AWWA JAW49862

Single-family residential 0.6-in. (15-mm) meters make up about 90 percent of all meters for the Alameda County Water District in Fremont, CA, and generate about half of all annual revenues from water consumption. Like all mechanical devices, these meters degrade in accuracy over time, resulting in an increasing amount of lost revenue. To increase meter accuracy requires replacing meters at an additional cost. The optimal economic replacement age is when the average cost per year (cumulative lost revenue plus replacement cost divided by meter age) is at a minimum. Statistical sampling was used to profile the degradation of these meters' accuracy over time. The annual lost revenue over time was then calculated. When economic and operational factors were considered, the optimal age at which to replace residential meters in the district was determined to be 15 years. Includes 3 references, tables.