Numerous changes are being made to Regina’s water usage, including in homes and workplaces, as the city works to meet its target of becoming net-zero emission by 2050.
A new bylaw amendment was approved by the city’s executive committee on Wednesday in order to help Regina’s residents and businesses install new smart water metres.
With the use of the metres, the city and its residents will no longer need to use vehicles or staff members to travel around taking readings because they will be able to check their water usage online at any time.
In addition to reducing overall usage, it is hoped that Regina citizens and the city will be able to identify water leaks as quickly as possible.
According to Sandra Masters, mayor of the City of Regina, “there will be an online gateway built so people, instead of the E-bill they get now, can actually login and view all about their water consumption month-to-month and year-to-year.”
An estimated 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions would be prevented annually by the new technology.
According to Masters, the new technology is intended to be both more effective and accurate.
The metres must still be approved by city council at a later meeting in order to become a reality, but if they are, installation could begin as soon as next month and be finished by spring 2025.
The technology will be provided by Neptune Technology Group from 2022 to 2044, and the metres will be installed during the course of the following three years.
Before placing a transmitter on the outside of the building close to other utility access points, a Neptune expert will upgrade the metres, which are typically found inside the lowest level of a building.
The transmitter will then broadcast the water readings to the city from the new metres. The report states that no private information will be transferred.
The time is now, according to the city, for both commercial and residential water metre upgrades, as many of the current metres deployed around the city are nearing the end of their useful lives.
Over a five-year period, the project is anticipated to cost $42.5 million.
New smart water metres are coming, according to the Regina Executive Committee.
About Author
