Utility Regulation
New Jersey water customers could get monthly usage alerts
The notices would go to smart-meter customers by mail, email or text and show both the latest charge and gallons used. Households could also set a dollar trigger for extra warnings and compare this month’s use with earlier periods.
New Jersey smart-meter water customers would get a monthly heads-up on cost and usage. The bill also lets households set alert thresholds and opt for text notices.
- Monthly notices would go to New Jersey smart-meter water customers.
- Alerts could come by mail, email or text.
- Notices would show dollar cost and gallons used.
- Customers could set a spending threshold for warnings.
- New Jersey water customers with smart meters would get a monthly heads-up on their usage under a proposal aimed at catching spikes before the bill lands
New Jersey water customers with smart meters would get a monthly heads-up on their usage under a proposal aimed at catching spikes before the bill lands. Water public utilities that use smart meters would have to notify those residential customers by the last day of each month, and customers could choose mail, email or text.
The idea is to turn a once-a-month surprise into something easier to manage. Instead of waiting for the statement, households would see what they have used and what it is costing while there is still time to react.
What the notice would show
The notice would have to include two numbers that matter most at the kitchen table: the dollar cost of the customer’s water use for the billing cycle and the number of gallons used. Both figures would reflect usage measured up to two days before the notice is sent.
Utilities would also have to give smart-meter customers the option to set a dollar threshold for alerts tied to monthly usage. A smart meter, as the proposal defines it, is an electronic device that records usage daily and sends that data wirelessly to the utility for billing and other purposes.
Why the warning matters
For families, the value is simple. A running toilet, a hidden leak or an unusually hot month can show up first in the meter readings, not in the monthly statement. An earlier notice gives customers a chance to check for problems, cut back if they need to, and avoid a bigger surprise later.
The measure is limited to residential customers whose water use is measured by smart meters. It does not reach every water customer in the state, only the ones whose utilities already have the technology in place.