S.F.’S new water meters drawing little opposition
manager for water. Of those, the commission has been able to convince 18 that the meters are safe and accurate.
The rest still have their older meters. The commission may create an opt-out plan for them but hasn’t done so yet.
“We’ve basically put them in a parking lot,” Ritchie said. “We want to talk to each one individually, understand their issues.”
The commission started the $60 million upgrade project because its existing meters were getting old, and in many cases slowing down. As a result, customers will see an average 2 percent increase in their water bills with the newer, more accurate meters, Ritchie said.
Although the meters work on some of the same basic principles as PG&E’S, there are significant differences.
The meters, made by Elster Amco Water Inc., are analog rather than digital. A small device attached to them, made by Aclara, sends the meters’ information to the utility four times per day.
This setup is similar to PG&E’S natural gas Smartmeters, which are just automated transmitters attached to a home’s existing, analog meter. PG&E’S electricity Smartmeters, in contrast, are entirely digital.
PG&E’S meters communicate through a mesh network, in which meters frequently relay information to each other. The water meters communicate directly to 77 data collection units scattered throughout the city, resulting in fewer transmissions per day.
Perhaps the biggest difference is location. The water meters are usually placed inside the city’s sidewalks, hidden under a small lid. PG&E’S gas and electric meters are attached to homes and apartment buildings.
That may be one reason the water meters haven’t provoked much opposition. People convinced that wireless devices are dangerous to human health may feel less threatened by a transmitter under the sidewalk than one clamped on their home’s exterior wall.
“That’s a good chunk of it,” Ritchie said. “It’s not in your house. It’s not on your house. We’re talking about a very low level of exposure for a limited time.”