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
$730. Although the cost for the permit and meter is fixed ($405),
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
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