Smart Water Meter Project

WATERSMART &  AUTOMATIC METERING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT 

The City of Friendswood in partnership with Ameresco, RTS/EnvoCore, Neptune and WaterSmart will begin the installation of Automatic Metering Infrastructure (AMI) this winter (January 2022). AMI will optimize water distribution operations and enhance Friendswood customer service. The focus of the project will help us achieve efficiencies and infrastructure improvements associated with the city's water system while providing many tangible and intangible benefits to Friendswood water customers. 

Ameresco was selected to provide the "turnkey" solution which identifies, designs, installs and monitors the comprehensive water efficiency program. RTS/EnvoCore, Neptune and WaterSmart are core partners in the project. 

The AMI project modernizes infrastructure and enhances transparency by allowing customers to better manage their own water resources. At the conclusion of the installation phase, customers will have access to more frequent detailed information about water consumption, enabling them to have better control over their water usage and monthly bills.  

Ameresco & RTS/EnvoCore will begin work in January 2022. The entire project will take approximately six to eight months. In most cases, the transition will be completely transparent and will not affect the residents. The work will be performed during week days. Meter installation crew members will be clearly identified with safety shirts, placards on their trucks and a letter from the City of Friendswood in their possession for your review.

BENEFITS OF THE WATER METER UPGRADE

AMI smart water meters help conserve and ensure a better water future and provide a robust foundation for strong collaboration with our customers.

The new AMI meters will allow us to integrate meter consumption data into the new WaterSmart customer portal. Customers will be able to have transparent access to consumption information, leak detection, high usage alerts, historical patterns, and bill predictions all using a web portal or mobile device.

Benefits to customers include:

  • Ability to track/view daily water usage on smartphone, tablet, or computer.
  • Set usage limits that warn of excessive or continuous usage.
  • Help videos to assist with identifying and resolving common leak issues.
  • Ability to set alerts to detect usage when you are out of town.
  • View individualized usage in relation to previous usage history and/or weather/precipitation.
  • Improved customer engagement and service.
  • The City of Friendswood's ability to quickly detect and stop leaks will be greatly enhanced.
  • By providing up-to-date water usage data, customers can improve their efforts to conserve.