Wireless water meters on the loose in New York City
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted March 25th 2009 12:23PM
posted March 25th 2009 12:23PM
On the environmental tip, Mayor Bloomberg has announced that New York City will install 826,000 wireless water meters by 2011. Under the new system, readings will be sent to a network of rooftop receivers throughout the city every six hours, enabling the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to bill property owners every month with exact water usage -- with the bill available online. Under the current system, water use is estimated and folks are billed every three months. The system will cost taxpayers $250 million, and installation (free for property owners) is already underway in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. When it is fully installed, New York will be the largest city in the world to use wireless water metering. According to the New York Times, it's estimated that a 5 to 10 percent reduction in water use could save the city up to $90 million annually.
[Via Vos Iz Neias; Thanks, Yossi]
[Via Vos Iz Neias; Thanks, Yossi]
do they use GPS chips to track the location of each of these meters??
Good idea, damnit!
Good luck New York! Considering that they rolled electronic meters out in Atlanta in 2006 and they still dont work right, and overbill folks etc...
http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/01/21/story3.html
Beware those in the USA. Don't be made to think you'll save the world by saving water.
Here in the UK, they've been pushing for water meters in every home, with the result that utilities companies simply push up prices to maintain profits.
These have been used in WI for over 10 years. My 1922 house I had back in 1999 had one. I was reading this thinking it was something new. Man they are behind the times.
lol @ paying for water. it falls from teh sky daily here in scotland.
Wow, really? $250 MILLION in order to SAVE NO MONEY or very little at all. How is this system going to reduce the amount of water used. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. People are still going to be charged the same for the water they use so where the heck is the money savings here? What a horrible idea. Way to waste everyone's time you stupid mayor.
Shit is a waste. They are going to be using wireless meteres to charge for everything soon...this is just the beginning
Wasn't water free till mayor koch came into office....
How can lower sales lead to savings? Unless the city is charging less for water than its cost...ah, New York Gubbermint, you never cease to Amaze and Delight!
This has been present in China last time I checked. You could hack the device to make the meter go in reverse etc, but few people do it because they catch you ^^
So tell me, is the water business (transport to the city) still in the hands of the mob in NY?
Youse keep askin', mebbe youse finda out da hard way...
Good point :o
Ponca City, OK has had wireless metering up and running for at least 6 months now.
Ponca City, Oklahoma has deployed a municipal wireless broadband network that combines wireless automated meters (AMR) with free Wi-Fi for residents. The citywide wireless broadband project builds on the wireless meters and automated meter infrastructure (AMI) that Honeywell has installed for the city to reduce energy costs by 10 percent and save the municipality approximately $1.3 million in annual operating costs.