Coursera Spring Sale
40% Off Coursera Plus Annual!
Grab it
Learn how traditional water rate affordability analyses can be misleading in this 17-minute conference talk from the Georgia Water Resources Conference. Explore a more nuanced approach to evaluating water and sewer service affordability for low-income customers by examining the relationship between rising utility rates and declining indoor water consumption. Discover why focusing solely on rate increases, which have outpaced inflation at 5.6% and 6.3% annually for water and sewer respectively, provides an incomplete picture of actual customer costs. Examine case studies from the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, where indoor water usage has decreased by over 20% from 69 to 53 gallons per capita daily, demonstrating how incorporating usage patterns significantly impacts affordability assessments. Gain practical insights into developing more accurate affordability analyses that consider rate structures, usage patterns, and inflation, enabling utilities to better communicate with governing bodies and the public about rate adjustments.
