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Utility and Household Savings
Date: January 20, 2006
Author: David Smidt, SeniorDiscounts.com

As with the discounts available for energy costs, the best places to
begin looking for discounts on water, sewer and garbage removal are with your local
government and the companies which supply these services.

As stated in our recent article about energy savings, many local government
agencies have programs for older adults in need of assistance for paying their standard home
services. As with the requirements for receiving discounts on energy bills, the requirements
for receiving a discount on sewer, water and garbage services may vary for each service. Some
discount programs may only require that one be of a certain age or have a certain income level,
while other programs may require both. If there is an age requirement for participation, expect
it to begin anywhere from 60 to 65 years of age. If there is an income requirement, there may
be no age specification to receive a discount, but the gross income requirement may be very low.
As with the energy discounts, programs will look at the number of people in your household as
well as your total monthly income, which will include any Social Security benefits you receive.

The best place to start searching for these government programs is to
visit your local government’s web site. Most cities or counties now have their own web sites
and many will also have a department of senior affairs. Larger cities may also post senior
home discount programs on their web sites along with any application forms or contact numbers.
If you prefer to speak with someone in person, call the local city information line located
in the government pages of your phone book.

If you can not find any information on your city’s web site, try contacting
your water, sewer, or garbage services directly. You can try visiting their web sites, but
often the information is difficult to track down. The simplest way is to call your local
provider directly and ask if it provides any assistance for fixed income senior households.
Many larger cities may also have multiple providers for some of these services. It is a good
idea to contact all of them as some may offer a senior discount, while others may not.

How much of a discount can you expect to receive? That is difficult to
predict as these discounts vary depending upon the type of service and the discount
requirements. Government program discounts can vary depending upon the amount of income per
household as well as the amount of consumption or usage of the service. Water and sewer
discounts will tend to max out at a certain dollar amount to encourage people to keep their
usage low and conserve resources. Garbage removal discounts may be in the form of a percentage
or a set dollar amount from your monthly bill. 10% is fairly typical, but could be more if you
can meet the income requirements.

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