1 Vernice Hankins
From: Tricia Crane <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2022 6:49 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Gleam Davis; Oscar de la Torre; Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Lana Negrete; Christine Parra; Phil Brock; [email protected]; Santa Monica City Manager's Office; Sunny Wang
Subject: Council Agenda Item 5-M, Aug. 23, 2022: Proposal to Implement Citywide Smart Water Meter & Cloud-Based Interface
EXTERNAL
To: Santa Monica City Council
From: Tricia Crane
Re: Support for Agenda Item 5-M. - Award Bid and Enter into an Agreement with Badger, Inc. for AMI Smart Water Meters & Cloud-Based Interface
Council meeting of August 23, 2022
Dear City Council,
As a beneficiary of a Smart Water meter pilot project some years ago, I feel strongly that a citywide plan would be highly beneficial. It was because of the real-time tracking made possible by the smart meter installed at our home that we were able to identify a leak and make a simple and inexpensive repair that saved money and water. Smart water meters implemented citywide will allow all residents to identify and track leaks in their system in real time. This has value.
However, I do think the City should direct staff to present data that makes plain what the cost of the proposed system will be. It appears that the cost will be $1,079 per meter ($13,436,432 ÷ 12,444 meters). Council would be wise to ask Staff to provide budget data that comments on the per unit cost with the preferred provider as well as information on the performance of that provider with other cities with which it has contracted for the same system.
There is another matter that should be discussed in a public meeting: These units depend on WiFi.
We need to know whether the city’s network can handle this system. The current WiFi coverage in the city looks sparse. If we must build out WiFi to support the full use and benefit of this system, is that expense covered in the cost?
Item 5.M
08/23/22
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2 Thank you
Tricia Crane
Item 5.M
08/23/22
2 of 5 Item 5.M
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: NSA <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2022 8:52 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Agenda Item 5.M -- Smart Water Meters
EXTERNAL
Many of us Santa Monica residents are severely sensitive to EMF waves. My bedroom window is right next to the water meter.
Please do not approve any Smart Water Meter contract that does not allow residents to opt out of having smart water meters.
Opting out of smart water meters should also be free.
thank you
Marion Goldfarb
Item 5.M
08/23/22
3 of 5 Item 5.M
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Elizabeth Van Denburgh <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2022 11:09 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Christine Parra; Oscar de la Torre; Lana Negrete; Phil Brock; Gleam Davis
Cc: David White
Subject: City Cnl. Meeting 8/23/22 - Pull Consent Calendar Item M - AMI Smart Water Meters & Cloud-Based Interface - Further analysis and explanation needed for multifamily buildings
EXTERNAL
Mayor Himmelrich and City Council members,
I request that you pull Consent Item M ‐ Award Bid and Enter into an Agreement with Badger Inc. for AMI Smart Water Meters & Cloud‐Based Interface for further analysis. While the advantages of smart meters for electricity are clear because almost every unit in the city be it a single family home, apartment, condo, duplex or triplex has its own electricity meter so each owner/renter has greater visibility and thereby control over their usage. With water meters, the vast majority of apartment buildings and condos have a single water meter i.e., a single bill for a multifamily building. How will the outlay of $13,500,000 (not including staff time and expenses) improve the ability of multifamily buildings to save water and thus water cost if there continues to be only one water meter in the building. For single family homes, I understand that it has been somewhat helpful to find leaks, but it will provide no help for multifamily buildings to better understand their water usage due to a single meter handling the entire building. How does installing new smart water meters help multifamily buildings reduce their water usage and help save money? $13.5 million dollars is alot of money to spend to find leaks and then there is the $300,000 Software as a Service (SaaS) cost/five years.
On the top of page 3 of 5 of the staff report it states: "The savings and efficiency benefits of the AMI system are mostly realized on the customer's end from early detection of water leaks to real‐time monitoring of daily water usage to minimize their water costs," Can the water department explain how that will be done by multifamily buildings that only have one water meter? 70% of Santa Monica residents are renters with landlords with condos being created from converted apartment buildings. How does this help them save money? Both renters and landlords and condo owners? If it doesn't, then I don't see the cost/benefit penciling out of this capital cost.
Regards,
Elizabeth Van Denburgh
Item 5.M
08/23/22
4 of 5 Item 5.M
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2022 11:55 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Christine Parra; Oscar de la Torre; Lana Negrete; Phil Brock; Gleam Davis
Cc: David White
Subject: Fwd: City Cnl. Meeting 8/23/22 - Pull Consent Calendar Item M - AMI Smart Water Meters & CloudBased Interface - Further analysis and explanation needed for multifamily buildings
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council Members,
I support the email below. I can add additional comments to support this request, but this says it very well.
Thank you.
John Dahl
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Elizabeth Van Denburgh <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Aug 22, 2022 at 11:09 PM
Subject: City Cnl. Meeting 8/23/22 - Pull Consent Calendar Item M - AMI Smart Water Meters & Cloud-Based Interface - Further analysis and explanation needed for multifamily buildings To: <[email protected]>, Sue Himmelrich <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Christine Parra <[email protected]>, Oscar de la Torre <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Phil Brock <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
Cc: David White <[email protected]>
Mayor Himmelrich and City Council members,
I request that you pull Consent Item M - Award Bid and Enter into an Agreement with Badger Inc. for AMI Smart Water Meters & Cloud-Based Interface for further analysis. While the advantages of smart meters for electricity are clear because almost every unit in the city be it a single family home, apartment, condo, duplex or triplex has its own electricity meter so each owner/renter has greater visibility and thereby control over their usage. With water meters, the vast majority of apartment buildings and condos have a single water meter i.e., a single bill for a multifamily building. How will the outlay of $13,500,000 (not including staff time and expenses) improve the ability of multifamily buildings to save water and thus water cost if there continues to be only one water meter in the building. For single family homes, I understand that it has been somewhat helpful to find leaks, but it will provide no help for multifamily buildings to better understand their water usage due to a single meter handling the entire building. How does installing new smart water meters help multifamily buildings reduce their water usage and help save money? $13.5 million dollars is alot of money to spend to find leaks and then there is the $300,000 Software as a Service (SaaS) cost/five years.
On the top of page 3 of 5 of the staff report it states: "The savings and efficiency benefits of the AMI system are mostly realized on the customer's end from early detection of water leaks to real-time monitoring of daily water usage to minimize their water costs," Can the water department explain how that will be done by multifamily buildings that only have one water meter? 70% of Santa Monica residents are renters with landlords with condos being created from converted apartment buildings. How does this help them save money? Both renters and landlords and condo owners? If it doesn't, then I don't see the cost/benefit penciling out of this capital cost.
Regards,
Elizabeth Van Denburgh
Item 5.M
08/23/22
5 of 5 Item 5.M
08/23/22