Water bill... anyone care to share?

[TCT]

We use about 15,000-17,000 gallons per billing cycle currently. My goal is to cut that 2/3 by using a "holding tank" from our sump pump and a filter.
I would ask the owner for a copy of the bills because your "accountant" needed to verify and justify it in your books as it was a "new un-foreseen expense" or some BS like that. It kinda sounds like you are being used as a scapegoat.

[mk162]

yeah, if it continues, I would install a water meter on the line coming into your suite...if it is only 1.  A building like that might share a lot of lines because of remodeling.  Ours does in some places. 

[Gilligan]

Our building is VERY straightforward.  Everything is right there on the back side.

That is my plan IF he does want to charge us for water... like I said, I will pay for what I use and no more.

I hope I haven't misconstrued the situation... I'm just arming myself at this point because he is TALKING about having us split the water bill.  Nothing has happened yet.  I have no reason to see the bill because as of now, it's still HIS bill and he is paying for it.  Oh and we use the same book keeper.

[TCT]

Well, suppose you could ask your book keeper if your landlords water bill went up then!
After re reading some of the post it dawned on me, I had a issue with a tenant running the washing machine too much. I installed a in line meter, it is SUPER easy. I only needed a 1/2" one, but here is a link to a 3/4" one of the same thing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/G3-4-water-Flow-Counter-Sensor-Digital-LCD-Meter-Gauge-dc-10V-24V-/180918237481?_trksid=p4340.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555001%26algo%3DPW.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D113%26meid%3D2516559339121442990%26pid%3D100010%26prg%3D1065%26rk%3D3%26sd%3D261076632269%26

[Gilligan]

Thanks, that's awesome... MUCH cheaper than a "real" meter like I was looking at.

I could run the wires inside my shop and check it often.  I could even place it on the booth itself and monitor how much that's using if I wanted to later.

Pretty cheap and handy!

[ZooCity]

Just slap an inline meter in, report usage (hell, let the land lady read it if she wants) and pay by the gallon.  Thats what we do.  There was an aquaponics setup going into the building and it's all one meter so I was happy to cover the cost of the meter and install. 

[Inkworks]

Check when the water meter was actually read. Many utilities do not read the meters every month, but will just bill an average amount. When they do finally get a real reading there may be a significant discrepancy between what they've charge out for the last few months and what the actual reading is. The discrepancy can go either way, and depending on what they've been charging out it can be a significant "correction".

When I moved into my previous shop my first month's gas bill was about 5 times what it should have been, I phoned and found out it was just a number they plucked out of the air since it was a new shop. I went out and did a reading for them and reported the number and they changed the charge to what was really used.

[Gilligan]

I addressed that as well with the property manager.  Definitely possible that they are "catching up" being that 3 women moved into the front office where as it was empty for months before that.