Water meters at the point of use

Point of Use (POU) meters are designed to provide a sub-metering solution for those properties that cannot be sub-measured by conventional sub-meters due to plumbing designs that bring multiple pipes into the apartment or office (stacked risers). The meters were specifically designed for stacked vertical pipe configurations typically found in properties that use a central boiler to provide hot water.

In a typical installation, very small flow meters are inconspicuously installed at each hot and cold water outlet to the shower / tub, toilet, sink, dishwasher, and clothes washer. Depending on the manufacturer, flow meters have a built-in transmitter or are connected to a transmitter / interface board. The transmitters send usage information to a central processing computer which, in turn, sends the usage information to a billing center where invoices can be printed and sent to the end user.

Equipment and installation costs are typically higher than traditional systems, but payback is typically less than a year. When deciding on a POU meter, a primary consideration should be that the meters can be read by any automated reading system (AMR). This allows the property owner to choose from many billing companies and does not tie the owner to equipment that can only be read by a few companies.

Numerous studies have shown that sub-measurement reduces usage by up to 39%. Although POU meters have been available for over ten years, they were not widely used until recently. With today’s interest in green solutions and increasing water and sewer costs, properties that in the past could not be traditionally measured are now installing POU meters and benefitting from the same kinds of usage reductions as properties with conventional plumbing. have succeeded for years. Since approximately 50% of apartments and 90% of office buildings use stacked risers, the benefits of submetering with POU meters have hardly been touched.

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