While the Town does not actively monitor your individual daily water consumption, you have the ability to do this yourself, in real-time, with the water meter portal! Access the portal and sign-up for an online account.
Cost savings and water conservation:
As part of the Town’s program to update the community’s water meters, customers have access to an online customer portal to monitor their water usage. Since utility fees are directly linked to usage, the new portal is a great tool to help customers save money. Everyone who received new meters as of 2018, or was upgraded with the new technology, has access to sign into the portal.
The customer portal is a communications tool for customers to better understand their water consumption and can notify the customer of any unusual water use. The customer can set thresholds to receive alerts if there is continuous water consumption that may indicate a household leak. The dashboard includes a notification section for municipal messaging and features the watering schedule for quick reference.
You can view your usage information in a variety of ways – from calculated hourly readings to actual monthly and annual values. Details include:
The portal measures water down to the litre while billing is rounded to the nearest cubic metre (1000L). The portal does allow the ability to change the units of measure displayed by clicking the gear icon on the page.
Yes, the portal is built with the latest technology to keep your account safe and the portal does not store any financial information. Identifiable customer information is never stored or transmitted by the advanced meters.
Your meter reading data is encrypted with the same technology many Canadian financial institutions use. In addition to the encryption, only a unique code that identifies the transmitter in the advanced meter and your read will be sent to the Town of Okotoks.
You can set up certain usage thresholds. Then turn on email notifications to be alerted if your thresholds are exceeded or other settings are triggered.
When you set up the account you will enter an email address (required). You can also log into the portal to see alerts on your web browser.
Yes, you can add additional recipients to your account. This is useful if you are out of town or want to be notified of potential problems at a family member’s property, for example.
You have the flexibility of exporting this data into files for home use monitoring. The temperature and rain data, along with your usage information provides context to see if your usage is as you’d expect, given certain weather conditions. Data can be viewed in 24 hour, 7 day, 30 day and annual time frames.
Yes, some customers may want to monitor multiple properties so you can have more than one account or meter. You will be asked security questions to verify that you are authorized to add the additional account or meter.
You can view the portal from any of the most common mobile, tablet and computer browsers. Please install your browser updates for the best experience.
The portal system will send a confirmation email to the address provided.
If you have more than one meter on your account you can nickname it to remind you which meter it is.
The dashboard only has access to data from the new meters. Your utility account number will not change. You will only be able to see data going forward from when your new meter has been activated.
When you move away, the corresponding portal to your water meter will be deactivated as soon as your account becomes dormant and you will no longer have access to the data. Historical consumption previous to a future owner of the same property will not be available to the new customer. The utility will still have access to the full historical consumption.
If the radio transmitter has not been heard by the tower receiver for an unexpectedly long period, the hour or day that the consumption occurs can take time to backfill and update. Don’t worry, the meters are calibrated and always measure correctly so that the bill sent each month is accurate. If the duration is too long and the hourly information cannot be generated, the actual meter reading is used to catch up the portal.
Now that you have access to your water usage at your fingertips, you can also estimate the impact of your daily water consumption on your next utility bill.
This calculator can assist customers in estimating water charges. In the summertime, use it to keep track of your outdoor water consumption and the direct impact it may have on your next utility bill. Since utility fees are directly linked to usage, this is a great tool to help you save money!
Please note: there may be additional utility charges included on your utility bill not reflected in this estimator tool.
Did you know that most leaks are caused by toilets, humidifiers, water softeners, or washing appliances? Intermittent leaks are especially hard to find and can have you questioning your utility bill.
Contact the Town Water Services for a water meter check and leak detection assistance.
The leaked water still has to be treated for consumption and sewer discharge. Charges for leaked water are applied to your utility bill just as if the water was used for the purpose of cooking, cleaning, or washing. By setting alerts on the water meter portal you can catch them before you experience an unnecessary high water bill.
Find everything you need to know about rates, account changes, payments, moving and more! Visit okotoks.ca/utilities
The Town upgraded water meter infrastructure to include AMI radios so they can be read remotely from a tower-based system. Water meters have been read via radio frequency for more than 10 years in Okotoks. While older meters can lose accuracy over time, the new meters are more accurate and can measure water down to less than a litre versus a cubic meter.
How is the AMI technology different from the current meter system used now?
AMI stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure. AMI technology enables two-way communication over a fixed network between the utility system and the metering endpoints. AMI water meters remotely transmit water-consumption information for individual water accounts.
How often are the AMI devices read?
AMI devices transmit information using radio frequency (RF) signals to let us know how much water is being consumed in a household or building. Typically installed in the basement, these meters and radio transceivers allow us to take a wireless reading of your water meter from up to 800 metres away. RF energy is only transmitted when the meters are being read, which happens on a bi-monthly basis. Apart from that, the device tracks your water consumption without transmitting RF energy.
How accurate are the AMI meters?
Watch this animated video that speaks to the accuracy of the Sensus meters. Having more accurate meters in place will help customers become more aware of their usage and encourage them to fix leaks. Many old meters don’t register a small toilet leak which will lead to unnecessary water consumption and add unnecessary costs to the consumer’s utility bills.
Why is the water meter located inside my home and not outside?
The water meter is installed in the home or business to protect it from freezing during the winter months.
Are the radio frequency waves dangerous?
What is the Water Meter Replacement program?
Between 2016 and 2018 the Water Meter Replacement Program was rolled out across town to provide state-of-the-art water meters to:
Why does my meter need to be upgraded?
If you do not currently have an advanced meter installed in your home, you will need to have it upgraded. This is a continuation of the Town's water metering program which contributes to the Town's goals for water conservation and efficiency. The program also supports the Town's objective to improve utility infrastructure and operating expenses.
These meters allow for enhanced and efficient meter reading and data analysis of residential and commercial water use. The information will help the Town budget more effectively for operating and maintenance of the water system.
What are the benefits of this program?
Benefits of the Water Conservation and Leak Detection program include:
How do I schedule a meter installation or upgrade?
If you received a water meter notice at your doorstep, your water meter needs upgrading. New meters include a transmitter that automatically uploads data, while the old-style water meters require a person to perform a manual read. The upgrade is provided free-of-charge for all Town residents. Call or contact Water Services online to arrange an appointment.
If I didn't get a new meter why is there an extra charge on my utility bill?
There is a cost to the Town to continue manually reading the old-style waters meters. As of September 1, 2018 all accounts that still have the old-style water meter and require manual reads will be charged an additional amount per billing cycle as per the Rates & Fees Bylaw .
As a reminder, all water meters are owned by The Town of Okotoks who has the authority to access the water meter under the Water Utility Bylaw.