“The
specific objective of the programme is to increase the operational efficiency
of the NWC by improving the quality of its services to Kingston and St Andrew
as well as reducing related costs. This includes the reduction of operational
expenditure by reducing non-revenue Water while reducing energy costs”
Minister of Water,
Land, Environment and Climate Change Robert Pickersgill during a signing
ceremony held on Tuesday November 10 at the NWC’s New Kingston offices.
The
NWC (National Water Commission) is finally going digital.
On
Tuesday November 10th 2015, the Minister of Water, Land, Environment
and Climate Change Robert Pickersgill along with management from the NWC signed
a US$7.23 million contract with Deryck A. Gibson Limited as reported in the
article “NWC
Signs US$7.23 Million Contract to Procure Digital Water Meters for KMA”,
published November 12, 2015 By Rochelle Williams, The
Jamaica Information Service.
This
is to procure some 50,000 solid state Water Meters for the KMA (Kingston
Metropolitan Area) as they plan to phase out the older mechanical Water meters
in 2016 and beyond.
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According
to Minister of Water, Robert Pickersgill, the Water service in the KMA will be
improved during the one year period it'll take to install the digital Water
Meters at residential premises and commercial businesses as noted in the
article “NWC
signs US$7.23m contract to procure digital Water Meters”, published
Wednesday, November 11, 2015, The
Jamaica Observer.
So
says the Press Release from the NCW entitled “NWC
Buys Solid State Water Meters”.
The
new Digital Water Meters differ in that they use an LCD (Liquid Crystal
Display)readout to display Water used over days, weeks months and even years,
making Water wastage for which the NWC has been footing the bill a thing of the
past to quote Corporate Public Relations officer at NWC Charles Buchanan: “If a customer is using 500 gallons of Water
per month, but the meter only registered 300 gallons, it simply means that the
commission foots the bill for the other unregistered 200 gallons of Water”.
So
how do these Digital Meters differ from traditional Mechanical meters?
NWC's Digital Water
Meters - Why the NWC Service will be no more as Remotely read Digital Water
Meters coming
They
can also detects leaks and even be read remotely using wireless readers,
meaning that the days of the Service technician coming to your home to read the
Water Meter are numbered.
Already,
8000 of these solid-state Digital Water Meters are suppose to have been
delivered at the end of November 2015 with the rest, including some 25,000
valves, coming in 2016 as noted in the article “NWC
To Get Digital Water Meters”, published Thursday November 12, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.
 |
Some
Digital Water Meters can even connect to your Wi-Fi Router, effectively making
them smartmeters and thus readable over the internet using an App like the
Driblet smart Water Meter as described in “Driblet’s
Smart Water Meter Wants To Track Your Home Water Usage”, published Jan 8,
2014by Chris Velazco, Tech Crunch.
It
seems that a test run with some five hundred (500) guinea pigs in the Long
Mountain Development in 2013 had worked out quite well. So two (2)years later,
they expanding it to the rest of the KMA as had been promised by Corporate
Public Relations officer at NWC Charles Buchanan, in the article “NWC
begins meter replacement programme”, published Monday, January 13, 2014 by
Tashauna Taylor, The Jamaica Observer.
But
based on our experience with Digital electricity meters, will these new Digital
Water Meters result in an increase in our Water bill?
Digital Water Meters vs
Mechanical Water Meters – Comparison with JPS Co Digital Smart meters
The
answer to that question might be yes but no in the long run. But to come to
that conclusion, I shall draw parallels with the rollout of smart Digital
meters by JPS Co (Jamaica Public service Company).
When
the six thousand (6000) digital electric meters were introduced by JPS Co back in October 2011 in a test run to replace
mechanical meters, many predicted electricity increases as noted in my blog article
entitled “JPS
Co New Digital Meters are all Smart Meters - Winsome Callum's A Simple Twist of
Fate”.
After
all, they are more precise than mechanical meters, recording every Watt of
electricity used by your house, especially if you have a habit of leaving
things plugged in but not turned on. This phenomenon, called Vampire
electricity, resulted in many Jamaicans experiencing inflated electricity
bills. But many Jamaicans suspected something else was going on.
Eventually
complaints reached the CAC (Consume Affairs Commission) and then the OUR
(Office of Utilities Regulation) was asked to come in and test JPS Co Digital
Meters. JPS co was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing as it relates to their
Digital meters by the OUR but they were fined for back billing customers as
noted in my blog
article entitled “JPS
Co cleared on Digital SmartMeters but chastized on 10-year backbilling - Future
Plans from the Penguins of Madagascar”.
Still
the Digital meters aren't all bad, especially as they are actually Smart meter
in disguise that can communicate over wireless Network or via signaling sent
over JPS Co's. This hinted at the possibility of Prepaid Power in the future as
noted in my 2012 blog
article entitled “JPS
Co to introduce Prepaid Power and other Services by 2013 - Twilight Saga
Breaking Dawn 2 Signals Coming Competition from Alternative Energy”.
Fast
forward to the year 2015.
JPS
Co has now jumped ahead and after pre-announcing the idea, they now have PAYG
(Pay As You Go Prepaid) Electricity being Guinea pig tested by some eight
hundred (800) plus customers as noted in my blog article
entitled “800
for JPS Co's Prepaid Power in 2 Months - How @myJPSonline PAYG spreading like
Wild Fire among 2000 Guinea Pigs in the Summer of 2015”.
So
far the users of Prepaid power are proclaiming the benefits of paying for what
you want to use. So much so that JPS Co is set to lose some JA$400 million per
year if everyone were to switch to Digital meters as noted in the article “JPS
Stands To Lose $400m Yearly From Prepaid Meters”, published Sunday December
6, 2015 by Steven Jackson, The Jamaica
Gleaner.
Still
JPS Co has a solution; the OUR could upgrade customer using less than 100 KWh
to Rate 10, as these low-power users constitute the bulk of JPS Co's customer
base.
NWC Water Rate Increase
coming in 2016 - Why Rainwater Harvesting and Recycling Water options needed
for Homeowners
Based
on what’s going on with JPS Co, one can draw a parallel with the NWC. Clearly
these Digital Meters are to more accurately gauge Water usage patterns so that
the NWC can also increase their revenue.
 |
Just
like vampire electricity being used by equiptment plugged in but not in use,
householders with these Digital Water Meters would have to check the house for
leakage. Otherwise, they’d see their Water bill rapidly increase once these
Digital meters begin to replace the traditional mechanical Water Meters.
However,
on the bright side, if the NWC also introduced Prepaid Water (am I saying that
right?) then like JPS Co customers, they can see savings by paying for what
they want to use.
Hopefully,
drawing further parallel with the JPS Co and the gradual rise of Net Billing,
to which JPS Co has brought an unceremonious halt as noted in my blog article
entitled “JA$4.2
Million Meadowbrook High Solar System - Why JPS Co's Net Billing suspension
killing Jamaican Alternative Energy Sector” there should be a similar
developement in the Water Sector.
Personal
Rainwater Harvesting systems as well as Water Recycling as described in my blog article
entitled “Water
Wastage at MICO - How Waste Water Recycling and Rainwater Harvesting benefits
Agriculture” would be the equivalent of Solar panels.
This
would give homeowners options just like Solar power to make it possible to
separate from NWC before the new Digital Water Meters run up their Water Bill
and raise Water rates to cover the cost of their installation.
Here’s
the link:
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