RALEIGH, NC, JUNE 20, 2017 -- For the Town of Okotoks, sustainability isn't just a buzzword. It's a way of life. Situated just south of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, the town boasts one of the lowest per capita gross water consumption rates in North America -- 50 liters per capita per day lower than the Canadian national average. That's why, when it came time to replace its aging water infrastructure, the town turned to Sensus, a Xylem brand, to provide the technology.
"Many of our meters were outdated," said Chris Radford, infrastructure and operations director, Town of Okotoks. "We needed an upgrade and opted for a solution that would allow us to detect abnormal water usage sooner, supporting water conservation efforts in real-time."
To better manage and monitor its customers' water consumption rates, Okotoks worked with EPCOR Water Services to deploy the Sensus Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solution. Comprised of Sensus iPERL® water meters and the FlexNet® communication network, the technology has enabled the town's staff to gain a more accurate view of water consumption data for more than 8,400 residential and commercial properties.
"It provides more insight into water consumption trends," said Radford. "The real-time data allows us to work with customers over the phone, pull up their information and address issues around high usage."
For EPCOR technicians, the AMI solution provides added safety benefits.
"We no longer have technicians risking their safety when entering customers' yards to read meters manually. Weather, especially icy walking conditions, dogs and even hidden obstacles, is always a safety concern for our meter readers," said Darren Peel, manager, Okotoks operations at EPCOR.
Looking ahead, the Town of Okotoks has big plans for the AMI solution, including launching a portal to help customers take the future of the town's water sustainability initiatives into their own hands.
"We've always been a pioneer in using leading-edge technology to aid our sustainability efforts," said Radford. "We expect that our customer portal will keep us on the forefront of these efforts while empowering customers to become smarter consumers."
About Sensus
Sensus helps a wide range of public service providers -- from utilities to cities to industrial complexes and campuses -- do more with their infrastructure to improve quality of life in their communities. We enable our customers to reach farther through the application of technology and data-driven insights that deliver efficiency and responsiveness. We partner with them to anticipate and respond to evolving business needs with innovation in sensing and communications technologies, data analytics and services. Learn more at sensus.com.
About Xylem
Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world's water challenges. The Company's products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services, and agricultural settings. With its October 2016 acquisition of Sensus, Xylem added smart metering, network technologies and advanced data analytics to its portfolio of solutions. For more information, please visit www.xyleminc.com.
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