Wireless water meters on the loose in New York City
March 27, 2009
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.
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