Intelligent Water Meter Qualitative

"After the water meter is overcharged, what about the electricity meter and the gas meter?" Yesterday, the newspaper published the article "Family running water was actually "short for two shortfalls"" and triggered a strong response from the reader. Many readers have stated that the public goods such as water and electricity, the government should strengthen the supervision of its charges, to the greatest degree of protection of consumer interests. In this regard, the person in charge of the Municipal Water Supply Company stated that in the future, the City Quality Supervision Bureau will strengthen the inspection of residents' water meters for six-year inspections to protect the interests of the people to the greatest extent.

The netizens’ readers responded enthusiastically with “more water meters, then electric meters and gas meters?” After yesterday’s manuscript was published, Ms. Huang sent a call to the reader’s hotline of the newspaper saying that for public utilities such as water and electricity, the government should strengthen supervision over their fees and charges. Maximize the protection of citizens' interests.

Some readers also questioned that since it has been stipulated that mandatory replacement is required for six years, why are there still many old public water meters in the area that are still “overage service”? “Has my home water meter been changed for seven years? Is it necessary for the water company to promptly inform and inform the house?”

In fact, the reader’s point of view was confirmed by the reporter’s previous field investigation. Self-assessment in Minhang, Hongkou, and other residents' homes shows that even if the six-year replacement period has not yet been reached, the value of the water meter error in some households is still as high as 40%.

The netizen Chen Xiaobei directly pointed out the point when he posted on the Internet: “The water meter is 4 times faster in 4 years, which is equal to 20% price increase in disguise, and information disclosure should not be delayed.”

As of 10:30 a.m., reporters found on the Internet statistics that the number of related posts had more than 1,000 visitors.

Why does the water meter in Europe and the United States "longevity"

Tsang-Sheng Wang, who was once the 10th Municipal People’s Congress representative, Xuhui District CPPCC Standing Committee, and the Chairman of the Xuhui District Committee of the Kuomintang District, previously quoted a set of data in “Social Situations”: At present, the civilian water meter produced in Shanghai has a service life of 6 years. year. During this period, the speed of the water meter will increase.

At present, the municipal water company also provides that the water meter service life is 6 years. Once this time comes, the Shanghai Bureau of Quality Supervision will go to the residents for free online testing in batches, and the water company will implement a free water meter replacement, followed by a qualified label.

Therefore, starting in 2005, Shanghai began to replace the old water meters for service in the extended period. In that year, nearly 110,000 were changed, and by 2009 it had increased to 510,000. For example, the number of water meters planned to be replaced this year by the city's tap water company, Huangpu, Jing'an and Luwan, will reach 160,000.

However, this only accounts for a small part of the total number of Shanghai citizens' water meters.

So why are the water meters in Europe and the United States so "longevity"? According to the person in charge of the city's water company, this is closely related to the pre-planning of urban water pipe network laying.

“Europe and the United States generally use copper pipes and stainless steel pipes. These pipes are highly resistant to corrosion. In addition, their water filtration and purification technologies are relatively mature. Even if they are washed by water for a long time, it is not easy to form dirt in the pipe walls. This also gives water pipes. The future conservation will bring direct convenience," said the person in charge.

In the old public houses in Shanghai, the commonly used water pipes were galvanized pipes. The problem of “historical legacy” caused by such pipes is that the pipes are easy to corrode, and they are prone to fouling. Therefore, the diameter of the pipe wall also becomes smaller and smaller. At the same flow rate, the water flow gradually becomes faster, which ultimately leads to an increase in the speed of the water meter.

In order to change the status quo, this Municipality has stipulated that since 2006, PPR pipes must be used for the construction of new commercial house water pipes, that is, plastic pipes made of special materials, which can effectively avoid the problems caused by water pipe corrosion, thereby reducing the occurrence of water meter error values.

Will strengthen the six-year inspections. Prior to this, Cai Gensheng had “accounted for more charges for water meters”. “If the Shanghai tap water user accounts for 5 million households, the average monthly household water consumption is 10 cubic meters, and the unit price per cubic meter is 2 yuan (actually 2.41 yuan). The overcharging rate caused by the growth of the water meter is about 15%. "Then, the water bill for a small water meter for over a year is about 180 million yuan (5 million households x 10 cubic meters x 2 yuan x 15% x 12 months), which is close to 200 million. ”

At present, under the leadership of the Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision, the city's Water City South Company has timely investigated and dealt with the situation in which Cai Gensheng's residential water meter was inaccurately measured.

It is understood that the age of the community has been 15 years. In 1995, the water meter installed for the first time was replaced in 2005. Before the meter was installed and used, it was verified by the city's water metering inspection station. Cai Gensheng reflected that his household water meter was not allowed to be in July 2009. According to the regulations of the relevant state department, “The use of private water meter does not exceed six years”, the meter is within the validity period.

According to the analysis of experts, the main reason for the inability to use the water meter in the residential area after several years of use is the fouling of the water meter filter caused by the aging of the incoming pipe in the household, which leads to a reduction in the diameter of the inlet pipe and an increase in the flow velocity, and the error in the water indication (positive) increases. . After cleaning, the fouling is reduced, the diameter of the inlet pipe is restored, and the error of the water indication value is reduced. There are still individual cases of unsatisfactory cleaning after checking on the water meter, which is due to the serious fouling of the water meter and the loss of its key components.

The water meter is a mechanical measuring instrument and the country has relevant regulations on its verification and accuracy. “In view of this situation, the Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision and the Water Affairs Department have already provided handling and guidance on this situation. We will strengthen the inspection of residents' water meters for six-year inspections, and also increase the number of on-line inspections for water meters that have not yet expired. At the frequency, it was found that the substandard water meter should be replaced immediately and the interests of ordinary people should be protected to the maximum extent,” said the person in charge of the water company.

The government should actively intervene in mandatory sampling. "If citizens are found to be stealing water, stealing electricity, or stealing gas, they will be punished with heavy penalties once they are verified. Then, as a water company that produces public goods, it violates the principle of fair trade when charging. Is it What about the consumer compensation?” Before that, Cai Gensheng explicitly mentioned the issue of compensation in the “social situation”.

In this regard, Yu Jianguo, director of the Shanghai Guangming Law Firm, said that tap water is a public good. If there is indeed a shortfall, then according to the “Consumer Rights and Interests Protection,” double compensation should be levied. “However, whether the situation of the Cai family is a common phenomenon, I think it should be done by a third party. This is also a prerequisite.”

The so-called third party, Yu Jianguo suggested that it should be composed of authoritative departments, such as the Municipal Quality Supervision Bureau and consumer protection associations representing consumers, as well as representatives of the National People's Congress and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. "This institution is relatively independent and has a certain degree of professionalism."

On this basis, it is necessary to push from the local to the whole, and the method that can be operated in a relatively large and relatively fair manner is sampling. “For example, Shanghai can be divided into 19 blocks according to districts and counties. Each block is checked by a third party and can be conducted under the supervision of the notary public if necessary.”

If the results of random inspections are such that there are only a few areas, the residents of the area shall be compensated. If it is a widespread situation, large-scale compensation is needed. "As for the calculation of the compensation time, I think the starting point should be the water meter replacement date."

However, Yu Jianguo also frankly stated that since the speed of the water meter speeding up involves issues such as the amount of accumulated dirt in the water pipe, involving different years, this should be differentiated when calculating specific compensation. "It is suggested that in the future, the government should take the initiative to assume its obligations and strengthen the strong inspection." Yu Jianguo said.