It took only a few days for Bolton Point Water System in Ithaca, N.Y., to see the results of its new Sensus smart water technology. As data started flooding in, the utility noticed that one home went from using no water to running 100 gallons per hour over the course of three days. That’s 7,400 gallons of lost water — which is enough to fill an average-sized pool. Problem is, the property doesn’t have a pool and the homeowner was out of town.
“When we couldn’t reach the customer by phone we sent an operator to check on things,” said Steve Riddle, distribution manager for Bolton Point Water System. “Turns out, while the owners were away, a hose was turned on and left running in the yard. Without the new technology to alert us, who knows how much more water would have been wasted or how high their bill would have gone?”
Only a few months ago, Bolton Point relied on customers to read their own meters, write down their water usage on postcards and mail them back to the utility. Ten to fifteen percent of customers failed to send in their cards so bills were estimated based on previous use. That made it difficult to get a full picture of water usage.
“We needed an end-to-end solution and partners we could count on,” said Riddle. “Sensus had the answer and our other partners at Saks and HD Supply helped us seamlessly deploy a system where we saw results on day one.”
The Bolton Point approach includes OMNI and iPERL meters, the FlexNet communication system and data analytics all managed by the Sensus Software as a Service (SaaS) solution.
Thanks to Bolton Point’s new technology, its more than 7,000 customers can enjoy abundant water without being flooded by leaks or high water bills.
This story was provided by smart water technology company Sensus. Sensus helps a wide range of public service providers—from utilities to cities to industrial complexes and campuses—do more with their infrastructure to improve quality of life in their communities. Learn more at sensus.com and follow @SensusGlobal on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Sensus is a Xylem company.
