I have a simple question for you: Has your company seen more staff work from home? If you own a restaurant or cafe, has your water bill gone up, even though you 100% are certain you’re using less water? Image Source: https://www.castlewater.co.uk/ Water bills are a funny old thing as they’re typically determined by one tiny piece of equipment; your water meter. This is true if the meter is actually there. But, if it is, then you will need to check your water meters every now and again to get a bill. This sounds familiar? It is probably time to make a switch. It is time to upgrade your water meters. I will explain. I am surprised at how much people don’t know about water meters. It’s possible to get a general idea about how the internet works, and what it costs (there are sites that test connection speed), but is this true for water meters or pipes? Although it may not be the most modern technology, it does not mean that it is obsolete. Automated Meter Reading technology (AMR), is something I strongly advocate for businesses to install. This is a water meter that collects data from the ground and sends it to a receiver. It allows you to do two things, both simple and effective. It helps you get precise usage figures (i.e. Better billing This technology can also help identify issues that are not obvious to you. The COVID -19 is a low time for business water consumption. Let’s look at a typical example that many businesses are experiencing right now. Many employees work from home so water consumption should not be an issue. You wouldn’t be able to tell if your bills are the same or increasing if you had an older meter. You can ask your water provider to use data from your smart meter and show you how much water was used. You can use this information to identify inefficiencies and potential leaks within your water supply. You might be concerned that installing a new meter, or upgrading an existing one, will cost too much. It’s worth the cost, particularly if your water bill is based on property’s rateable value. If staff members are not at work, your water bill will be based on the company’s size. Reducing water consumption bad behavior can be addressed by installing a water meter. In addition to the water data mentioned above, owners can identify when a company experiences a water surge at specific times to help them determine if they need to teach staff how to better use water. An example of this I see in real life is when I order coffee from a certain chain, and someone in the queue orders a frappe-cappa-creamy-whatever, staff will take a used blender, throw it under a tap and let it run. This could happen every single time that a staff member works. You can help them reduce their water usage by conducting water trend analysis. You can’t see the negative. I trust you have gained some insights into the benefits of water meters for your company. Learn more here about AMR technology for businesses. If you want to continue the discussion on water and your business, check out this article: Picking a Water Filtration system for Your Business.
