Water/Sewer Billing Moves to Monthly – Impacts to Customers

Category: Uncategorized   |   Posted On: January 8, 2021

What’s Happening:

Starting in January of 2021, every water/sewer account holder (customers whose names are on the water account) will receive a bill every month. Previously, one third of the account holders were billed a quarterly bill every month.

Service Period Changing:

Since customers previously received bills on a quarterly basis, the first billing in January 2021 might look different depending on what month you were last billed. The rate section of the January 2021 bill, will have either rate A, B, or C after the word water or irrigation, which corresponds to the last month you were billed. Below is a breakdown:

Rate	Service Period Start date
A	10/22/2020
B	11/20/2020
C	12/23/2020

With the switch to monthly, your water/sewer account (smart meter accounts only) has been removed from the water cycle and placed in one of four weekly cycles, to be billed monthly. While every attempt was made to match each customer’s new monthly water billing date with their existing electric billing date, it may be that your accounts do end up with separate billing dates.  If this is the case, please notify us and we may be able to make adjustments to match them.

Non-Smart Meter Customers:

In 2019, the Water Division started its smart meter rollout program to install a new smart meter for each customer. If you have not been contacted about installing a smart meter on your home or business, please call Belmont Light to setup an appointment. For customers without smart meters, you will still receive monthly invoices but will not be eligible for combined mailing of water/sewer and  electric bills until a smart meter is installed. Older non-smart meters require a manual read process and will be kept in the water billing cycle. Customers without smart meters will not be able to view usage for their meter online.  In the future additional charges may be added to non-smart meter accounts in order to cover the costs of maintaining these older meters.

Water Usage & SmartHub:

If you have already had a smart meter installed, you are able to view your water usage through  our online customer portal, SmartHub.  SmartHub also allows you to view you bills, make payments, sign up for autopay, go paperless, set  email notification preference, and more. You can also link multiple Belmont Light and water/sewer accounts and view them all at once. For more information on how to use SmartHub, visit our information page here.

• For tenants, water accounts are always setup in the property owner’s  name, soon the owner will have access to the account via SmartHub. Tenants cannot link the owner’s water/sewer account to their own electric account in SmartHub, however, they may use the one-time payment function in SmartHub to make a payment for the owner’s water/sewer invoices electronically.  

Customer Charge and Step Block Rate:

With the switch to monthly billing, the water/sewer customer charge and block rate have been adjusted accordingly. The quarterly customer charge will be divided by three and applied monthly. The step in the block rate has also been reduced from 3000 cubic feet to 1000 cubic feet.

Due Dates, Payments, and Account Numbers:

All water/sewer bills will still be due 20 days after the statement date. Previously, all water bills were generated at the end of each month.  Now water bills will be generated each week for different parts of the town.

There will be no effect to the way you currently make payments.

• Autopay – If you are signed up for autopay, your account will still be signed up for autopay after this change and funds will be debited from your account on the due data of your water/sewer  bill each month. If you wish to be removed from autopay, customer can do so on SmartHub, or by calling Belmont Light’s Customer Service Team.
• Paying by mail/check – You are able (but are not required) to pay both your electric and water/sewer invoice with one check. We ask that you place both account numbers with the payment amount for each check in the memo field to ensure the proper amount is applied to each account. This is specifically helpful in situations where partial payment for both accounts is received.  Also, please provide both remittance slips in the return envelope.
• Online Payment – Customers are encouraged to take advantage of our Customer portal SmartHub. Customers can make payments on SmartHub online or via the SmartHub Mobile app. Through either process, you can make payments with either their bank account or credit card with no fees.

You will not receive new a water account number with this change. This change will only affect in the timing of your billing.  

Interim Water/Sewer Billing Requests:

Interim billing was a process used to provide a landlord with a bill in the middle of their service period. This allowed the landlord to charge a tenant moving out of their unit with a water/sewer bill. With the change to monthly water/sewer billing, we will no longer provide this service. If a tenant moves out of a property mid-month, it will be the landlord’s responsibility to calculate the amount owned by the tenant and charge them. Please note: Water/sewer charges are always in the property owner’s name and it is the responsibility of the property owner to ensure timely payment. Belmont Light will not intervene in payment issues between the landlord and tenants. Provided below are two methods a landlord can use to calculate a partial month water charge:

Simple Calculation:

Exact Calculation:

Find Daily Water usage via SmartHub:

• Sign into SmartHub.
• Go to My Usage Tab.
• Click My Usage.
• Click Usage Explorer.
• Select the water account from the account drop down.
• Select the Daily View button and set the date range for the month the tenant moved out.
• Hover over each day to see the usage amount.
• Use these amounts to calculate the total consumption for the dates the tenant was living there. This is the Rented Usage Amount.

Coming Soon:  Combined Water/Sewer & Electric Bill Mailings:

Belmont Light will be grouping electric and water/sewer bills in one envelope beginning in February 2021. For customers with both an electric and water account, you should receive one mailing containing both invoices each month.

In some situations, customers with multiple accounts may receive all their invoices in a larger envelope. If you notice any issues with how your bills are being combined, please call or email Belmont Light’s customer service team.

In situations where customers, such as landlords, have bill copies going to a separate address, such as a tenant, these bills should not be affected by this grouping. These invoices will still be mailed to the bill copy recipient.