Water metering in an apartment society

Water metering is the process of measuring water use through water meter and is one of the best ways to keep an account on the amount of water used in an apartment society. It is a human according to which, things which come free are not valued much and perhaps, water metering can solve the issues of water scarcity.

According to various studies, about 20 per cent of apartment residents’ use about 80 per cent of water and gallons of water is lost through leaks and wastage. Many developing countries have stated that water metering reduces water consumption by about 20-40 per cent as the apartment residents become more careful with their usage because they are charged for the actual consumption.

What is a water meter/ what is water metering?

A water meter is a device which is used to measure the volume of the water usage. It is a necessary tool to raise awareness of water as a valuable resource. Water metering is required in every apartment society to mark the amount of water usage. Water metering not just reduces the consumption of water but also saves ample amount of electricity consumption which is used to pump the water and STP functioning through reduced sewage generation.

Why should water metering be used in an apartment society?

Water metering is used in each residential and commercial building in a public water supply system. These meters can also be used at the water sources like a well, or throughout a water system to determine the flow through that portion of the system. They generally measure and display the total usage in cubic feet (ft.3), cubic meters (m3) or gallons on a mechanical or electronic register. Some electronic meter registers can display the rate-of-flow as well as the total usage.

What are the types of water meters?

There are various types of water meters which are used in apartment societies. The selection of a meter is based on different flow measurement methods, the type of end user, the required flow rates, and the accuracy requirements.

There are two major methods of flow measurement which are used;

The displacement and the velocity with sub-technologies upgraded in each of them. The common displacement machines have an oscillating piston and nutating disk meters. The velocity-based machine has a single and multi-jet meter along with turbine meters. Other meters like the non-mechanical ones, include the electromagnetic and ultrasonic meters. Apart from just the common meters, there are many other meters which are designed for the cold potable water only. Hot water meters, reclaimed water meters are also designed for specific purposes.

The displacement water meter:

The ones used in residential and small commercial buildings are commonly known as Positive Displacement, or “PD” meters. The PD meters are very accurate at low to moderate flow rates, typical of residential and small commercial users, and are common in sizes from 5/8″ to 2″.

Velocity water meter:

This type of water meter measures the velocity of the flow through a meter from an internal capacity. Other type of meters that measure the water flow velocity to determine totality usage are the jet meters (single-jet and multi-jet), turbine meters, propeller meters and mag meters.

Compound meter:

This meter is used for necessary high flow rates along with smaller rates of flow which has to be accurately measured. They have two measuring elements and a check valve to regulate flow between them.
Electromagnetic meters: Also known as “mag meters”, are technically a velocity-type water meter and make use of electromagnetic properties to determine the water flow velocity instead of mechanical means.

How does water meter work?

They are mechanical devices which measure the flow of water used in an apartment. A water meter is read on a monthly basis and every month the owner receives a water/sewer bill based on the amount of water he/she has used. A meter records the water used and cannot show on the water is used.

How are water meters maintained in an apartment society?

They are generally owned, read and maintained by the public water provider or the private water company. In an apartment, the water meter is maintained by an owner and he is billed by a utility on one meter who in turn shares the cost of the bill among the tenants. Apart from just this, private meters can also be owned by people in order to separately track the water usage of each un it; which is known as ‘sub metering’.

The registers of water metering:

Each water meter has several types of registers. The standard register has a dial like that of a clock along with gradations around the perimeter to indicate water usage measured by the meter. It also has a set of odometer wheels like that in a car. Today, the registers are normally run by a magnetic coupling between magnets in the measuring chamber which is further fastened to the measuring element along with another one attached to the bottom of the register. The other parts of a water meter register are the gears, the leak detector, pulse or encoding register and LCD display.

Water meter reading:

The reading of a water meter is based on the size and type of it. It ranges from 10 gallons or 1000 gallons (1 to 100 ft.3, 0.1 to 10 m3). If a single rotation of the hand shows 10 gallons, the meter has a 10 gallon sweep. Many a times the last number(s) of the odometer are non-rotating or printed on the dial face.

What are the advantages of water metering in an apartment society?

• Water metering provides an incentive for water conservation along with volumetric pricing.
• Water metering helps the detection of water leaks in the distribution network which further provides a basis for the reduction of non-revenue water.
• It helps in the quantity targeting of water subsidies to the needy.
• It helps apartment owners association to keep a track on the water consumed.
• It makes the residents aware about the efficient use of water.
• It helps the flat owners to pay the charges based on the actual consumption of water.
• It ensures 24-hour water supply to all the flats and prevents leakage.
• The water supply can be ended if the residents are not present in their home.
• It maintains lesser water consumption and over consumption can charge the individual.
• It directly or indirectly reduce energy consumption

Disadvantages of water metering:

• There is a delay in finding the water leakage or there are over water consumption issues.
• There is improper system to check the water consumption rate per flat/family.
• The entire block of the complex is held responsible for a few defaulters.
• The inadequate supply of water will be an issue to working professionals & residents.
• The energy consumption increases with pumping water.

The cost of water metering:

• The cost includes the investment along with the purchase and the installation of the meters which comes around Rs. 2.91 lakhs.
• The recurrent costs to read the meters and to issue the bills based on the consumption of water instead of the bills based on monthly apartment fee.

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Sub-metering Water Creates Awareness of Water Conservation

The ones used in residential and small commercial buildings are commonly known as Positive Displacement, or “PD” meters. The PD meters are very accurate at low to moderate flow rates, typical of residential and small commercial users, and are common in sizes from 5/8″ to 2″.