New York City uses wireless to monitor liquid assets

Posted: 03/26/09 by Allison Remsen

A coalition of state and national officials including New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, has devised a way for New York City to cut taxpayer costs, stimulate the local economy, and create jobs. The group says the implementation of new technology will allow water meters to be read wirelessly and will help individuals and businesses save millions of dollars each year simply by raising customer awareness.

Wireless water meters will enable more frequent and accurate readings of water usage, allowing customers to identify and cut out any wasted spending. Experts hope that the estimated 90 million dollar a year savings, based on a ‘modest 5-10 percent reduction in water use' will be recycled into the local economy.

"This program is the first in a series of initiatives leveraging this state-of-the-art network on a citywide scale, creating significant cost savings for taxpayers and agencies alike." - Department of Information Technology and Telecommunication Commissioner Paul J. Cosgrave

The new technology will use radio signals to report water use every six hours. Usage and costs can be tracked by individuals or businesses online, helping to identify leaks and waste more readily. The switch over to wireless water meters will cost the city an estimated $250 million dollars, and the installation will be free of charge to property owners.  

While New York City is currently the largest city in the world to embrace this technology other cities like Tallahassee are also using smart-metering programs for utility customers.  If successful, it is likely more cities will be implementing similar digital monitoring systems