Commercial Water & Sewer Cost Calculator

How the commercial water & sewer cost calculator works

First-tier water usage is the smaller of total water volume and its entered threshold. The remainder uses the second water rate. Each tier charge rounds separately to cents before the water total is added. The threshold applies once to the supplied billing period rather than once per day or meter unless that is already how the inputs are prepared.

Sewer billed volume is a separate supplied amount, multiplied by its entered rate. This permits a billing basis different from measured water use without assuming why it differs. Fixed charge and signed adjustment are added afterward; a credit can make a total negative and is not silently capped.

The tool retrieves no municipal or utility tariff. Minimum bills, additional tiers, seasonal changes, taxes, local billing rules and eligibility are not inferred. Prepare volumes and adjustments from the actual contract or bill; this is an entered scenario rather than a prediction of the utility invoice.

Worked example

For 100 m³ water, the first 50 at 2 costs 100 and the next 50 at 3 costs 150, giving 250 water cost. Sewer volume 80 at 1.50 adds 120. Fixed charges of 20 and a credit of 10 give total 380. Increasing sewer billed volume to 100 makes the total 410.

Sources and assumptions

The source material explains the underlying calculation or pricing structure. Entered prices, costs, schedules and scenario choices are your assumptions; this tool does not obtain supplier quotes or predict actual results.

• EPA WaterSense: commercial water-use and cost management