NYC Kicks Off Major Meter Reader Upgrade Program

By Y.M. Lowy

New York City began a massive effort to upgrade over 600,000 Automated Meter Reader devices across all five boroughs. The project will take place over the next three years and aims to bring a lot of benefits to city residents. By replacing the old devices, the city hopes to improve bill accuracy, offer real-time water usage data, and enhance leak detection, making the water system more reliable for everyone.

This upgrade will be completely free for all customers, and there’s no need to schedule an appointment for most installations, as most devices are located outside. However, if the work requires access inside a property, residents will be contacted directly by DEP to arrange a time.

The upgrade program officially began in Greenpoint and will continue across the city, improving the water metering system and helping conserve water through quicker leak identification. This major initiative is expected to make the water billing system more efficient and help ensure that customers are only paying for the water they use.

As NYC Water shared on X, “Starting in Greenpoint, we’ve kicked off a 3-year plan to modernize 600,000 devices that provide us water use data. This quick device upgrade will enhance customer service, ensure accurate bills, & help identify leaks to conserve water!”