national multiple family submetering and allocation billing program ...

CHAPTER 4 STUDY SI TE CHARACTERISTICS AND SURVEY
RESULTS
STUDY SITE CHARACTERISTICS
The 13 study cities in the National Multiple Family Submetering and Allocation Billing
Program Study were located in six distinct regions of North America.
1) West Coast– San Diego, Oakland, and Irvine, California.
2) Southwest – Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Las Vegas, Nevada; Austin and San
Antonio, Texas.
3) Northwest – Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon
4) Mountain –Denver, Colorado.
5) Midwest – Indianapolis, Indiana.
6) Southeast – Hillsborough County, Florida.
Even study sites that were in close geographic proximity had unique characteristics,
ranging from price of water to recent conservation efforts to specific building features. Multifamily
homes in these study sites also differed in their water consumption patterns. This section
compares some of the service area characteristics for the 13 Study sites. Even within each study
site there was tremendous variability in the size, landscape, level of maintenance, and appearance
of the participating properties.
Water and Wastewater Rates
Water and wastewater rates, as well as rate structures, varied tremendously in the 13
participating study sites. Most utilities had either an increasing block rate structure or a uniform
rate structure for multi-family housing. Indianapolis was the only participant using a declining
block rate structure. Water and wastewater rates per kgal are shown in Table 4.1. All rates are
adjusted to kgal. Multi-tiered water rates are averaged as shown in the table. The goal was to
identify a single cost per kgal for water and wastewater for all utilities in the study. In practice,
the wastewater charge frequently appears as a fixed charge on a monthly bill, and it is typically
calculated from winter-time consumption, which justifies its inclusion in the commodity charge.
65