Springbook Software has released a new Allocation Water Billing module, a solution to help municipalities roll out water conversation strategies with increasingly complex water rates.
Springbook said that the module has been beta tested in California, an area already implementing tiered water allocation billing, and is now available for municipalities across the country.
Allocation billing involves a complex equation based on analysis of multiple variables and a residential "water budget." These variables include the expected amount of water each household is anticipated to use, factoring in the number of residents, size of home, time of day, changes in weather and periods of drought. The calculation is comprised of two primary components, the "indoor" and "outdoor" budget, each with their own calculation rule.
In a budgeted water scenario, each residence is assigned an allocation. Billing tiers are implemented for each budgeted rate, which enable rate increases when usage exceeds allocated amounts.
This functionality builds on Springbrook's existing multi-tiered rate structure which already supports percentage-based consumption tiers for certain use cases.
"Our goal is to help agencies provide equitable water access to our citizenry and relieve the burden on staff for managing complex billing scenarios,” said Robert Bonavito, Springbrook CEO. “Allocation billing is a big issue in California, where we pioneered our solution, and it's an issue that we see impacting many other areas. Efficient water uses involves public education and putting the right tools in the hands of local governments and utilities. We know this solution is necessary and are continually working to help agencies stay ahead of nature's curve.”
