Smart Power Meters Should Include Water

Over the past few months, both Google and Microsoft have unveiled early versions of their energy management software that will allow consumers hooked up to 'smart grids' to view real-time information on their energy usage. Given the energy embedded in water and the growing scarcity of water in many parts of the country, the software giants ought to include water use in their smart metering software.

After reading an article on Google's new PowerMeter software, I felt compelled to learn more and see if water use was considered in the software. Unsurprisingly, I couldn't find any information indicating that water might some day be included in the meter, so I decided to ease my mind by writing the following message to Google's software developers explaining a just few of the multitude of reasons to incorporate water:

The power meter is a really great product but i think it is missing a very important feature. If you really want to design a device that will help us deal with climate change you must integrate data on real-time water usage. Water use - like energy use - goes down when consumers have access to real-time information. Water contains a lot of embedded energy/carbon (see our report, The Carbon Footprint of Water) and more efficient uses of water can significantly reduce GHG emissions. Some states incentivize water conservation to reduce peak energy demand so water usage data can also be used to better manage energy demand.

Two more points: water is proving to be a constraining factor in clean energy development, and, finally, water is the resource through which climate change is being manifest. As we adapt to the inevitable changes already caused by our GHG emissions, managing our water resources will be increasingly critical and difficult.

Athough smart water meters are not as widespread as smart energy meters, taking proactive steps to include water usage in your metering software can help jumpstart smart metering in the water sector and strengthen google.org's efforts to help society grapple with the climate crisis.

While I know that water metering lags significantly behind metering energy use, I am also aware that a number of 'smart' water meters are currently on the market. I don't know much about the technology but my hunch is that it can't be too difficult to design a water meter that operates in a similar way as smart electricity meters.

A single smart water meter installed in a home could provide real-time information on water use and help consumers identify leaks. Although it might be cost prohibitive, I could imagine small meters or flow tracers being placed throughout a home in the water lines leading up to different fixtures and appliances. This information could then tell the consumer how much water was consumed for specific uses and which uses should be targeted for efficiency or conservation efforts. It seems any extra costs might be worth it in regions suffering from severe water shortages.

Hooking up smart meters to irrigation systems could also help water agencies reduce peak water demand and adjust irrigation scheduling to offset peak energy demand.

In yet another connection between water and energy, it seems as if we would have as much to gain through smart water meters as we do with smart energy meters.