Grant

• Identify and evaluate alternatives to water shutoffs for non-payment of bills, assessing their effectiveness and impact on utility financial sustainability and water service continuity.
• Assess the effectiveness of billing practices in helping keep customers from accruing debt that leads to shutoffs.
• Analyze how billing practices, penalties, and alternatives to shutoffs influence customer payment behavior, including timeliness, default, or participation in assistance programs, and how these effects vary across income levels and utility sizes.
• Evaluate the role of third-party resources in reducing arrearages and late payments and avoiding shutoffs.
• Develop case studies illustrating how utilities have implemented alternative strategies, highlighting their key hurdles and lessons learned.

WRF RFP Contact: Sydney Samples

For instructions on how to submit proposals, refer to these instructions or this video.

The Potential Participants listed at the bottom of this page have indicated interest in participating in this research. This information is updated frequently as utilities are encouraged to volunteer throughout the RFP cycle.