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Accounting policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting policies |
Accounting policies | 2. Accounting policies Basis of preparation: The consolidated financial statements presented are prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Use of estimates: The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant items subject to estimates and assumptions include the carrying value of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, goodwill and put/call options. Actual results could differ significantly from such estimates. Basis of consolidation: The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company’s (i) wholly-owned subsidiaries, Aerex Industries, Inc. (“Aerex”), Aquilex, Inc. (“Aquilex”), Cayman Water Company Limited (“Cayman Water”), Ocean Conversion (Cayman) Limited (“OC-Cayman”), DesalCo Limited (“DesalCo”), Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A. (“CW-Cooperatief”), Consolidated Water U.S. Holdings, Inc. (“CW-Holdings”); and (ii) majority-owned subsidiaries Consolidated Water (Bahamas) Ltd. (“CW-Bahamas”), N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”), Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“AdR”), and PERC Water Corporation ("PERC"). The Company’s investment in its affiliate Ocean Conversion (BVI) Ltd. (“OC-BVI”) is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. On January 24, 2020, as a result of CW-Holdings' exercise of a call option, CW-Holdings purchased the remaining 49% ownership interest in Aerex for $8,500,000 in cash. After giving effect to this purchase, CW-Holdings owns 100% of the outstanding capital stock of Aerex. On August 11, 2020, CW-Holdings purchased an additional 10% of the ownership of PERC for $900,000, increasing its ownership of this subsidiary to 61%. Foreign currency: The Company’s reporting currency is the United States dollar (“US$”). The functional currency of the Company and its subsidiaries (other than NSC, AdR and CW-Cooperatief) is the currency for each respective country. The functional currency for NSC, AdR and CW-Cooperatief is the US$. NSC and AdR conduct business in US$ and Mexican pesos and CW-Cooperatief conducts business in US$ and euros. The exchange rates for the Cayman Islands dollar and the Bahamian dollar are fixed to the US$. The exchange rates for conversion of Mexican pesos and euros into US$ vary based upon market conditions. Net foreign currency gains arising from transactions and re-measurements were $32,594 and $68,818 for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and are included in “Other income (expense) - Other” in the accompanying consolidated statements of income. Cash and cash equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents consist of demand deposits at banks and highly liquid deposits at banks with an original maturity of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 include $7.4 million and $8.5 million, respectively, of certificates of deposits with an original maturity of three months or less. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had deposits in U.S. banks in excess of federally insured limits of approximately $7.8 million. As of December 31, 2021, the Company held cash in foreign bank accounts of approximately $33.1 million, which includes a $2.5 million certificate of deposit with an original maturity of six months. Certain transfers from the Company’s Bahamas bank accounts to Company bank accounts in other countries require the approval of the Central Bank of The Bahamas. As of December 31, 2021, the equivalent United States dollar cash balances for deposits held in The Bahamas were approximately $6.4 million. Accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts: Accounts receivable are recorded at invoiced amounts based on meter readings, contractual amounts, fixed fees plus reimbursables or time and materials per contractual agreements. Trade accounts receivable also represent our unconditional right, subject only to the passage of time, to receive consideration arising from our performance under contracts with customers. Trade accounts receivable include amounts billed and billable on construction contracts, service and maintenance contracts and contracts for the sale of goods. Billed contract receivables have been invoiced to customers based on contracted amounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the Company’s existing accounts receivable balance. The Company determines the allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical write-off experience and monthly review of delinquent accounts. Past due balances are reviewed individually for collectability and disconnection. Account balances are charged off against the allowance for doubtful accounts after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered by management to be remote. Inventory: Inventory primarily includes consumables stock and spare parts stock that are valued at cost, less an allowance for obsolescence, with cost determined on the first-in, first-out basis. Inventory also includes potable water held in the Company’s reservoirs. The carrying amount of the water inventory is the lower of the average cost of producing water during the year or its net realizable value. Contract assets and liabilities: Billing practices for the Company’s contracts are governed by the contract terms of each project based upon costs incurred, achievement of milestones or predetermined schedules. Billings do not necessarily correlate with revenue recognized over time using the direct inputs method of accounting. The Company records contract assets and contract liabilities to account for these differences in timing. Contract assets, which include costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts, arise when the Company recognizes revenue for services performed under its construction and manufacturing contracts, but the Company is not yet entitled to bill the customer under the terms of the contract. Contract liabilities, which include billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts, represent the Company's obligation to transfer goods or services to a customer for which the Company has been paid by the customer or for which the Company has billed the customer under the terms of the contract. Revenue for future services reflected in this account are recognized, and the liability is reduced, as the Company subsequently satisfies the performance obligation under the contract. ​ Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts and billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts are typically resolved within one year and are not considered significant financing components. The Company considers retention that is withheld on progress billings as not creating an unconditional right to payment until contractual milestones are reached (typically substantial completion). Accordingly, withheld retention is considered a component of contracts assets and liabilities until finally billed to the customer, when obligations have been satisfied and the right to receipt is subject only to the passage of time. The Company’s contract assets and liabilities are reported in a net asset or liability position on a contract-by-contract basis at the end of each reporting period. The Company classifies contract assets and liabilities related to construction and manufacturing contracts in current assets and current liabilities as they will be liquidated in the normal course of contract completion, although this may require more than one year. Property, plant and equipment, net: Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using a straight-line method with an allowance for estimated residual values. Rates are determined based on the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows: ​
​ | ​ | ​
Buildings |  | 5 to 40 years
Plant and equipment |  | 4 to 40 years
Distribution system |  | 3 to 40 years
Office furniture, fixtures and equipment |  | 3 to 10 years
Vehicles |  | 3 to 10 years
Leasehold improvements |  | Shorter of 5 years or lease term
Lab equipment |  | 5 to 10 years
​ Assets under construction are recorded as additions to property, plant and equipment upon completion of the projects. Depreciation commences in the month the asset is placed in service. Additions to construction in progress are comprised of the cost of the contracted services, direct labor and materials. Interest costs directly attributable to the acquisition and construction of qualifying assets, which are assets that necessarily take a substantial amount of time to be ready for their intended use, are added to the cost of those assets until such time as the assets are substantially ready for use. No interest was capitalized during the years ended December 31, 2021 or 2020. Long-lived assets: Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets might not be recoverable. Conditions that would necessitate an impairment assessment include a significant decline in the observable market value of an asset, a significant change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used, or a significant adverse change that would indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets is not recoverable. For long-lived assets to be held and used, the Company recognizes an impairment loss only if their carrying amounts are not recoverable through their undiscounted cash flows and measures the impairment loss based on the difference between the carrying amounts and estimated fair values. Goodwill and intangible assets: Goodwill represents the excess cost of an acquired business over the fair value of the individual assets and liabilities of an acquired business. Goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a business combination accounted for as a purchase and determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized but are tested for impairment annually or upon the identification of a triggering event. Intangible assets with estimable useful lives are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives to their estimated residual values and reviewed periodically for impairment. The Company evaluates the possible impairment of goodwill annually as part of its reporting process for the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Management identifies the Company’s reporting units, which consist of retail, bulk, services, and manufacturing, and determines the carrying value of each reporting unit by assigning the assets and liabilities, including the existing goodwill and intangible assets, to those reporting units. The Company determines the fair value of each reporting unit and compares the fair value to the carrying amount of the reporting unit. To the extent the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, an impairment loss is recorded. ​ For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company estimated the fair value of its reporting units by applying the discounted cash flow method, which relied upon seven-year discrete projections of operating results, working capital and capital expenditures, along with a terminal value subsequent to the discrete period. These seven-year projections were based upon historical and anticipated future results, general economic and market conditions, and considered the impact of planned business and operational strategies. The discount rates for the calculations represented the estimated cost of capital for market participants at the time of each analysis. ​ The Company also estimated the fair value of each of it reporting units for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 by applying the guideline public company method. ​ The Company weighted the fair values estimated for each of its reporting units under each method and summed such weighted fair values to estimate the overall fair value for each reporting unit. The respective weightings the Company applied to each method for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were 80% to the discounted cash flow method and 20% to the guideline public company method. ​ The fair values the Company estimated for its retail, bulk, services and manufacturing reporting units exceeded their carrying amounts by 32%, 51%, 15%, and 15% respectively, as of December 31, 2021. The fair values the Company estimated for its retail, bulk, and services reporting units exceeded their carrying amounts by 101%, 49% and 17%, respectively, as of December 31, 2020. While the fair value the Company estimated for its manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by 31% as of December 31, 2020, due to new information the Company obtained in 2021, the Company was required to record an impairment loss for its manufacturing reporting unit’s goodwill in 2021, as discussed in paragraphs that follow. ​ Approximately 80% of Aerex’s revenue, and 89% of Aerex’s gross profit, for the year ended December 31, 2020 were generated from sales to one customer. While Aerex sells various products to this customer, Aerex’s revenue from this customer has historically been derived primarily from one specialized product. In October 2020, this customer informed Aerex that, for inventory management purposes, it was suspending its purchases of the specialized product from Aerex following 2020 for a period of approximately one year. This customer informed Aerex at that time that it expected to recommence its purchases of the specialized product from Aerex beginning with the first quarter of 2022. As a result of this anticipated loss of revenue for Aerex, the Company updated its projections for its manufacturing reporting unit’s future cash flows. Such projections assumed, in part, that Aerex’s major customer would recommence its purchases from Aerex in 2022 but at a reduced aggregate amount, as compared to 2020. Based upon these updated projections, the Company tested its manufacturing reporting unit’s goodwill for possible impairment as of December 31, 2020 using the discounted cash flow and guideline public company methods, with a weighting of 80% and 20% applied to these two methods, respectively. As a result of these impairment tests, the Company determined that the estimated fair value of its manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by approximately 31% as of December 31, 2020. In late July 2021, this former major customer communicated to Aerex that it expected to recommence its purchases of the specialized product from Aerex in 2022 and subsequent years, but informed Aerex that such purchases would be at substantially reduced annual amounts, as compared to the amounts it had purchased from Aerex in 2020 and prior years. The Company’s updated sales estimate for this customer based on this new information was substantially below the sales the Company anticipated to this customer for 2022 and subsequent years that the Company used in the discounted cash flow projections the Company prepared for purposes of testing its manufacturing reporting unit’s goodwill for possible impairment as of December 31, 2020. Aerex’s efforts to replace the revenue previously generated from this customer with revenue from existing and new customers have been adversely impacted by continuing negative economic conditions, which have increased Aerex’s raw material costs, resulted in raw material shortages and extended delivery times for such materials and, the Company believes, also adversely affected the overall financial condition of Aerex’s current and prospective customer base. Accordingly, in light of this new information from Aerex’s former major customer, and present weak economic conditions that the Company believes will continue into 2022, the Company updated its projections of future cash flows for the manufacturing reporting unit and tested its goodwill for possible impairment as of June 30, 2021 using the discounted cash flow and guideline public company methods, with a weighting of 80% and 20% applied to these two methods, respectively. Based upon this testing, the Company determined that the carrying value of its manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its fair value by $2.9 million, and the Company recorded an impairment loss to reduce its manufacturing reporting unit’s goodwill by this amount for the three months ended June 30, 2021. Based upon its most recent estimation prepared as of December 31, 2021, the fair value of the Company’s manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by only 15%. If the Company determines in the future that Aerex’s discounted future cash inflows will be less than its present expectation, the Company may be required to record additional impairment losses to reduce the remaining carrying values as of December 31, 2021 of its manufacturing reporting unit’s goodwill of $1,985,211 and its remaining unamortized intangible assets balances of $847,778 recorded as a result of the acquisition of Aerex. Any such impairment losses could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations. Based upon its most recent estimation prepared as of December 31, 2021, the fair value of the Company’s services reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by only 15%. If the Company determines in the future that PERC’s discounted future cash inflows will be less than its present expectation, the Company may be required to record impairment losses to reduce the carrying values as of December 31, 2021 of its services reporting unit’s goodwill of $5,320,416 and its remaining unamortized intangible assets balances of $2,553,888 recorded as a result of the acquisition of PERC. Any such impairment losses could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations. Investments: Investments where the Company does not exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of the investee and holds less than 20% of the voting stock are recorded at cost. The Company uses the equity method of accounting for investments in common stock where the Company holds 20% to 50% of the voting stock of the investee and has significant influence over its operating and financial policies but does not meet the criteria for consolidation. The Company recognizes impairment losses on declines in the fair value of the stock of investees that are other than temporary. ​ Other assets: Under the terms of CW-Bahamas’ contract with the Water and Sewerage Corporation of The Bahamas (“WSC”) to supply water from its Blue Hills desalination plant, CW-Bahamas was required to reduce the amount of water lost by the public water distribution system on New Providence Island, The Bahamas, over a one-year period by 438 million gallons, a requirement CW-Bahamas met during 2007. The Company was solely responsible for the engineering, labor and materials costs incurred to reduce the amount of lost water, which were capitalized and are being amortized on a straight-line basis over the original remaining life of the Blue Hills contract. Such costs are included in other assets and aggregated approximately $3.5 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020. Accumulated amortization for these costs was approximately $2.7 million and $2.5 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Amortization expense for these costs was $179,353 for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. ​ Income taxes: The Company accounts for the income taxes arising from the operations of its United States subsidiaries under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities, if any, are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is provided to the extent any deferred tax asset may not be realized. ​ The Company is not presently subject to income taxes in the other countries in which it operates. ​ Revenue recognition: Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the Company’s customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. ​ The following table presents the Company’s revenue disaggregated by revenue source. ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ |  | Year Ended December 31,
​ |  | 2021 |  | 2020
Retail revenue | ​ | $ | 22,104,953 | ​ | $ | 22,952,370
Bulk revenue | ​ |  | 26,800,869 | ​ |  | 24,312,546
Services revenue | ​ |  | 13,884,857 | ​ |  | 12,937,859
Manufacturing revenue | ​ |  | 4,072,823 | ​ |  | 12,425,351
Total revenue | ​ | $ | 66,863,502 | ​ | $ | 72,628,126
​ Retail revenue The Company produces and supplies water to end-users, including residential, commercial and governmental customers in the Cayman Islands under an exclusive retail license issued to Cayman Water by the Cayman Islands government to provide water in two of the three most populated areas on Grand Cayman Island. Customers are billed on a monthly basis based on metered consumption and bills are typically collected within 30 to 45 days after the billing date. Receivables not collected within 45 days subject the customer to disconnection from water service. In 2021 and 2020, bad debts represented less than 1% of the Company’s total retail sales. The Company recognizes revenue from water sales at the time water is supplied to the customer’s premises. The amount of water supplied is determined and invoiced based upon water meter readings performed at the end of each month. All retail water contracts are month-to-month contracts. The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its retail water sale contracts and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice. Bulk revenue The Company produces and supplies water to government-owned distributors in the Cayman Islands and The Bahamas. OC-Cayman provides bulk water to the Water Authority-Cayman (“WAC”), a government-owned utility and regulatory agency, under two agreements. The WAC in turn distributes such water to properties in Grand Cayman outside of Cayman Water’s retail license area. The Company sells bulk water in The Bahamas through its majority-owned subsidiary, CW-Bahamas, under two agreements with the Water and Sewerage Corporation of The Bahamas (“WSC”), which distributes such water through its own pipeline system to residential, commercial and tourist properties on the Island of New Providence. CW-Bahamas also sold water to a private resort on Bimini through December 18, 2020, which generated revenue of approximately $127,000 for the year ended December 31, 2020. The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its bulk water sale contracts and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice. Services and Manufacturing revenue The Company provides design, engineering, management, procurement and construction services for desalination infrastructure through DesalCo, which serves customers in the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands. The Company also designs, builds, sells, operates and manages water, wastewater and water reuse infrastructure through PERC. All of PERC's customers are companies or governmental entities located in the U.S. The Company, through Aerex, is a custom and specialty manufacturer of water treatment-related systems and products applicable to commercial, municipal and industrial water production. Substantially all of Aerex’s customers are U.S. companies. The Company generates construction and services revenue from DesalCo and PERC, and generates manufacturing revenue from Aerex. The Company recognizes revenue for its construction and its specialized/custom manufacturing contracts over time under the input method using costs incurred (which represents work performed) to date relative to total estimated costs at completion to measure progress toward satisfying its performance obligations as such measure best reflects the transfer of control of the promised good to the customer. Contract costs include labor, materials and amounts payable to subcontractors. The Company follows this method since it can make reasonably dependable estimates of the revenue and costs applicable to the various stages of a contract. Under this input method, the Company records revenue and recognizes profit or loss as work on the contract progresses. The Company estimates total project costs and profit to be earned on each long-term, fixed price contract prior to commencement of work on the contract and updates these estimates as work on the contract progresses. The cumulative amount of revenue recorded on a contract at a specified point in time is that percentage of total estimated revenue that incurred costs to date comprises of estimated total contract costs. If, as work progresses, the actual contract costs exceed estimates, the profit recognized on revenue from that contract decreases. The Company recognizes the full amount of any estimated loss on a contract at the time the estimates indicate such a loss. Any contract assets are classified as current assets. Contract liabilities on uncompleted contracts, if any, are classified as current liabilities. The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its services agreements and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice. Practical Expedients and Exemptions The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (i) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (ii) contracts for which the Company recognizes revenue at the amount to which it has the right to invoice for services performed. Comparative amounts: Certain amounts presented in the financial statements previously issued for 2020 have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123372394&loc=d3e18726-107790 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2122369 + Details
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