Incentive aims to help reduce water waste with Flowie

The average person in Ontario uses about 200 litres of water a day.

Knowing this, the City of Welland has decided to partner with Kitchener company Alert Labs to conserve water and prevent leaks and other water waste.

Ruth Casselman, chief operating officer of Alert Labs, says his company’s water sensor named Flowie can detect leaking and water usage to help reduce waste.

The gadget can decrease water use by 18 per cent, which Casselman says is the equivalent of not paying two months of water bills.

The real- time water sensors send data to Alert Labs, where its staff and programs analyze data and provide information to homeowners.

Casselman says it’s a great tool for not only homeowners, but also landlords. Landlords can monitor water usage and determine if there is overuse or if there is a persistent leak.

” The average family home wastes enough water in a week for an entire year’s worth of laundry,” Casselman says.

For homeowners who go on vacation, Flowie not only monitors water, it can also inform Alert Labs and the homeowner about power outages or changes in temperature due to an issue with a furnace.

Because data is available in realtime, people can address issues right away and feel more at ease. The data is available online, on phones and through an app.

Flowie is attached to a water meter and can detect slight changes.

Casselman says having Flowie will help Welland residents who only receive water bills every three months. Waiting that long to find out there is a leak can be problematic, he says.

City staff and Casselman are urging residents to sign up for the Flowie incentive program. The city is offering $ 100 off the price of Flowie for the first 100 people who sign up. They will also have a free year of usage.

The regular price of Flowie is $ 259, along with a $ 49 annual monitoring fee.

Residents interested in signing up can contact Alert Labs by visiting www. alertlabs. ca.