Dual Meter Program
Farmington Hills, like most other cities, uses the water
meter in your home to determine charges for sanitary sewers. The
assumption is that most of the water used in your home eventually
flows into the sanitary sewer (showers, clothes and dish washing,
toilets, etc.). Therefore your water and sewer bill has two rates,
one for water, and one for sewer. Both are based on the water that
flows through your water meter. This assumption is appropriate in
most instances. However, water that is used outside on sprinklers
doesn’t end up in the sewers. Therefore if you use a lot of
sprinkler water, you are paying sewer charges for water that
doesn’t end up in the sewers. With the popularity of sprinkler
systems, this cost can be significant.
Farmington Hills, in an effort to save you money, allows
the installation of a second water meter that measures only water
that goes outside of your house to the sprinklers. When your water
and sewer bill comes, the sewer rate will only be charged on that
water that is used in the house.
This program is optional for the property owner. A second or
dual meter can be installed to meter water that is directed
exclusively to a sprinkler system or outside spigot/connection
such as to a swimming pool and will not enter a sanitary sewer.
The installation of a dual meter in the home would allow the
sewage rate to be billed only on that amount of water that enters
the sewer system through the home. Sewage fees would not be
charged on the water that flows through the second meter for
outside use. An estimated cost for the second meter installation
is $770. Although the cost for the permit and meter is fixed
($445), plumbing work in your home will also have to be completed.
These plumbing costs will vary depending upon the complexity of
the changes in piping required to install the second meter. For
estimating purposes, we recommend using $325.
Any water and sewer customer can take advantage of this
program. The customer, however, should evaluate individual
circumstances based on use to calculate cost effectiveness.
For more information and a worksheet to help calculate your
potential savings, please download or view:
Dual
Water Meter System
