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Started By
Message
SWB Nola to commence making up bills next week
Posted on 9/18/19 at 2:42 pm
Posted on 9/18/19 at 2:42 pm
quote:
The Sewerage & Water Board is going back to estimating customers' bills based on past usage, rather than using a flat rate, when a meter isn't read, officials announced on Wednesday. The new plan, which will go into effect for bills starting on Monday, will mean that customers will be charged for the average of their previous four months of usage if their meter is not read in time to make it on their bill.
quote:
Currently, when a meter isn't read the customer's bill is calculated using a flat rate of 100 gallons a day. That's lower than the 171 gallons a day the residential customer uses and far less than the more than 1,500 gallons per day used by the average commercial customer, according to a report a S&WB consultant issued early this year.
quote:
If four months of bills are not available for the estimate - or fewer than two months of bills where a meter was actually read - the utility will use the average citywide rate for commercial or residential customers.
15
Posted on 9/18/19 at 2:43 pm to arseinclarse
I"m all for the shite on NOLA and laugh threads but this is actually smart.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 2:44 pm to arseinclarse
Posted on 9/18/19 at 2:44 pm to tgrbaitn08
quote:
"To help reduce the number of billing estimates, we ask that you remain mindful of where you or your guests park outside of your home. If for some reason our meter readers can’t access your meter, they will leave a door tag letting you know."
So let's take a look at exactly how much estimating the S&WB is doing now. Included in last week's meeting packet for the finance committee (posted only after the committee met) was a little chart of customer service metrics, some of which lack context. It lists the number of estimated bills and the number of actual bills for July:
Estimated bills: 41,522
Actual bills: 102,833
29% of all bills (41,522/144,355) in July were estimated. The press release also says there have been concrete steps taken to improve accuracy, but 29% is not really any improvement. The last time these numbers were published, for September of 2017, the percentage of estimated bills sat at 34%.
Now, is it possible the July numbers are some kind of anamoly? Perhaps. Alongside the July, 2019 numbers are June, 2019 numbers:
Estimated bills: 9944
Actual bills: 130,818
That's a percentage of just 7% (9944/140,762). That's still high, but not 29% high. So which one shows the way the agency is going? We don't know, because the S&WB stopped publishing these numbers for almost two years.
There's another number on the same chart, though, that gives us an indication:
June, 2019 number of meters read: 75,741
July, 2019 number of meters read: 72,428
We know the S&WB has about 136,000 meters, so for two months, they read just over half of the meters in the city. How that translates into just 7% estimated bills is not at all clear, and makes one think the 29% number is much more reflective of what is going on. Executive Director Korban recently mentioned the number is 20%, which lends credence to my theory.
I'm not even going to touch the discrepancy between the number of bills per month (well over 140,000) and the number of customers (around 136,000).
With all that in mind, are we to believe that almost half the water meters in the city have cars parked on top of them every month? If so, whoever has the door-hanger printing contract must be making a mint.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 2:44 pm to arseinclarse
New Orleans residents deserve this.
They show they deserve this by who they elect.
They show they deserve this by who they elect.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 2:45 pm to arseinclarse
quote:
That's lower than the 171 gallons a day the residential customer uses and far less than the more than 1,500 gallons per day used by the average commercial customer
Is there a reason they don't just use the average for the type of customer they are?
Posted on 9/18/19 at 2:50 pm to arseinclarse
Here's the official press release if anyone wants to re read it. I'm about to lose my mind 
LINK
LINK
quote:
While we make every effort to read every single meter, certain situations can cause your usage to be estimated. This includes such circumstances as unsafe weather conditions or an obstruction, such as a parked car, blocking the water meter cover. When an estimate must be made, we will:
Take your four previous readings, two of which are required to be actual readings (not estimates) and,
Calculate how many gallons of water you use each day on average, then
Multiply that by the number of days in the present billing period.
This improved, customer-focused process will ensure that any billing estimations are closer to your actual monthly water usage. This will make it easier for you to budget for your water bill each month. It will also reduce the chance you will face a startlingly high actual bill meant to correct an earlier, artificially low estimated bill.
If, for any reason, you have fewer than two actual reads, we will estimate that each residential account uses 170 gallons a day. This number is based on the typical consumption of SWBNO customers.
“We are constantly working to improve the service we provide our customers and are now taking a more personalized approach to billing,” said Ghassan Korban, Executive Director, SWBNO. “Within the past year, we recognized that using the 100-gallon-a-day water usage standard does not work best for our customers. This new approach will help give customers more predictability when budgeting month to month.”
Over the past year, we have made a number of improvements to our billing system with the goal of improving its accuracy and predictability for our customers.
Several major improvements toward that end include:
Since August 2018, we have resolved 23,000 billing disputes.
Our billing staff is better trained in the bill review process which helps flag inaccurate readings.
We improved our meter reading process by reordering the sequence in which meters are read. This allows a meter reader to read the same sequence of routes and become more familiar with the location of each water meter.
This increases the speed and accuracy of the meter reading process.
We standardized how we read each of our different makes and models of meters.
Now meter readers have greater predictability and uniformity on their routes which decreases errors when entering a customers’ meter data into our billing system.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 2:57 pm to arseinclarse
quote:
when a meter isn't read,
quote:
Currently, when a meter isn't read
Why isn't the meter being read?
This seems illegal.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:00 pm to tgrbaitn08
quote:
Take your four previous readings, two of which are required to be actual readings (not estimates) and, Calculate how many gallons of water you use each day on average, then Multiply that by the number of days in the present billing period.
I highly doubt my household uses 170 gallons per day.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:01 pm to TH03
quote:
This seems illegal.
It's Nola.
I'm sure pretty soon, every home will be assessed at 170 gallons a day. It's "easier" that way.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:03 pm to tgrbaitn08
quote:
While we make every effort to read every single meter, certain situations can cause your usage to be estimated. This includes such circumstances as unsafe weather conditions or an obstruction, such as a parked car, blocking the water meter cover.
Come back another day, ya worthless lazy fricks.
"Nah, we'll just overestimate what you use"
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:05 pm to arseinclarse
quote:
I highly doubt my household uses 170 gallons per day.
Our family of four averages about 4500 gal per month.
So that's 150 per day. No pool or other high-water-use items.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:06 pm to TH03
quote:
such as a parked car, blocking the water meter cover
This seems made up.
It's generally, we don't have enough qualified employees and/or they are lazy.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:08 pm to arseinclarse
Do the meters there have to be physically opened to be read, or are they read remotely?
Our meter (in St. Bernard) has some RFID device on it that allows it to be read by a machine as long as it is within a few feet of it.
When we moved in, the meter box was actually completely covered in about 3 inches of grass and dirt.
Our meter (in St. Bernard) has some RFID device on it that allows it to be read by a machine as long as it is within a few feet of it.
When we moved in, the meter box was actually completely covered in about 3 inches of grass and dirt.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:09 pm to arseinclarse
quote:
If four months of bills are not available for the estimate - or fewer than two months of bills where a meter was actually read - the utility will use the average citywide rate for commercial or residential customers.
How do NOLA residents tolerate this?
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:16 pm to LNCHBOX
I also think they're having a public meeting soon to increase the millage w/o putting it to a public vote. I'm trying to find what I read last week.
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:16 pm to LSUFanHouston
quote:Another indication of how shitty Orleans Parish is- when even da Parish has lapped them.
Our meter (in St. Bernard) has some RFID device on it that allows it to be read by a machine
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:17 pm to soccerfüt
quote:
when even da Parish has lapped them.
But do they have those fancy logos on them?
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