What Is Winter Averaging?
Winter averaging is a billing method developed to give you the best possible break on sewer billing costs.
If you are eligible, this method takes the water consumption used in the winter quarter as the basis for billing sewer charges throughout the year. You will not be paying additional sewer charges for warm-weather purposes such as watering lawns, washing cars, landscaping, gardening, or filling pools.
Some treatment providers may not use this same billing method for their charges.
Winter Average Eligibility
Eligible customers are automatically put on winter averaging if they have an entire month’s usage in February, March, and April in the current year. The eligibility requirements are:
- To establish the winter average reads from February, March and April will be averaged. The average of these three reads is used to bill sewer charges through the following April. The new winter average amount will be billed with the May bill each year.
- If the actual water usage is less than the winter average usage, then the actual usage will be billed. If the winter average usage is lower than the actual usage, then winter average usage will be billed.
- Residence must be an owner-occupied, single-family dwelling. Rental units are not eligible for winter average.
- At least one of the three monthly reads must be an actual read (if the estimates are due to a meter reporting problem). An account with a zero read in any of the 3 months will not be eligible for winter average.
- A customer must have a winter average usage above 150 cubic feet during the February, March, and April calculation period to be eligible for winter average.
- Residents with a second sprinkling meter are not eligible for winter averaging.
- A new customer must have an entire month’s usage in February, March, and April in order to be eligible for winter average.
- New residential construction customers may be eligible for a class average winter average of 800 cubic feet per month due to irrigation of new lawns during the summer months. Please contact customer service for details.
What If I Do Not Want To Use Winter Averaging?
Most eligible customers are put on winter averaging automatically. If you ask to be removed from this billing method, you will be billed based on 100% of the water consumed each quarter.
It may be beneficial for you to decline the winter average option if you have high winter water consumption or low usage in warmer weather.
You will remain on this 100% billing unless you submit a written request asking to be placed back on the winter average billing.
If you believe your winter average is incorrect or you want to be placed on or removed from winter average, please write to:
Northwestern Water & Sewer District
PO Box 348
Bowling Green, OH 43402
Or call customer service at (419) 354-9090 or (877) 354-9090.