Roanoke County's utility providers offer high quality service at a low cost, utilizing state-of-the-art technology to support residential, commercial and industrial customers. The cost of utilities in Roanoke County ranks among the least expensive in the country, over 11% below than the national average.
Utility Cost Comparisons
Roanoke Gas Company and its subsidiary, Highland Propane, serves 55,400 customers in the Roanoke Valley. Columbia and East Tennessee are the two major natural gas transmission lines serving the Valley.
|
ROANOKE GAS COMPANY TARIFFS April 1 - June 30, 2008 |
|||
| BASE NON-GAS COST | CURRENT GAS COST | CURRENT BILLING RATE | |
| RESIDENTIAL SERVICE - RS: | |||
|
CUSTOMER CHARGE |
12.00 | 12.00 | |
|
1st 54 THERMS |
0 .190304 |
1 .2838500 |
1.474154 |
|
OVER 54 THERMS |
0 .135130 |
1 .2838500 |
1.418980 |
| GENERAL SERVICE - GS1: | |||
|
CUSTOMER CHARGE |
19.00 |
19.00 |
|
|
1st 54 THERMS |
0 .2958430 | 1 .3204300 | 1.616273 |
|
OVER 54 THERMS |
0 .1994420 | 1 .3204300 | 1.519872 |
| GENERAL SERVICE - GS2: | |||
|
CUSTOMER CHARGE |
54.00 |
54.00 |
|
|
1st 54 THERMS |
0 .2359420 | 1 .2216700 | 1.457612 |
|
OVER 54 THERMS |
0 .1498040 | 1 .2216700 | 1.371474 |
| BACK-UP SERVICE - BUS: | |||
|
CUSTOMER CHARGE |
3 00.00 |
3 00.00 |
|
|
1st 54 THERMS |
0 .2449240 |
1 .2216700 |
1.466594 |
|
OVER 54 THERMS |
0 .1578600 |
1 .2216700 |
1.379530 |
| UNMETERED GAS LIGHTS - UGLS: | |||
|
1st CHARGE PER THERM |
0 .3275810 |
1 .1530000 |
1.480581 |
|
MIN. 22 TH. PER MONTH |
2 5.000000 |
||
| INTERRUPTIBLE SERVICE - ISS: | |||
|
CUSTOMER CHARGE |
3 25.00 |
3 25.00 |
|
|
1st 54 THERMS |
0 .1415830 |
1 .0879700 | 1.229553 |
|
OVER 54 THERMS |
0 .0487950 | 1 .0879700 | 1.136765 |
| INT. TRANSPORTATION SERVICE - ITS: | |||
|
CUSTOMER CHARGE |
4 00.00 | 4 00.00 | |
|
1st 54 THERMS |
0 .1415820 | 0.141582 | |
|
OVER 54 THERMS |
0 .0487940 | 0.048794 | |
| SUMMER AIR CONDITIONING - SACS | |||
|
ALL THERMS |
0 .1305650 | 1 .1195100 | 1.250075 |
| INDUSTRIAL FIRM SERVICE - IFSS | |||
|
CUSTOMER CHARGE |
3 25.00 | 3 25.00 | |
|
1st 54 THERMS |
0 .084162 | 0 .084162 | |
|
OVER 54 THERMS |
0 .024430 | 1 .1622200 | 1.186650 |
| INDUSTRIAL FIRM TRANSPORTATION SERVICE - IFTS: | |||
|
CUSTOMER CHARGE |
4 00.00 | 4 00.00 | |
|
1st 54 THERMS |
0 .084162 | 0 .084162 | |
|
OVER 54 THERMS |
0 .024430 | 0 .024430 | |
| Suppliers: | Among others: Verizon, Ntelos, Cox, Comcast |
| Switching: | 100% digital |
| Long Distance Services: | AT&T, MCI, US Sprint, Cox, Verizon |
| Call Completion Ratio: | All offices engineered at 1.5% |
| Distribution System: | Fiber optic network runs completely through the Roanoke Valley |
Suppliers offer customers such advance products and services as ISDN, SMDS and Frame Relay. SONET technology provides reliable and redundant networks.
The telephone infrastructure serving much of the Roanoke Valley is one of the most advanced and reliable in the world. The hub switching offices are 5E digital switches, which offer Frame relay, SMDA, ATM and ISDN services. These switches have access to all of the interexchange carriers (IXCs) serving the Roanoke Valley. The switches and IXCs are connected via fiber optic cable supported by SONET technology configured in multiple SONET rings - which offer maximum-security reliability. In addition, customer access rings are in place to provide redundant access to hub switches. These customer access rings combine fiber and SONET technology in the same way as the rings interconnecting the switching offices.
These customer access rings and interoffice rings are already serving major customers, and the connection of a new customer to these technologies in the same general locations could be accomplished in a minimum amount of time.
The Roanoke Valley switching offices are 100 percent CCS7, which facilitates the provisioning of all the latest state-of-the-art features and services.
Appalachian Power serves about 1 million customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. Appalachian Power is part of the American Electric Power system, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.
Electric Rate Comparison
|
AVERAGE INDUSTRIAL RATES / Kwh |
|
|
2007 |
|
| ROANOKE | $.0450 |
| Virginia | $.0505 |
| North Carolina | $.0549 |
| Tennessee | $.0549 |
| Ohio | $.0572 |
| Mississippi | $.0586 |
| U.S. Average | $.0625 |
| Pennsylvania | $.0676 |
| Texas | $.0772 |
| Florida | $.0776 |
| New York | $.0949 |
| Maryland | $.0972 |
| New Jersey | $.1061 |
| Connecticut | $.1289 |
| Massachusetts | $.1324 |
On July 1, 2004, the water and wastewater operations of Roanoke
County and the City of Roanoke consolidated to become the Western Virginia Water Authority. This new entity provides water
service to 155,000 citizens and wastewater service to more than 120,000 citizens
in the county and city.
The Counties of Franklin and Roanoke and the Western Virginia Water Authority broke ground June 11, 2008 on a joint water line project in the U.S. Route 220 corridor. This new 12-inch water line will provide a regional service that will enhance the quality of life for customers as well as the regional community. This project is an excellent example of how working together can benefit a region. As a result of this partnership, residents and businesses along the U.S. Route 220 corridor will have access to the same high quality of public water and fire protection that other residents in the Western Virginia Water Authority’s service area currently enjoy. The economic development potential of the land in this transportation corridor will also be optimized. The Western Virginia Water Authority will design, manage construction and maintain the new waterline. Debt service on the bonds issued by the Western Virginia Water Authority for this project will be repaid by Franklin and Roanoke counties. These costs will be primarily recouped from availability fees paid for by developers. This project involves extending the water line approximately 65,000 feet from the Clearbrook area of Roanoke County south to the Wirtz Plateau area in Franklin County. The construction will be completed in multiple phases with the entire project taking 18-24 months to complete. The initial phase of construction is expected to begin in June, 2008.
< Water:
| Western Virginia Water Authority | |
| Production Capacity (gallons per day) | 52,000,000 |
| Reservoir Capacity (gallons) | 10,000,000,000 |
|
WESTERN VIRGINIA WATER AUTHORITY SCHEDULE OF CURRENT & PROPOSED MONTHLY WATER RATES |
||||
|
January 2008 Current (1) |
January
2009 Projected (2) |
January
2010 Projected (2) |
||
| County Volume Charge: | ||||
| All Customer Types - Per 1,000 Gallons | ||||
|
First Tier |
$2.90 |
$2.90 |
$3.00 |
|
|
Second Tier Rate (3) |
$3.25 | $3.25 |
$3.50 |
|
|
Irrigation |
$3.25 |
$3.25 |
$3.50 |
|
| County Base Charge: | ||||
| Monthly Charge per
Unit
Charge per meter size: |
Number Of ERU's (4) Per Unit |
|||
|
5/8" Meter |
1.00 |
$5.50 |
$6.00 |
$6.25 |
|
3/4" Meter |
1.50 |
$8.25 |
$9.00 |
$9.38 |
|
1" Meter |
2.50 |
$13.75 |
$15.00 |
$15.63 |
|
1 1/2" Meter |
5.00 | $27.50 | $30.00 | $31.25 |
| 2" Meter | 8.00 | $44.00 | $48.00 | $50.00 |
| 3" Meter | 15.00 | $82.50 | $90.00 | $93.75 |
| 4" Meter | 30.00 | $165.00 | $180.00 | $187.50 |
| 6" Meter | 60.00 | $330.00 | $360.00 | $375.00 |
| 8" Meter | 90.00 | $495.00 | $540.00 | $562.50 |
| 10" Meter | 150.00 | $825.00 | $900.00 | $937.50 |
| 12" Meter | 200.00 | $1,100.00 | $1,200.00 | $1,250.00 |
| (1) Rates Effective January 1, 2008 | ||||
| (2) Projected Rate Equalization Plan | ||||
|
(3) Second Tier Rates effective after gallons: Residential 10,000 Commercial 75,000 Industrial 375,000 |
||||
| (4) ERU is Equivalent Residential Unit | ||||
Waste Water:
| Western Virginia Water Authority | |
| Total Treatment Capacity (gallons per day) | 55,000,000 |
| Available Treatment Capacity (gallons per day) | 15,000,000 |
|
WESTERN VIRGINIA WATER AUTHORITY SCHEDULE OF CURRENT & PROPOSED MONTHLY SEWER RATES |
||||
|
January 2008 Current (1) |
January
2009 Projected (2) |
January
2010 Projected (2) |
||
| County Volume Charge: | ||||
| All Customer Types - Per 1,000 Gallons | $2.80 | $3.20 | $3.60 | |
| County Base Charge: | ||||
| Monthly Charge per
Unit
Charge per meter size: |
Number Of ERU's (3) Per Unit |
|||
|
5/8" Meter |
1.00 |
$9.00 |
$9.00 |
$9.50 |
|
3/4" Meter |
1.50 |
$13.50 |
$13.50 |
$14.25 |
|
1" Meter |
2.50 |
$22.50 |
$22.50 |
$23.75 |
|
1 1/2" Meter |
5.00 | $45.00 | $45.00 | $47.50 |
| 2" Meter | 8.00 | $72.00 | $72.00 | $76.00 |
| 3" Meter | 15.00 | $135.00 | $135.00 | $142.50 |
| 4" Meter | 30.00 | $270.00 | $270.00 | $285.00 |
| 6" Meter | 60.00 | $540.00 | $540.00 | $570.00 |
| 8" Meter | 90.00 | $810.00 | $810.00 | $855.00 |
| 10" Meter | 150.00 | $1350.00 | $1350.00 | $1425.00 |
| 12" Meter | 200.00 | $1,800.00 | $1,800.00 | $1,900.00 |
| (1) Rates Effective January 1, 2008 | ||||
| (2) Projected Rate Equalization Plan | ||||
| (3) ERU is Equivalent Residential Unit | ||||
County Utility Tax
Residential -- 12% of the first $15
of the water charge per month, not to exceed $1.80 per
month.
Commercial
-- 12% of the first $5,000 of the water charge per month, not to exceed $600 per month charge.
Residents and businesses in the City of Roanoke, the County of Roanoke and the Town of Vinton have joined together to create the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority, utilizing Norfolk Southern to create an innovative public-private partnership for removal of solid waste. After each locality collects their own trash, it is transferred to the Resource Authority's Tinker Creek Transfer Station where the waste is loaded into specially-designed rail cars and covered with watertight lock-down lids. At the end of the day, the cars, each holding 65 tons of waste, make the 33-mile trip on the Waste Line Express by Norfolk Southern to the landfill.
Solid Waste Disposal:
Roanoke Valley Resource Authority
| Waste Disposal Fees and Charges (as of: July 1, 2006) | ||
| Municipal Waste Disposal | $45 per ton | |
| Commercial Waste Disposal | $55 per ton | |
| Wood Waste Disposal | $35 per ton | (Clean loads of brush or wood for tub grinding. Must meet RVRA specifications.) |
| Tire Disposal | ||
| Split Tires | $100 per ton | |
| Whole Tires | $55 per ton | plus $2 per tire |
| Whole Tires, mixed with other waste | $55 per ton | plus $5 per tire |
| Construction and Demolition Waste Disposal | $55 per ton | |
| Special Waste Disposal (Accepted only with prior notification and approval.) | ||
| Asbestos (Non-Friable) | $55 per ton | |
| Asbestos (Friable) | $100 per ton | |
| Dead Animals | $55 per ton | |
| Other (As determined by RVRA) | $55 - $100 per ton | |
| Uncovered Load | Additional $10 charge | |
| Minimum Charge for Per Ton Fees | $5 | |
| Wood Mulch Pickup | ||
| Pickup Trucks and Small Trailers | No Charge | |
| Single Axle Dump Trucks and >8' Trailers | $10 per truck | |
| Tandem Dump Trucks | $20 per truck | |
| Tractor Trailers | $60 per truck | |
| Note: The Roanoke Valley Resource Authority reserves the right to establish fees and charges as it deems necessary and appropriate for wastes not listed herein and to refuse to accept any material it deems unacceptable. UNACCEPTABLE WASTE CHARGES $100 per ton, minimum one ton, plus handling costs, related damages, and lost revenue. LATE ACCOUNT PENALTY 10% of amount plus interest at the legal rate on the principal. | ||