By Eric Sabolsice, Senior Vice President of Operations, Texas Water Utilities
You’ve likely heard the term ‘winter averaging’ during a homeowners association meeting or seen it on a water utility bill. Knowing how winter averaging works can help you positively influence your wastewater rates and become empowered in your water use.
So what is winter averaging and why is it practiced? Winter averaging calculates a household’s average water use during the winter months (often from December to February) to determine wastewater use throughout the rest of the year. As opposed to the summer months, a family’s water habits in the winter more accurately reflect indoor water use and the amount of water entering our wastewater systems throughout the year. This is why most water utilities implement winter averaging to determine yearly wastewater charges for residential customers.
Wastewater is any water that has been used and returns to the sewer for treatment, such as the water that runs down the drain when you do dishes or laundry and when you flush your toilet. Water used for outdoor irrigation enters the ground or natural water sources as runoff and is not considered wastewater. This is why wastewater averages are calculated during the winter months, when irrigation needs are typically lower and water use more accurately reflects what is returned to the sewer.
Knowing how wastewater fees are calculated and when your water utility observes winter averaging can help you make informed choices about your water use and better understand your monthly bill. For instance, if you were planning to implement new outdoor landscaping that will require extra irrigation upon planting, you might choose to time that project after winter averaging, as excessive irrigation will negatively impact your winter average.
Additionally, many new homes come with automatic irrigation systems that are set to a regular time each week. By turning this off or reducing the frequency of watering during the winter months, you can positively impact your winter average. Automatic irrigation systems have several components that should be checked, including a watering zone map. Just because you don’t see your sprinkler turn on during the day, doesn’t mean it’s not watering at night, or through drip lines underground that you can’t see.
You can also look for products that have EPA WaterSense certification, which means they use 20% less waste and are more efficient. Doing so will also impact your wastewater winter average.
Even as we enter the winter months, much of our state continues to be in a drought, so it’s important to conserve water whenever possible to prevent water shortages ahead of extreme summer drought and practice good water stewardship year round.
If you are unsure how your water utility calculates wastewater charges, you may visit their website or check your billing materials for more information. Many utilities also have alert systems you can subscribe to and receive timely updates about your service via email and/or text.