Water bill in Mesa, Electric bill in general (Phoenix, Tempe: apartment complex, appliances)

[M.Unit]

Hello everyone.

I'm at a loss for why our water bill is consistently over $100! Is this a normal water bill for a family of 4 in Mesa? Actually, I lie. I think we had 1 month where it was actually $95.
We (my husband, myself, and 2 small kids) moved from Gilbert where we actually had grass and citrus and watered our lawn/trees constantly and paid about $75-85 a month for water/sewer.....to a newly built home in Mesa where we have desert landscape and manage to pay over $100 monthly!
We had a significant leak in our landscape at one point and I thought we'd see a drop in our bill once it was repaired but not really....maybe like $3 less
Anyone here live in Mesa (family of 4) and pay this amount?!

Also, at our old house, we had a full house solar system and gas water heater/stove....our highest bill in the summer was maybe $190 (I stay home with kids so we'd run the a/c a little lower during nap times). I know that that is a very low bill for summer considering we run the a/c all day/night.
Now in our newly built home, it is very energy efficient with foam insulation and new a/c, etc and I run the a/c at 75 during the evenings and 80-81 during the day...our appliances are energy efficient...everything is electric (no gas). Our recent SRP bill we just got is $275. Is that average or low for middle of summer?
I know they say your July and August bills are usually the highest...according to the SRP website, we're schedule to have an $285 bill next month. I think I was spoiled with the solar system and it's messed me up mentally in reference to my expectations

Thanks for any input, tips/tricks you can provide?

[urbex]

Sounds pretty cheap....I constantly see people here whining about $400+/month electric bills in the summer. I don't know how it really compares to other families though, as I've always been single/no kids during my time here in Phoenix, and I use virtually no electricity during the day, so my bills would likely be considered artificially low by most.....I think I'd faint if I saw a $250 bill, lol.

[Ponderosa]

We always see new people concerned and sometimes shocked about the electric bills. But, often it is the water that stops your heart. If you haven't noticed though, it is not really "water" that is costing so much. The sewer fees run several times what the water costs and they start out with high base fees. Then they add trash - both regular pickup and the uncontained services some cities offer, and various taxes to support the jails and pad the coffers, and suddenly, a water bill where you have done little but shower and flush is well over $100. The worst part is that even if you can conserve a bit, it won't bring down your bill more than a few dollars as the water charge is but a small part of it. All I can say is get used to it and brace yourself for ever higher bills. Every city, it seems, is considering big rate increases over the coming years. There is no free lunch. If you want to keep property taxes low, then fees for service are going to rise. One hundred bucks will seem cheap to you in five years. Welcome to Phoenix (Mesa).

[observer53]

I have heard from others here that City of Mesa water is high compared to other municipalities, not sure why. Depending on your thermostat settings, exposure of the house, etc., 275 for electric is entirely within range. You might want to look at a managed payment plan with SRP, where your payment is the same all year. Gets you out of that "sticker shock".

[PhoenixSomeday]

Lived in an apartment complex in Mesa for a year and the water was fixed at $35. 1050sqft 2bed 2 bath. Power was about 220-230 in the summer and about 50 in the winter. Imagine my shock and annoyance when upon moving to our townhouse in Ahwatukee the water bill has not been fixed, and has been $91-$96. Two adults and two babies. We don't use that much water. The actual water bill is around 60, the rest is sewer and other bull####. The horrible part is that the water to the entire building (12 townhomes per building) is shared between all apartments in that building. So we basically pay for some other water hogs usage when we use hardly any. Great.

[ghdana]

I just moved to northern Tempe, on the border with Mesa and my first month's electric bill was $240 and I was shocked, this month looks to be around the same. I was just happy to see my gas bill from the Northeast go down, but I guess this is the equivalent. I keep it at 76° all day, because my SO has been home during the day. What month can I expect it to be back down? September? October?

[ajonesaz]

Mesa doesn't charge city property tax, so they make it up in water. There are like 4 bonds tacked on there. Even if you leave the faucets off you will still be at $75 for taxes and service.

Don't even think about getting a pool, your bill will be $200-$300

I did the math and it ends up being cheaper living in Gilbert even with a higher property tax.

Every city needs to get their money somehow.

[M.Unit]

Ah, totally forgot to check back on this thread! Thanks so much for all your input, I can now but the issue to rest!
I thought it was something we were doing (nor not doing) or possibly some jacked up water meter that was causing our bill to be "high." Now I know it's the jacked up city that collects it's extra fees causing our bill to be high, LOL!

As for our electric bill, now that I think about it, it doesnt seem that high considering we're smack dab in the middle of summer. I keep forgetting we no longer have gas and of course no more solar panels...
To the person who asked about when we'll start seeing the bill drop, if I recall correctly, once October starts coming around is when you'll see a drop. Possibly September but nothing significant, at least not in our experience. July/August usage are supposed to be the highest bills and September usage just slightly less.

[DougStark]

I wouldn't like the thought of paying higher water bills vs. property taxes as in Mesa. That seems unfair to me.

My City of Phoenix water/sewer/trash bill is around 180 in the summer, must less in the winter. I have a lawn both front and back.

However, the quality of the water at my tap isn't what I'd call "good". The TDS level is around 800 ppm in the summer (not sure what it is in the winter.) 800 ppm is NOT high quality drinking water. Seattle's, for example, is like 100 or so. Sacramento's is about 150. The higher the TDS level, the more salts there are in the water. I guess it's the price you pay for living in the desert.