- This technology allows for a more sustainable use of resources and represents economic savings for users.
The Onda City Council and FACSA, the company that manages the public drinking water supply service in the town, are finalizing the installation of 1,130 smart meters that will allow for better management of the public drinking water supply service. This is a pilot project being carried out in the IES Serra d'Espadà and Era Blanca area of the municipality, a zone bordered by Avenida Constitución, Avenida Serra d'Espadà, Avenida Montanejos, and Avenida l'Alcora. As this is a pilot program, the replacement of conventional meters with this new remote reading system is free for users, and the work has been carried out progressively in this specific area because it includes all types of water meters that serve Onda, whether installed in banks, on building facades, or in the ground.
The mayor of Onda, Ximo Huguet, explained that “this new type of water meter will allow for more sustainable water use and will also represent economic savings for the residents of Onda, since, for example, this smart system will warn of possible water leaks. In this way, Onda is becoming a smart city that makes more efficient use of resources.”.
The switch to these new meters, which will be completed in the coming days, will allow, among other things, meter readings to be taken without entering homes, thus avoiding unnecessary inconvenience for customers. Similarly, estimated consumption will no longer be necessary for customers whose meters are located inside their homes. Users will also be able to monitor their actual consumption at any time, and the service will be able to send notifications if, through meter analysis, a potential leak or excessive consumption is detected.
Furthermore, in the future, personalized alarm subscription services may be implemented, sending automatic messages to the mobile phones indicated by subscribers regarding consumption on specific dates or exceeding a predetermined consumption limit. Users will have access to their invoices and consumption data digitally, both through the FACSA online portal and via the new smartphone app or the dedicated website for the municipality of Onda.
Huguet emphasized that “this new technology aims to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Onda, allowing them to have instant and completely real-time information on water consumption. Furthermore, it aligns with the Smart City policies we are implementing in the town, which will soon be expanded thanks to the creation of an intelligent management platform. This platform will be subsidized with European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) from the European Union, which we secured at the beginning of this legislative term thanks to the Sustainable and Integrated Urban Development Strategy (EDUSI) developed by the governing team, and which will allocate 5 million euros for the transformation of our city.”
