Akron to Install 80,000 Smart Water Meters as Smart-City Movement Drives Market Growth

The city of Akron, Ohio, expects to solicit proposals from water meter manufacturers later this month; the city plans to replace more than 80,000 existing water meters with digital smart meters that will improve leak detection and billing accuracy.

Smart water meters also increase a city’s climate resistance and make them more attractive to businesses and residents, while allowing water utilities to expand and improve their services, says research company Technavio.

Akron’s move follows a pilot program that was “very successful,” according to Water Supply Bureau manager Jeff Bronowski. Every commercial, industrial and residential customer in the municipal water system will have new meters installed. Digital meters are able to measure water usage in terms of gallons, which is more precise than existing meters which measure water usage in cubic feet.

Commercial and industrial users, as well as landlords, will benefit from being able to track their hourly gallon usage online, as well as from real-time alerts that indicate when water use has increased.

The project will cost about $35 million, according to Cleveland.com.

The global smart water meter market is expected to post a CAGR of more than 12% between now and 2023, according to new research from Technavio. The development of smart cities, which is being carried out at a high pace across the world – will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth. The research predicts that 56% of the growth will come from the Americas.

A rise in the the adoption of digital technologies will also drive the market, resulting in an installed base of 400 million smart water meters worldwide by 2026, according to a new report from ABI Research.