AWWU Does Not Meter Single Family Residences

• It is a Municipality of Anchorage policy decision not to meter water use for single family residential units. Key reasons for this decision are: 
• Metering would be very costly to homeowners.
   * The purchase of meters for all Utility single family customers’ homes would exceed $55 million.
   * Meter installation at each home would cost $400-$900 depending on space availability.
   * Extensive plumbing changes would be the homeowners responsibility.
   * New monthly charges to read meters, and to include repair and maintenance costs, would be added to customer bills. 
• The cost of treatment and distribution of water represents the majority of customer costs.
  Fixed costs associated with the delivery of water in subarctic environment are much higher than the actual costs of obtaining the water used. These costs include piping, treatment facilities, valves, pumps, and associated maintenance for customer demand and fire flow. 
• The Utility’s cost for raw water is less than 1 percent of your bill. 
  The cost of water per household equals less than 1 percent of a single family residential bill. AWWU has easy access to an abundant amount of water so the cost of the "next gallon" of water consumed is very low compared to the cost of delivering the first gallon.

For more information:

AWWU Customer Service - 564-2700, or CustomerService@awwu.biz

Additional Reference:

American Water Works Association (AWWA) - www.awwa.org
Phone (800) 926-7337
Mail 6666 W. Quincy Ave., Denver CO 80235