Remote water meters have a long term proven history of good quality performance. These devices are dependable, economical, and help save water. Remote water metering offers tenant privacy, 24/7 monitoring, and access to data. Remote reading of water meters reduce the risk of manual meter reading errors, and the risk of injuries when reading meters deep in the ground.
How does a remote water meter work?
A remotely read water meter is basically a meter that can be read from a computer, on a phone or in the cloud. The technology today allows for multiple layers of integration of a submetering system, either locally in a located server (LAN) or in an accessible service for multiple users including individual tenants or condo unit owners in the the cloud (WAN). There are multiple ways and multiple technologies that can be used when implementing a water sub-metering system on your property.
It starts with the meter output; the most common is pulse output from mechanical meters, where an electrical pulse is equivalent to a set volume, 10 lts, 100 lts, one gallon, or ten gallons per pulse. These pulses are captured by a pulse-datalogger that assigns these multipliers to the pulse count and transmit a reading to the Data Collection unit. Another type of output is Mbus, more common on ultrasonic meters, in this type od meter communication systems the meter transmit the actual reading as a value to the Data Collection unit. Because Mbus uses a 36 V DC chain, it can also provide the starting power to motorized valves integrated into the meter, allowing for additional control, similar to a remote garage door control.
Other means pf transmission include LoRa, which is mostly used when there is a need for transmitting sporadic readings over long distances, like when a single meter is in a remote location.
Benefits of remote water metering
Measure and monitor actual usage Offsite
When water meters can't be read regularly, billings are based on estimates, which in turn are based on past consumption. This may result in high or low water bills. Lower bill amounts may seem like a good thing for the consumer but may come at the expense of the property owner, additionally it may not account for the cost of water wastage in the billing period. For instance, one of the biggest indicators of a water leak is an unusually high water bill. Water estimates based on past usage would never indicate a leaking water pipe somewhere.
A good software platform can enable meter reading in shorter intervals, daily, or hourly, even ral time consumtption to analyze behaviour or to benchmark performance.
Remote Water Meters enable easy billing
The monitoring system is operated remotely. Bills are created and can be paid online. This results in higher levels of accuracy and in a convenient system that benefits both the landlord and the tenant.
Allocate water consumption among tenants
With the evolution of technology, more efficient water metering devices have become available to property owners. Remote meters can be installed in all multi-unit properties from a four-house park to a 700-site housing community.
Implementing a remote meter reading system can help reduce overall costs
When water meters are installed, quality remote metering equipment can help tenants in managing water consumption by allowing them to easily view their consumption and make decisions on how efficient they are using their resources.
Allows accuracy in water consumption
Once you get the bill, you can simply compare it to the reading on your meter. If they're the same or the value on the meter is slightly higher, it means you are being billed properly.
Remote water meters are secure
The communication from your meter includes only your serial number and the reading - it doesn't include any personal or property information. It is also encrypted so only meter readers can access it.
