$500K Capital Avoided and $17K monthly savings in a 1,700-Unit Community
Mainlink’s smart metering solution was implemented by our local partner, Meternet, at the 1,700-unit Irvine Campus Housing Authority community in California, achieving substantial savings for the property.
Location: Irvine, California, USA
Property Type: University camp (Irvine Campus Housing Authority)
Service provider: Meternet (service provider)
Meternet, Mainlink’s local partner in California, implemented Mainlink’s smart water metering solution at ICHA, a 1,700-unit residential development located on the UC Irvine campus. The community includes around 1,200 single-family homes and 500 apartment residences.
The Challenge
The community’s aging water meters were approaching the mandatory 10-year recertification period and were increasingly prone to failures. Frequent maintenance, billing inaccuracies, and manual troubleshooting created growing administrative pressure for the management team. Residents also began disputing charges due to inaccurate bills.
The Solution
Meternet implemented Mainlink’s advanced metering solution, which includes:
- 1,726 Axioma ultrasonic water meters
- 8 network gateways
- A mobile application for residents
- A data management platform for property managers
Results
Ultrasonic meters revealed previously undetected leaks that older analog meters had not registered, allowing both residents and management to identify and fix issues such as slow leaks and intermittent irrigation system failures. With access to daily and hourly consumption data, abnormal usage patterns were quickly identified and addressed. As leaks were repaired, the community’s overall water consumption declined significantly from an average of about 310,000 gallons per day in September to roughly 255,000 gallons per day by February.