How to Choose the Right Water Flow Device for Your Business
Canadians have witnessed prices increasing in recent years, from groceries to electricity. When it comes to water, it’s not different. In Toronto, for example, the City Council approved a 3.75% increase for all water consumers. In British Columbia, BC Hydro customers are facing an annual 3.75% rate for the next two years. In Quebec, it’s not different. In such a scenario, figuring out how to keep water costs down can be quite effective.
Between rising municipal rates and the push for operational productivity, organizations are turning to mechanical and digital flow-optimization technologies, focusing on water efficiency, which means maintaining or even improving productivity with less cost. One of the smartest ways of achieving that is via smart water valves, which can help businesses save up to 30% on water bills, sometimes more.
When reviewing smart water valves, we’ve decided to compare three of the main devices currently available in Canada:
- The ABS Meter Efficiency Valve (MEV).
- The Smart Valve (digital flow optimization).
- The WATERGATER (flow restriction/bladder).
Although the focus is on improved billing accuracy and reduced consumption, their underlying technologies and ideal customer profiles are different. In this article, we will detail the mechanics, benefits, and cons of these three devices for industries and businesses in general.
Top Smart Water Efficiency Valve Companies
Active Business Services
Canadian Water Savings
Watergater.com
The main differences between MEV, SMART VALVE, and the Watergater Valve
ABS Meter Efficiency Valve (MEV)
Patented, the ABS Meter Efficiency Valve (MEV) is a solution designed to reduce water bills (from 5 to 15%) by compressing air pockets in water lines, ensuring the customer only pays for the used water. Its goal is not to restrict consumption, but to optimize the meter’s operating environment by conditioning and stabilizing flow before it reaches the meter, reducing turbulence and maintaining a consistent pressure, which helps the meter read water more accurately.
Although it’s not needed to interact with the MEV, behind the scenes they quietly solve one of the most concerns when we talk about water management: inaccurate meter readings caused by unstable flow conditions, as air pockets, pressure fluctuations, and turbulent flow can trick a meter into “thinking” more water has passed through than actually has, bringing up inconsistent billing and, consequentially, higher costs.
In summary, MEVs create the ideal environment for the meter to do its job of reading the real consumption data, useful for organizations where trustworthy measurement is vital, such as municipal and regional water utilities, large commercial facilities (malls, hospitals, universities), industrial operations (food processing, manufacturing), condos, hotels, and agriculture (especially farms). All companies that aim to prevent excessive water costs and charges could benefit from such a tool.
SMART VALVE
As the name suggests, the SMART VALVE has as one of its main goals to provide the full control, automation, and rapid response through sensors, data, and automation into a part of the system to make easier the detection of leaks, cracks, pressure, overflow, or any water behaviour changes that can affect not only the bill (saving up to 20%) but the production and company efficiency.
While a standard valve opens and closes, a smart valve continuously works on what is happening in the line, adjusting flow in real time if and when necessary, acting as a small digital control center: monitoring pressure, flow patterns, and consumption trends. The idea here is to regulate water movement. For businesses that tend to consume a large amount of water, the differential is that the smart valve can detect abnormal activity the moment it starts, preventing major damage.
On the practical side, most models send data to a dashboard or utility platform through Wi-Fi, allowing operators to see exactly how water behaves throughout the day, creating a living history of flow patterns over time, and data that can be used to improve operations, maintenance, or to understand seasonal usage, which can vary according to the company’s niche (as farms, where production can vary according to the season)
Considering its features, the SMART VALVE can be efficient for companies where water flow or breaks, leaks, can bring considerable impacts, such as municipal water providers, pharmaceutical plants, beverage production, airports, hotels, stadiums, hospitals, labs, factories, and rural facilities.
Watergater Valves
Mechanical watergate devices can help on savings up to 25%, according to Watergater, by physically limiting how much water can move through a line at any moment. A system that typically uses an internal bladder or flexible chamber that expands or contracts based on pressure. When demand spikes or someone opens a fixture fully, for example, the device automatically squeezes the flow down to a preset maximum.
Easy to install (less than 30 minutes), the Watergater’s purpose is to reduce excessive flow by design, often leading to lower water usage overall. For the same reason, this design can work well in some scenarios but can not be ideal depending on the case. That is because, as the bladder can physically shape the flow, users may notice slower fill rates, longer shower times, or reduced fixture performance depending on how aggressively the system is set. These are also some of the reasons they tend to be installed in places where limiting water is ideal or acceptable.
As Watergater valves serve a particular purpose, the solution fits businesses where the priority is reducing water use, controlling peak flow, or protecting plumbing infrastructure, even if that means altering user experiences. Student housing, social housing, fitness centers, dormitories, remote camps, small private water systems, wells, facilities with aging infrastructure, and irrigation operations, for example, could potentially get the most out of these devices.
Reviewing commercial utility options and costs
Looking to reduce your water costs? Check our Water Hub, which covers a wide range of water efficiency tips for both homes and businesses. EnergyRates.ca can also help you review and reduce your utility costs beyond water usage. Our experienced team of energy consultants can support you in comparing plans for your commercial, large commercial or industrial operations.
In addition to lower bills, EnergyRates.ca can also help businesses with corporate sustainability solutions, including Carbon Accounting, RECs and Carbon Offsets, and VPPA information.
Contact us or call us at 1-855-635-9608 for a custom quote based on your energy needs.
