Analysis Level
Required for all levels

Definition
Total annual costs of operating the particular utility (water, wastewater, solid waste, electricity, "other").

How its Used
Used to estimate average costs per residence, per commercial and per industrial customer of supplying each utility service, if sector-specific data is available. This average is then used with the number of new households, commercial establishments, and industries, to estimate the costs of providing services to each. If no sector-specific data is provided, the basis for allocating costs is average per unit, which is then applied to the number of units used by households and the facility.

How to Estimate it or Where to Get It
A likely source for this data is the operating budgets for the particular utility.

Analysis Level
Required for all levels

Definition
Quantity of water sold, wastewater treated, solid waste removed, and "other" utility supplied to residences, commercial establishments, and industrial firms (if sector-specific data is available), or simply the total for the system if sector specific data is not available. Units are important for these data.

How its Used
If sector-specific data is provided, these data are used in calculating the proportion of total utility costs attributable to each sector (residences, commercial establishments, industrial firms) which is then used to calculate the average cost per customer. This average cost is then multiplied by the number of new customers (residences, commercial establishments, industrial firms) expected to be created as a result of the facility location. If only the total production of the utility is provided, then average costs per unit are calculated and then applied to an estimated increase in units from households and the facility. Without sector-specific data, LOCI cannot estimate usage from commercial and industrial establishments due to multiplier effects. The units used for this variable must be consistent across customer types, i.e., residential, commercial, and industrial, but can be in any convenient measure.

How to Estimate it or Where to Get It
A likely source for this data is the operating budgets for the particular utility.

Descriptive Name
Number of Utility Customers

Analysis Level
Required for all levels

Definition
The number of customers by class (residential, industrial, commercial) served by the utility.

How its Used
Per customer average costs and revenues are developed and applied to the new households calculated in a Direct Impacts analysis, and to households, commercial establishments, and industrial establishments estimated in a Total Impacts (multiplier effect) analysis.

How to Estimate it or Where to Get It
A likely source for this data is the operating budgets for the particular utility.

Descriptive Name
Annual Utility Revenues

Analysis Level
Required for all levels

Definition
Revenues collected from residential, commercial, and industrial water, wastewater, solid waste, electricity, and "other" utility customers, if available. If these sector-specific data are not available, the total annual revenue must be provided.

How its Used
Used with the number of residential, commercial, and industrial customers to calculate average revenue per customer which is then multiplied by the number of new households, commercial establishments, and industrial firms to calculate the additional revenue. If sector-specifc data are not supplied, the total annual revenues are used to estimate revenue per physical unit, which is then applied to the estimated usage by households and the the facility.

How to Estimate it or Where to Get It
A likely source for this data is the operating budgets for the particular utility.

Descriptive Name
Per Household Daily Usage

Analysis Level
Required for all levels

Definition
This is the average household daily usage of each utility. For example, for water, an engineering rule of thumb is 80-100 gallons per person per day. If there are an average of 2.5 persons per household in your community, then a reasonable range for your community for per household daily usage would be between 200 to 250 gallons per day. The units for measuring water and wastewater is gallons; the units for measuring solid waste is pounds; and electricity is measured in kilowatt hours. The "other" utilities use the unit titles that you provide LOCI.

How its Used
Used with the number of new households to estimate annual change in the usage level of the utility from residential growth. This amount of additional usage is then applied to the cost per unit, and revenue per unit to estimate utility cost and revenue changes, respectively.

How to Estimate it or Where to Get It
A likely source for this data is engineering staff within the utility.