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Guide · 5 steps · ~2 min

Compare water bills month-over-month.

A higher dollar total is not always more water. Separate usage, rates, and sewer.

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Tap a droplet to check off steps

Step 1
Ignore the $ total first

Start with usage units (gallons, CCF, or HCF) for this period vs last. [1]

If usage is flat but $ rose, the story is rates or fees — not a leak.
Step 2
Normalize to the same unit

1 CCF ≈ 748 gallons. Convert both months to the same unit before you compare. [1]

Different utilities print different units; apples-to-apples beats panic.

Step 3
Check rate tiers and sewer

Tier jumps and sewer (often billed from water usage) can dominate the $ change even when indoor habits barely moved.
- Did you cross a tier threshold?
- Did the utility publish a rate change?
- Is sewer a separate line that tracks water volume?
Step 4
Only then hunt for leaks

If usage units jumped with no new outdoor watering or guests, run a leak check next.
Run the leak check

Step 5
Decode the PDF when you want certainty

Upload both months (or one) and get usage vs rates vs sewer in plain English — free.
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FAQ

Yes. Rate changes, tier thresholds, fixed fees, and sewer multipliers can raise $ without more gallons.

Usage units for the billing period — not the dollar total. Then rates and sewer, then leaks.

Sources

[1] https://www.epa.gov/watersense/understanding-your-water-bill