For Immediate Release:	Contact: Peter Peretzman
Date: 03/20/2019	609-984-9707

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) is sharing techniques for how New Jersey residents can save money while also saving water by participating in the federal “Fix-a-Leak Week,” taking place from March 18 to 24, 2019. NJBPU will also share tips on social media for New Jersey residents, businesses, non-profits, schools, and local governments to check their water systems for leaks and to install water conservation measures.

“If one New Jersey resident has a leaky faucet or keeps their water running needlessly, it may not seem like much,” said NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso, “but when millions of state residents have leaks or leave the water running, then it becomes a widespread waste of money and of a precious resource. Good water usage habits save energy and can create real cost savings for residents.”

“We should do our best to conserve water whenever we can, but it’s especially important for everyone to take a close look at their water systems and repair them now, before the heaviest water usage months in the spring and summer,” said NJBPU Commissioner Mary-Anna Holden, who is also the Chair of the Water Committee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

Fix-a-Leak Week is part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense Initiative, which promotes water efficiency by encouraging citizens to reduce their water use. This reduces the amount of electricity used by water treatment facilities. NJBPU is a Promotional Partner in the WaterSense program. The EPA’s WaterSense website, https://www.epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week, has videos, leak detection guides and more information to help locate costly leaks — indoors and outside.

Common household leaks are responsible for more than one trillion gallons of water wasted each year. Fixing water leaks can save homeowners 10 percent on their water bills.

NJBPU has approved investments in water infrastructure upgrade improvements totaling more than $732.8 million through an accelerated infrastructure replacement program called Distribution System Improvement Charge, which was established in 2012. This financing mechanism is having a significant and positive impact on long-term reliability and reduced leakage at the distribution level of the water delivery system.

The goal of the DSIC is to rehabilitate and replace water distribution infrastructure in order to achieve greater conservation, continued system safety and reliability and improved water quality.

 

About the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU)

The NJBPU is a state agency and regulatory authority mandated to ensure safe, adequate and proper utility services at reasonable rates for New Jersey customers. Critical services regulated by the NJBPU include natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, telecommunications and cable television. The Board has general oversight and responsibility for monitoring utility service, responding to consumer complaints, and investigating utility accidents. To find out more about the NJBPU, visit our web site at www.nj.gov/bpu.

About the New Jersey Clean Energy Program (NJCEP)

The NJCEP, established on January 22, 2003, in accordance with the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act (EDECA), provides financial and other incentives to the State's residential customers, businesses and schools that install high-efficiency or renewable energy technologies, thereby reducing energy usage, lowering customers' energy bills and reducing environmental impacts. The program is authorized and overseen by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), and its website is www.NJCleanEnergy.com.