Residential water rates and billing
Find water rates, set up a new account, learn how to read your bill and find information about your water meter and how to detect water leaks.
Are you a residential customer?
Residential customers include:
- Single-family homes;
- Duplexes/triplexes/fourplexes; and,
- Attached homes where units have an individual City water meter. *
* note: your unit’s water meter may be located on a meter tree in a neighboring unit
If you don’t fit the description above, you may be a multi-family customer.
There are two types of rates for this customer group (detailed below):
- Residential Metered
- Residential Flat Rate
Water accounts and billing
The City contracts ENMAX to provide billing and customer care for water services. For bill questions, contact ENMAX Customer Care.
See how to set up a new water account, visit Accounts and Billing.
For answers to other common billing questions, see our Water Rates Frequently Asked Questions.
2019 to 2022 water rates and service charges
Your rates and service charges are changing.
In 2020, the average single-family water bill remains about the same as 2019, taking into account changes to water, wastewater, and stormwater rates and charges.
- A typical monthly bill will decrease from $115.61 to $115.43 in 2020
- Overall, homeowners will see a decrease in their water bill
Residential Water Meter Rates
| Single-Family, Semi-Detatched, Duplex Customer (Based on household using 19m3 per month) |
||||||
| 2019 |
2020 |
% change |
Impact on monthly bill |
2020 monthly bill |
||
|
Water treatment and supply |
Usage rate per cubic metre (1 cubic metre = 1000 litres) |
$1.60 |
$1.52 |
-3.7% |
-$1.68 |
$44.07 |
| Service charge per 30 days |
$15.36 |
$15.16 |
||||
|
Wastewater collection and treatment |
Usage rate per cubic metre* (1 cubic metre = 1000 litres) |
$1.63 |
$1.63 |
+2.4% |
+$1.30 |
$55.73 |
| Service charge per 30 days |
$26.59 |
$27.84 |
||||
|
Stormwater management |
Service charge per 30 days |
$15.43 |
$15.63 |
+1.3% |
+$0.20 |
$15.63 |
*The wastewater usage is your water usage multiplied by 90% to reflect that not all of the water delivered to your home over 12 months is sent to the wastewater system . This percentage recognizes seasonal fluctuations where you send more water to the wastewater treatment system in the winter months and less during the summer months because of outdoor activities like watering.
Residential Flat Water Rates
A residential flat rate customer is a dwelling that does not have a water meter installed to measure the amount of water used. Learn more about water meters and how you can get one installed.
Water Utility rates for those residences on a flat rate are calculated according to the square feet of actual lot area and gross building area based on the original development permit submitted to The City of Calgary Planning department. For detailed information on your flat rate calculation, please call 311.
The following 2019-2022 Water Utility rates are based on 30 days of service, which means the amount on your bill may vary depending on the number of days you have been billed.
Water treatment and supply
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
$ per thousand square feet |
6.1240 |
6.1240 |
6.1240 |
6.1240 |
$ per thousand square feet |
19.0978 |
19.0978 |
19.0978 |
19.0978 |
Minimum monthly rates (for 2019-2022 is $46.17):
If the total water charge for a flat rate customer falls below the minimum monthly water rate, the customer will be charged the monthly minimum rate for water and this amount will be used to calculate the wastewater charge.
Wastewater collection and treatment
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
Percentage of water charge |
144.46% |
144.46% |
144.46% |
144.46% |
Stormwater management
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
Stormwater service charge (formerly Drainage) |
15.43 |
15.63 |
16.21 |
16.61 |
Residential Irrigation Meter Rates
Customers that are installing or considering installing an irrigation system are required to have the all of the irrigation components installed at their own expense and separated from the residential plumbing system. The City of Calgary will install an irrigation meter at no charge. Customers are responsible for basic service charges year-round but are only charged for water service and consumption charges (no wastewater or drainage charges).
Irrigation meter water rates are higher than residential meter water rates because this type of use contributes significantly to our peak demand, our highest water use period. Our water system needs to be sized to accommodate this peak demand so a higher proportion of cost is associated with this type of use.
Residential customers that do a large amount of outdoor watering might consider having an irrigation meter installed in combination with their residential water meter. However, customers should consider the plumbing costs associated with the installation of an irrigation system, the size of space they will be irrigating, how much water they are planning to use and the service charge of the additional irrigation meter prior to deciding to install an irrigation meter to ensure this service will provide savings.
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
| Water service charged based |
29.95 |
29.13 |
28.64 |
28.00 |
Water usage rate |
2.6640 |
2.7151 |
2.8099 |
2.8828 |
*All irrigation services will be charged the 20 millimetre (mm) minimum.
Thinking about installing an irrigation system for your yard? Learn more about having an irrigation system.
What do my rates and charges pay for?
Delivering safe and reliable drinking water, treating wastewater, providing flood protection and maintaining a system of pipes, plants and pumps for a city of 1.3 million is complex.
Your utility rates are set at the lowest amount possible to deliver current services, and provide enough funding to expand, upgrade, maintain and repair our water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
Utility rates and service charges are set to recover the actual cost of providing water, wastewater treatment and managing stormwater. The water utility does not profit from rate and service charge adjustments.
These services are entirely funded by rates paid by customers. The water utility does not receive any funding from property taxes.
Your monthly water bill pays for:
Water Treatment and Supply rates and service charges support:
- Two water treatment plants
- Maintenance of over 4800 kms of water pipes
- Over 117,000 water quality tests
- Responsive field crews to address service interruptions
Wastewater Treatment and Collection rates and service charges support:
- Three wastewater treatment plants
- Significant upgrades to our treatment plants to meet regulatory requirements
- Maintenance of over 7000 kms of wastewater pipes,
- High quality water returned to our rivers
- Responsive field crews to address service interruptions
Stormwater Management rates and service charges support:
- Protection from property damage
- Storm ponds that help protect our rivers from 30,000 tonnes of sediment
- Maintenance and improvements to the stormwater system
- Investment in flood protection and riverbank improvements
How to read your utility bill
Water charges are calculated by the number of days on your ENMAX bill. The number of days billed can vary, however it is typically 28-30 days.
Average water use in Calgary - A single person in a home uses seven cubic metres (m3) of water or 7,000 litres every month.
To see an example bill and learn about the rates and charges, visit Understanding your monthly utility bill.
For more information on how the City sets rates and service charges, see our Water Utility Rates FAQ.
How to read your water meter
Your water meter can be a great tool to help you monitor your water use.
Learn How to Read your Water Meter.
Learn more about how water meters work and the benefits of installing one, visit Water meters.
Save water and money
You pay for the amount of water you use, so by using less water, you can save money.
Use your monthly bill to better help you understand how you use water and what service charges you pay for. Learn how to read your water bill.
Suspect you have a leak? Find troubleshooting tips at Water leaks and basic repairs.
There are also many ways to conserve water inside and outside your home: