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New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board Rates

Although the city of New Orleans has had its fair share of drama regarding its water bills over the years with the use of estimates rather than actual meter readings that leaves the residents with higher bills, the city claims that they are doing their best to ensure that their system doesn’t do overestimate a client’s reading.

That said, let’s look at the rates charged by the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board. The board has about 136,000 customers who get billed each month. The board uses a tiered rate system to calculate the residential water bills. The charge which is based on a per-1,000 gallon (kilogallon) increases with each tier.

The water quantity charge that you see on your bill is usually calculated on the amount of water each household uses each month. The volume of water used is also listed on the bill along with the actual meter reading if indeed a meter reading was done by an employee or then an estimated one. You also get your water usage for the previous month on your bill as well as last year’s bill at the same time of the year.

With that, you are able to see whether your usage is increasing or decreasing. The rates below are based on the cost of treating the water that you use in your house. For every first 3,000 gallons, you pay $4.79, next 17,000 gallons costs $8.15, next 980,000 gallons costs $6.41 and over 1,000,000 gallons costs $5.37. For wholesale customers, their entire usage costs $5.13. Keep in mind that the water quantity rates are usually billed per 1000 gallons of use.

Water and Sewer Ready to Charge Rates

The water and sewer ready to serve charge rates found on your water bill is ideally the fixed cost for billing, collecting and servicing your account. Both charges depend on the size of your water meter and are usually billed even if no water was used. For most households, they usually have a 5/8-inch or 3/4 -inch connection. These are billed separately for both water charge and sewer charge.

For a meter size amount of 5/8 inch, ¾ inch, 1 inch, 11/2 inches, 2 inches, 3 inches, 4 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches, 10 inches, 12 inches and 15 inches, the water charge is $6.53, $7.99, $10.14, $16.74, $22.07, $49.93, $86.97, $170.72, $252.86, $343.04, $402.63 and $532.29 respectively. For a meter size of amount of 5/8 inch, ¾ inch, 1 inch, 11/2 inches, 2 inches, 3 inches, 4 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches, 10 inches, 12 inches and 15 inches, the sewer charge is $18.68, $26.59, $37.85, $69.66, $101.87, $241.58, $402.63, $805.26, $1,207.89, $1,610.51, $1,852.09and $2,496.30.

As is evident, the higher the inch of your water meter, the higher you will pay for both the water charge and sewer charge. While the water usage charge above is calculated by multiplying the per gallon rates by the water usage the sewer volume charge for residential customers is billed for their sewer use based on 85 percent of the water that they use during the billing period. However, commercial and industrial customers get billed the while 100 percent of the water they use.

This article brought to you by your premier plumbing service in NOLA, New Orlean’s Plumber Pros.

from New Orleans Plumber Pros https://www.plumberneworleans.org/new-orleans-sewerage-and-water-board-rates/

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How to Set Up Water Service in New Orleans

Moving from a city to the other or relocating from one country to another can be quite the hassle. Besides having to look for a new house and still figuring out how to move your stuff miles and miles away, there is also the issue of how you will adjust to the new place, and if you have kids, you have to worry about the schools that are close by among other things.

And once you move, there is the issue of having to set up utility bills so that you have electricity, water, and gas connected lest you find yourself in a house without water for days on end especially if you have no idea how to go about the whole set up. That said, it’s pretty easy to have your water service account set up in New Orleans.

Although the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board has had issues with water hiking, they have a swift process when it comes to setting up of the account. Well, this is understandably so considering that they have about 136,000 accounts already set up by residents in New Orleans that have to be billed each and every month. And with more and more people moving each and every day – well, not every day – to the city of New Orleans, it makes more sense why they wouldn’t want to have a very rigorous and strict process for water service set up in place.

Setting up A Water Service Account in New Orleans

Why we are saying that the process is easy is because you won’t have to go to their offices to get everything done. If you are more traditional, then you can opt to go physically to their offices and have everything sorted. However, you can easily get your water set up over the phone. While in some states and cities the landlord may take care of the water service for you, it’s not every place that has similar guidelines, and as such, you will have to do it yourself.

If it’s the first time you are moving to New Orleans and have never had an account set up, you’ll need to call the Sewerage and Water Board and have them set you up. They’ll need your name, address, phone number and social security number (SSN). They will then email you the application which you will need to send back within 10 days plus the deposit fee.

It’s important that you get and fill an application form as to prevent the Sewerage and Water Board from threatening to disconnect your water supply due to the failure of filling the form. This is also important as it shows who the current occupant of the house is and also enables you to get your water bill addressed to you. You might also need to ensure that you or any other adult is available when they send someone to come and turn on your water. Once you have your water service set up, you are all good to go.

This handy tip is brought to you by PlumberNewOrleans.org.

from New Orleans Plumber Pros https://www.plumberneworleans.org/how-to-set-up-water-service-in-new-orleans/

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What You Need to Know About the Louisiana Plumbing Code

The Louisiana Plumbing Code was designed so as to serve as a comprehensive and exhaustive regulatory document that will guide any decision made that are meant to protect the public’s health, life and welfare in a built environment. The plumbing code is meant to be protected through the adoption and enforcement by both state and local governments.

The plumbing code allows for the use of performance-based requirements that encourage plumbers to leverage on innovative building materials, designs as well as construction systems while still recognizing the advantages of traditional materials and systems. This way, there is flexibility when building construction and design while still maintaining a high-quality life safety. The code allows for a nationally recognized consensus to be used in judging both the performance of systems as well as materials thus allowing for the equal treatment of both traditional and innovative materials and systems. This process ensures that plumbers can easily introduce new materials while constructing which still guarantee a high consumer protection level.

While the state or local governments enforce these laws in your area. It’s also important to note that for any plumbing work to be done – be it installation, enlargement, alteration, repair, improvement, removal or replacement of any plumbing work – one has to acquire a permit, especially where the state or the local authority requires a plumbing permit. The Louisiana plumbing code helps contractors to remain compliant to the requirements of the code.

The International Plumbing Code

In 2013, Louisiana adopted the International Plumbing Code which was signed into law by the then Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal. The International Plumbing Code (IPC) came into effect on the 1st of January 2016and was meant to replace the state’s old plumbing code. The IPC was published by the International Code Council (ICC).

The move was meant to give the state of Louisiana a new plumbing code to use instead of the Louisiana Plumbing Code. There are more than 30 states that have adopted the International Plumbing Code either at a state level or at a local level. There are numerous public health benefits that the code has beside it being plumber and industry smart. The code provides guidelines for plumbing facilities as well as the acceptance of new and innovative products, systems and materials available in the market.

Changing of the code made it mandatory that both commercial and residential plumbing would comply with the IPC. Some of the other changes that came with the passing of the new IPC code was that the legislature removed the plumbing code authority from the Department of Health and Hospitals and gave the authority to the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council.

The Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council was also changed from 19 to 20 members. This saw a new position created for the state health officer or his designee. Both a House and Senate committee on health and welfare were added to oversee the initial plumbing adoption among other changes. However, some of the changes were not new to the state of Louisiana as they had been for many years been using the International Building, Residential, Energy Conservation, Existing Building, Fuel Gas and Mechanical codes to guarantee the safety of its residents.

Plumber Requirements According to the Louisiana Plumbing Code

For one to become a plumber, there has to be a pre-approval from the state. This is a requirement from the state. Individuals must have a Journeyman plumbing license before they can become eligible to sit for the Master Plumber exam. In order for one to qualify for the Journeyman Plumber classification, the individual must at least five years of work experience or have worked full-time for 8,000 hours in the plumbing industry.

Their application should also have signatures of three Journeyman or Master Plumbers that are currently licensed and who can vouch for their experience. For one to qualify for the Master Plumber classification, an applicant must have a current Journeyman Plumber License or alternatively have a restricted Master Plumber License that is current or have an LA professional engineer’s license with five years of experience in the plumbing industry.

Master plumbers are expected to have a general liability insurance in case they have employees as licenses cannot be given without an insurance proof. While a Journeyman plumber is only allowed to do repair work, a Master plumber is unrestricted to the scope and size of work they can do except for Water Supply and Medical Gas Protection Specialist. Master Plumbers can also advertise, bid on jobs and pull all the necessary permits.

Getting a Journeyman or Master Plumber License

In Louisiana, the exams for one to get licensed as a Journeyman Plumber or Master Plumber in Louisiana are usually held in different months. January, April, July, and October are the months when the Journeyman license exams are held while the Master Plumber exams are held in February, May, August, and November.

To qualify for Journeyman license exams, you must have completed an approved apprenticeship program while to qualify for the Master Plumber license exam; you must have been a Louisiana licensed Journeyman Plumber. For both exams, the applications have to be made 30 days before, and applicants get scheduled for the exams in order of which the applications got approved.

It’s essential to pay special attention to the requirements of the application form as a failure to have the right details may force you to miss the exam. The Journeyman Plumber exam will cost you $135 with $125 being for the exam and $10 processing fee. The Master Plumber exam will cost you less by $35. It costs $110 with $10 being the processing fee. Should you get approved for the exam, the State Plumbing Board will email out test letter to schedule when to take the exam 30 days before the exam date.

It’s therefore important that you notify the State Plumbing Board should you change your address. The Louisiana Plumbing Code is quite extensive, and anyone looking to get into the plumbing industry or professionals that already are should familiarize themselves with it so as to ensure that they are compliant with the state requirements.

from New Orleans Plumber Pros https://www.plumberneworleans.org/louisiana-plumbing-code/

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What is the Average Water Bill in New Orleans Anyway? We Take a Look

The city has of New Orleans has been in the news a lot especially to do with the issue of hiking the water bill. It doesn’t help that there was a vote that was made that approved the hiking of the water bill for residents each year until the year 2020. The average water bill in New Orleans depends on the size of the house and how many people you have living in it.

While some of the residents receive bills that are estimates rather than the actual meter reading from the Sewerage and Water Board, on average, a water bill in New Orleans may cost between $75 to $110. Remember, this varies from one household to the other as mentioned depending on the water usage month on month, size of the house as well as the number of occupants.

For every New Orleans resident, the first digits of the given account number represent the location number which is distinctive to each service address. The second batch of six numbers is what is used to identify the customer. Regardless of where you receive your bill – that is if you have multiple addresses – you should ensure that the six-digit number is the same on each and every bill.

On the bill, there is a reading column that shows the numbers that the Sewerage and Water Board read on your water meter. The top line usually shows the reading that the bill sent is based on while the bottom line shows the previous bill reading. In any typical scenario, the number showing on the top line should be greater than the one at the bottom month on month unless of course your water meter was replaced temporarily.

Actual Water Meter Reading or Estimate?

The water bill also has a section known as “Read Type” which lets you know whether the Sewerage and Water Body actually sent one of their employee’s to read the meter in person or if the board just made an estimate based on water use history of the customer. One of the reasons the Sewerage and Water Board says they use estimates is due to staffing issues that have changed the ability of the water board to read each and every meter month on month.

Given their high employee turnover, they have been forced to rely more and more on estimated water meter readings. The usage section on the bill shows the number of water gallons that went through your meter since the meter was last read. To get the exact figure, you will need to multiply the number by 1,000.

There is also a water usage graph that makes it easy for you to compare your previous reading to the current reading. The usage graph can typically indicate the seasons when your usage decreases or increases. For instance, it’s common to see a usage pattern that shows an increase in water usage in summer and a decrease in water usage in winter.

Also important to note is that there is a 10 percent late fee that you get charged should you fail to pay your water and sewer bills and another 15 percent for unpaid sanitation after the due date indicated on the bill.

This article brought to you by New Orleans Plumber Pros.

from New Orleans Plumber Pros https://www.plumberneworleans.org/what-is-the-average-water-bill-in-new-orleans-anyway-we-take-a-look/

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Our Services

New Orleans Plumber Services

New Orleans Plumber Pros offers a full range of plumbing services to the greater-NOLA area. Some of these include:

Drain Cleaning

Clogged drains are a very common occurrence and annoyance in most homes.  No matter what you do, occassional a drain will get really backed up, leading to very annoying, or even unsanitary, conditions.

Our experienced team can handle most drain issues in a very quick manner.  We have the equipment and experience to make sure it gets done right, the first time, and without harm to any of your property.

Toilet Repair

Clogged toilets, running toilets, or even more serious problems, can easily be handled by us.  Many of these problems can only be fixed by a professional.  Don’t hesitate to give us a call to handle your issue ASAP.

Leaky Faucets and Pipes

Who doesn’t hate the “drip drip drip” of a leaky faucet? Not only is it super annoying but it can end up costing you money on your water bill.

Flooded Basements

Have a flooded basement and don’t know why? We can diagnose the problem, fix it, and pump the water out, to help get you back to normal as fast as possible.

Water Heater Repair

A broken water heater will really negatively affect your quality of life.  Nobody likes a cold shower, and not able to wash your hands with hot water.  If you have these issues, don’t hesitate to get them fixed.  Give us a call today and we can handle this for you.

Plumbing Contracting and Construction

We also do full installs of plumbing into new building constructions, house alterations and extensions.  We can subcontract for a general contractor, or assist in your DIY home project.

HVAC Services

We can also handle HVAC services, including central air conditioning repair, heating and ventilation inspections, and much more.

  from New Orleans Plumber Pros https://www.plumberneworleans.org/our-services/