Refund for Tampa Water Department Pilot Program Participants

From the Tampa Water Department:

Participants in the first year of the Build Your Own Rebate (BYOR) program offered by the Tampa Water Department will receive rebate credits on their accounts this month. Each of the 20 customers who successfully met a commitment to use less water between February and August in 2013 will receive a rebate from $150 to $500.

"We are very happy with the successes our BYOR participants achieved," said Brad Baird, director.  "They set individual goals to use less water and they were successful. This effort was a pilot effort to help us identify additional ways to help our customers use water as efficiently as possible and better manage their water utility costs."

As a group, the BYOR participants saved nearly 11,000 gallons a day. Reductions for individual households ranged between 153 - 1,389 gallons of water per day. Only three of the 23 enrolled participants did not successfully complete the program. "These numbers show that if each customer saves just a little water it can add up to a lot," said Baird.

The successful BYOR participants also reduced their water costs when those costs are compared to the same period in the previous year. The group's average cost reduction was $507.49, with individual cost reductions ranging from $191.52 to $1,699.89.

"Tampa has been a leader in water conservation and water efficiency efforts since 1989, when the City launched its first conservation efforts," Baird added. "The Build Your Own Rebate program is offering us the opportunity to continue to expand and diversify our conservation and efficiency work as our community expands and diversifies."

The BYOR program was offered to the approximately 10 percent of those residential customers in the Tampa water service area whose average monthly use is 15,000 gallons or more.

Enrollment for Tampa's residential Build Your Own Rebate program for 2014 is expected to open in January.  Information about enrollment in upcoming program year will be included in future City utility bills, posted to the Water Department's Web site at tampagov/BYOR, and provided directly the subscribers to the Water Department's e-newsletter, "The Pipeline."