Read Any Good Meters Lately?
Reading the water meter that serves your property is one of the best ways to monitor household usage. If you do not know where the meter is located, contact the Public Utilities Customer Service office at 385-4631 (TTY: 711) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. A customer service representative will give you suggestions on where to find the meter.
Because your water meter is set in a meter box in the ground, its contents are subjected to the earth's elements such as surface water run-off. It is normal to find the meter packed with dirt. Once you have cleared the dial of the debris, obtain a reading. The meter dial is similar to the odometer of a vehicle. You must obtain two separate readings to determine how much water has been used during a particular period of time.
For example, if you wish to determine how much water is used during a weekend, record the reading on a Friday evening and record another reading on Sunday evening. Water meters register in cubic feet. Subtract the first reading from the last reading and multiply by 748 to determine the total number of gallons used for the weekend.
Example:
| 2nd Reading |
|
348.85 |
|
| 1st Reading |
- |
347.80 |
|
|
|
1.05 |
|
|
x |
748 |
|
|
|
785.4 gallons
|
|
Once you have determined the total amount of water used during the weekend, you can calculate the average daily usage per person for your household. In our example above, a total of 785.4 gallons of water was used during the weekend. Divide that number by the number of days between meter readings to get your average daily household usage.
785.40 gallons / 2 days = 392.7 gallons per day
To calculate individual daily usage, divide your daily household usage by the number of people living in your home. In our example, an average of 392.7 gallons was used each day by five people.
392.7 gallons per day / 5 people = 78.5 gallons per person per day.
Currently, residential per capita consumption in Virginia Beach is about sixty gallons per day. If you find that your home is exceeding the average per capita consumption, refer to
Saving Water at Home, or call 385-4631 (TTY: 711) for additional information.