Meter Change Out Program

Since money is getting tighter every year, there is a way to help bring money to your system with out raising rates all the time. It is call a meter changing program. Many systems are already doing this, but for those that have not, this is for you.

Think of a meter as a cash register. The customer is charged for the water that actually goes through the meter. How do we as operators know that the customer is getting charged for every drop of water they are using? We don’t, unless we have a meter changing program in place. It is recommended that you change out your meters every 10 years. I know, for a lot of you, this is a lot of work when yours is a one man operation. The little extra work will pay off in the long run though.

You can set up a change out program to change all meters over 10 years by changing a set amount each month. I know with the way money is, it can be tight for some systems. But always keep in mind the money you are losing by meters not registering correctly. When a meter is tested, if it registers at over 2% fast or 2% slow, it is not considered accurate. A lot of vendors that sell meters will generally give you monetary credit for each trade in on a new meter. I know some of you are thinking, “Is this really necessary to have a change out program?” I was just like you, until we started a meter change out program with the last system I worked. We found that we were losing anywhere from 30%-40% revenue from slow to dead meters!

You can start your change out program as your budgets allow. Don’t try to do it all at once, because most utilities can’t afford that. When it comes time for you to turn in your budgets, try to include costs for new meters and testing of the old meters. If you have a meter testing machine, the best time to use it is when the weather is bad. It is a perfect time for testing the meters that you have already pulled.

Just remember if you pull out a meter and it tests within that 2% range you can use that meter somewhere else in your system which means one less meter you have to buy. Always keep in mind the money savings no matter what you find.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us at 888-937-4992 or email at alliance@inh2o.org.