2010 at 1:25 am #688390
dennisrouxMemberMy water/sewer/waste bill nearly doubled. I asked about it and the rep suggested I look for leaks. None and I don’t think my toilet was running. Could it be some billing error?
February 14, 2010 at 1:40 am #688391
JoMemberdennisroux:
I also was told by water co. to check for leaks. None
And city light suggested I read my meter – which I mentioned to her is behind locked door and ‘how in hell do I read a meter.”
I’m getting my management company involved, but..they’re not especially speedy – or much interested – in ferriting out problems.
I wonder if this is only West Seattle – I’m in Alki area. I’ll call family members – one in Ballard – and ask around at work. Will post results of those conversations here.
Jo
February 14, 2010 at 1:55 am #688392
flowerpetalMemberAim and others, save yourself the frustration of calling on Monday. Its a holiday and customer service will be closed. We will all wait to read what you find out on Tuesday.
February 14, 2010 at 2:03 am #688393
EmmyJaneParticipantglad to know other people experienced this. my sewer usage was almost twice as high as my water usage…. so unless me and my hubby are drinking twice as much water from a source other than our house, then coming home and peeing it out, it doesn’t make any logical sense.
sorry for the bathroom visual. :-)
February 14, 2010 at 2:20 am #688394
bluebirdMember8 CCF used. Water = $53 Sewer = $71 Total bill is only $7 dollars more than the last one. Is it possible there was estimating going on at some point, and this was the catch up month for those it happened to?
February 14, 2010 at 3:14 am #688395
todd_ParticipantHi. My bill for water and sewer is always around 18 CCF’s each. We are a family of 4. When the city announces rate increases on the bill enclosures, they state what the increased bill would equal based on the average home useage of 5 CCF. I thought the city did this so the increase would not look like it was that much but when a household uses almost 20 CCF, it really increases the bill.
.
I guess the bottom line for me is, are there any other households out there who have 4 people and use 18 CCF’s or do we have a leak? We recently replaced the toilet flapper but didn’t see a decrease in CCF. Even when there were 2 of us we always used around 10 CCF’s if memory serves me. I’ve never had a bill for just 5 CCF’s in the past 15 years or so of living in Seattle. Thanks for starting this discussion.
February 14, 2010 at 3:24 am #688396
todd_ParticipantJo, this might help ya – They could have read your meter incorrectly.. It happened to us one month but it will right itself with the next reading. We had them fix ours though by reading the meter to them over the phone. If you can’t do that, hopefully you will be seeing a real low bill next time.
February 14, 2010 at 3:42 am #688397
CarolPBMemberjust checked my bill-4 adults, 12 CCF. bill is about $20.00 higher than last one.
February 14, 2010 at 5:06 am #688398
WSBKeymasterWe have 2 adults and a teenager and 20 CCF. This is the second bill in a row past $300 … seems like they were more routinely around $250-$270 not that long ago. Small old house.
February 14, 2010 at 7:06 am #688399
CatPMemberWe DID get a letter quite a few months ago, I think from King County, explaining that stormwater rates would be going up, and that our rate would have to do with the size of the lot and the percentage of permeable/impermeable surface.
We have a very large lot with an itty bitty house and no paving anywhere (gravel driveway) so our rates have definitely gone up, but not hideously so.
So essentially I think we are being charged for how much rain falls on your property.
I’ll try to locate that letter…
February 14, 2010 at 3:52 pm #688400
dhgParticipantFYI: Our household of 2 adults averages 6- 7 ccf’s per billing cycle, last couple of bills have been about $155
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.