In an effort to encourage residents to be more environmentally conscious and make informed decisions regarding water usage, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection has installed 50 percent of its Automated Meter Reading units so far and is on track to install all 834,000 units by 2012.
The Automated Meter Reading (AMR) units are wireless water meters designed to give customers water consumption data at least four times per day. The small radio receivers transmit readings every six hours to a series of rooftop receivers that are located throughout the city. The city has also provided a service called AMR Online, a system that allows homeowners and businesses to track their water usage and water bills.
“Online wireless water meter reading – what we call AMR – gives our customers the power to see their water use every day, and make informed decisions for their families. It will also help DEP and our customers detect and fix leaks before they become a costly billing problem, or damage infrastructure or nearby homes and businesses,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway.
Holloway spoke on the day when the 417,000th AMR unit was installed at the home of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. The installation of the unit coincided with Brooklyn’s first day of AMR Online.
“This is just the beginning of what we will be able to do for our customers with AMR, and a great example of how Mayor Bloomberg is using cutting-edge technology to make city government more transparent and effective,” said Holloway.
“I have to admit, until I became a first time homeowner recently, I didn’t think too much about water conservation because, as an apartment dweller, I wasn’t paying the water bills,” added Markowitz. “Now I am doing all I can to keep my costs down and use only the water my wife Jamie and I need. So let’s all pledge to turn off our faucets, turn on our computers and do everything possible to keep the water flowing.”
Likewise, residents in Queens will be able to track their water usage online on a rolling basis. The system will give them a chance to conserve water and reduce their water bills. Customers with the wireless water meters can also access their past billing history and track their usage by day, week, month, year and billing period.
For more information on the AMR units and the installation process, visit www.nyc.gov/dep.
