SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Monitoring water use for individual residences is not a very common practice on a day by day basis. Most homes have a water meter to measure how much is used and the total usage is listed on a bill at the end of the month.
A company that produces the Flume water monitoring device sells a product that will give a customer minute-by-minute usage data so an individual can make adjustments and see the results in real time.
A division of their company compiled data from the largest metro areas and found some interesting results.
According to data they shared on a webinar, two California metro areas — San Francisco and Los Angeles — were among the most efficient for indoor water use.
Another agency believes strict water usage standards in California for major appliances, as well as state-run rebate and incentive programs, may be part of the success for indoor water efficiency.
Neighboring Arizona and the Phoenix area have no state guidelines for indoor use and was the highest per capita indoor use among the 15 metro areas.
For outdoor use, the "Riverside" metro area, which includes mostly inland Southern California, was among the most inefficient... especially during the summer months. It also has a much higher average temperature than the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.
The Flume device attaches to your water main via a rubber band and no tools are required for use. The built-in batter lasts for two years.
They claim users save on average 12% very quickly after starting to use the device, mostly from finding leaks. They also claim usage gets more efficient over time. They say combined with smart outdoor watering devices, outdoor users save on average 25% of their water usage.
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