Technology Help

Published: Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:17 PM PDT

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The question from the moderator:

What kinds of things could help aid water users with a switch to a tiered pricing system?

Devices and technology could certainly be deployed to help water users track their consumption during the month on a real time basis. If such devices do not currently exist, it is well within our capabilities to develop them. Water usage could then be tracked as cell phone users track their "minutes." The cost of such devices would be a one-time investment and could be amortized over time, with some sharing of costs by households, businesses, and the water authority.

Until such devices are installed, households and businesses could use their existing bills as a guideline and scale back their consumption to avoid the higher tier levels and related price points.

-- LYNN REASER

1 Comments so far on this story...

Regardless of the pricing system, users can: (1) change their water habits to use less water (2) invest in technology that gives the same experience with less water (e.g., low flush toilet) Tiered pricing merely makes these moves more financially rewarding (or inaction more expensive). -- David (aguanomics.com)

Posted by David Zetland | reply to this comment
November 1, 2009 11:14 pm

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