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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1978
WATER BILLING SYSTEM FOR DOMESTIC ACCOUNTS TO GO COMPUTERISED NEXT JULY
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PLANNING FOR THE SECOND PHASE OF THE COMPUTER ISATION OF THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT BILLING SYSTEM IS WELL IN HAND.
THE FIRST PHASE FOR TRADE CONSUMERS, WHICH REPRESENT ABOUT TEN PER CENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS WAS IMPLEMENTED LATE LAST YEAR. BY JULY NEXT YEAR THE SECOND STAGE, WHICH IS FOR DOMESTIC ACCOUNTS, SHOULD BEGIN OPERATION.
AT PRESENT THE COMPUTER IS DEALING WITH ABOUT 81,000 ACCOUNTS AND WHEN THE SYSTEM BECOMES FULLY OPERATIONAL THE NUMBER WILL SWELL TO AROUND 765,500.
THE DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, MR. TOM TOMLINSON. SAID THE PROGRESS MADE SO FAR WAS +MOST SATISFACTORY+.
+WE ARE ON SCHEDULE WITH THE PROGRAMME, WHICH, WHEN IN FULL OPERATION WILL GREATLY SIMPLIFY AND SPEED UP THE BILLING PROCESS, + HE SAID,
MR. TOMLINSON SAID THAT ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT WAS THE READY ACCESS PROVIDED TO ANALYTICAL STATISTICS.
BY WAY OF ILLUSTRATION, THE COMPUTER HAS SHOWN THAT THE AVERAGE TRADE CONSUMER USES WATER AT A RATE EQUIVALENT TO
A CHARGE OF $3 PER DAY, THAT 92 PER CENT OF THIS CATEGORY OF USERS ARE IN THE BRACKET BELOW $1 PER DAY AND THAT LESS THAN ONE QUARTER PER CENT OF TRADE CONSUMERS EXCEED A DAILY CHARGE OF $500. FROM THIS TYPE OF DEMAND ANALYSIS USER PATTERNS, TRENDS CAN BE ESTABLISHED FOR PLANNING PURPOSES.
FOR DOMESTIC CONSUMERS THE MEAN CONSUMPTION IS 10.4 UNITS. IN FINANCIAL TERMS THIS MEANS A CHARGE OF $31.20 FOR A FOUR-MONTH PERIOD, OR 26 CENTS A DAY.
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