While power tends to get most of the attention, there are exciting developments in the world of water as well. Courtesy of The New York Times, a report that smart water meters are taking off in California, according to a forthcoming report from the California Energy Commission. As the article notes:
“…More than half of the state’s water utilities have some smart meters in their service areas, according to the report, “Smart Meters and California Water Agencies: Overview and Status.”
Lon W. House, the report’s author, said in an interview that the number was likely to be “significantly” higher now because the report’s data was now over a year old.
“The water agencies in California are really under the gun to find new and innovative ways to conserve water,” Mr. House said.
California cities are supposed to slash water use by 20 percent by 2020, under a law passed last year.
Nationwide, 28 percent of water systems have some smart metering installed, according to the report — a number that seems to bear out a recent study by Oracle that emphasized the reluctance of many water utilities to add smart meters.
Smart water meters can record water use data hourly or even more frequently, in contrast to a conventional meter, which is inevitably read only every few months.
Even after a smart system is installed, a utility worker may still need to drive to the house to read the meter. But he or she should not have to get out of his car, because the signal can be collected electronically. That saves time and money.
According to the report, each manual meter read costs from 50 cents to $1.50. But if a good signal-transmission system is installed along with new meters, the utility can receive the data directly and does not even need to send meter readers out.
By providing a constant stream of information, smart meters should make it easier to detect leaks. If your system is using water at 3 a.m., for example, and there’s no sprinkler on, something is probably wrong. Mr. House said that smart meters could quickly cut down water usage by 5 to 15 percent.
Smart water meters are close cousins of smart electric meters, another emerging technology. They are often even made by the same companies.
Still, some cities in perpetually water-strapped California are only just getting around to putting in home water meters in the first place. These include Sacramento — where according to a recent newspaper report, only a quarter of residents have meters — as well as Fresno.
San Diego is considering requiring new multifamily buildings to have water meters for each unit.
Buildings with existing water meters should end up replacing them every 15 to 20 years, according to the report — offering a natural chance to cycle in the new technology.
The report is not yet finished, though it has been with the commission for several months. Adam Gottlieb, a commission spokesman, said that the document would be published soon.”
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