Planning / Household Management
Name every system your home depends on.
Electricity, fuel, water, wastewater, and waste. Five flows keep a household running. This page walks you through identifying each one, finding your meters and providers, and recording the whole picture in one place.
The five flows
Energy in. Water in. Wastewater out. Waste out.
Every household depends on systems that deliver energy and water, remove wastewater, and handle solid waste. Most of the time these systems are invisible. You flip a switch, turn a faucet, flush a toilet, and set the trash at the curb. The bills arrive, you pay them, and the details blur.
Mapping your utility systems means naming each provider, locating each meter, knowing whether your water is public or private, knowing whether your wastewater flows to a sewer or a septic system, and understanding who is responsible for each piece. When you know the map, you can read a bill with understanding, spot an unusual change, call the right number in an emergency, and hand the information to someone else if you need to.
This is identification, not deep mastery
Each system below has its own detailed guide elsewhere on the site. This page teaches you to name what you have and record where to find it. The linked guides go deeper on bills, baselines, water quality, septic maintenance, and waste routing.
Flow 1
Electricity
Electricity may be delivered by an investor-owned utility, a municipal utility, an electric cooperative, or a public power authority. In some states, the company that delivers electricity (the distribution utility) is separate from the company that supplies it. Your bill may show charges from both.
Identify and record
Go deeper
Once you have named your provider and located your meter, these guides help you understand what the bill says and what your household actually uses:
Sources: EIA, Delivery to Consumers; EIA, Can Customers Choose Their Electricity Supplier?. Accessed 2026-08-10.
Flow 1 (continued)
Heating and cooking fuel
The household may use natural gas, propane, heating oil, wood, electricity, or some combination for space heating, water heating, and cooking. Each fuel has a different provider, delivery method, billing unit, and storage arrangement.
Identify and record
Natural gas may be billed in therms, in units based on cubic feet, or in other measures. The EIA notes that natural-gas heat content varies, so the billing unit may differ by utility. Use the units on your actual bill rather than assuming a standard.
Source: EIA, What Are the Units for Natural Gas?. Accessed 2026-08-10.
Flow 2
Water
The most important distinction is whether your household is on a public water system or a private well. Public water systems are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act and issue annual Consumer Confidence Reports. Private domestic wells are not federally regulated, and the well owner is responsible for water quality.
Identify and record
Public water
- Water utility name
- Account number
- Water meter location
- Where to find the annual CCR
- Billing units (gallons, CCF, cubic meters)
Private well
- Well location on the property
- Pump and pressure tank location
- Date of last water test
- What was tested for
- Any treatment system installed
Source: EPA, Private Drinking Water Wells. Accessed 2026-08-10.
Flow 3
Wastewater
Wastewater leaves the home through one of two paths: a centralized sanitary sewer operated by the municipality, or an onsite septic system maintained by the property owner. The two are not interchangeable, and knowing which one serves your home changes what you flush, what you maintain, and who you call when something goes wrong.
Identify and record
Municipal sewer
- Sewer provider (often the same as water utility)
- Sewer account or fee on the water bill
- Sewer cleanout location on property
Septic system
- Tank and drainfield location
- Last inspection date
- Last pumping date
- Service provider name and contact
- System type (conventional or alternative)
Flow 4
Solid waste and recycling
Trash collection may be a municipal service, a contracted private hauler, or something the household arranges on its own. Recycling rules differ by program. Household hazardous waste requires separate routing. Knowing the three channels and the right contact for each is the baseline.
Identify and record
Go deeper
Household Waste ManagementOne page, all five flows
Write it down
The goal is one sheet of paper (or a single digital note) that anyone in the household can find and use. It does not need to be elaborate. It needs to be complete enough that someone who has never dealt with a utility issue can look at it and know who to call, where the meters are, and what systems serve the home.
Household Utility Record
Electricity
Distribution utility / Supplier (if separate) / Account / Meter location / Panel location / Rate type
Heating and Cooking Fuel
Fuel type / Supplier / Account / Tank or meter location / Billing unit
Water
Public utility or private well / Account / Meter location / Last CCR or well test date / Filter type and maintenance date
Wastewater
Sewer (provider and account) or Septic (tank location, last inspection, last pumping, service provider)
Solid Waste
Trash provider / Collection day / Recycling provider and accepted materials / HHW program / Battery and e-waste route
Baseline Notes
Typical monthly usage ranges / Known seasonal patterns / Date of last unusual change / Anything flagged for follow-up
Keep this record with your household binder, emergency documents, or wherever your household stores important reference information. Update it when a provider changes, a rate plan shifts, or a system is serviced.
If you rent
What renters can still map
A renter may not control the building water main, the septic system, or the utility-owned meters. But you still benefit from knowing which utilities are in your name, where your breaker panel is, how to read the bill, and who to call if something fails. Map what you can control. Ask the landlord or property manager about the rest.
Check your lease
Leases vary on which utilities are included, who pays for water and sewer, and who arranges septic service. If the lease is unclear, ask. Knowing which systems are your responsibility and which belong to the landlord is part of the map.
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