The City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department (PUD) is working on a citywide project for the deployment of “smart meters.” Smart meters allow water usage data to be transmitted electronically and directly to our network as well as to customers.

Smart meters improve the reliability and accuracy of water meter readings and empower customers to understand and adjust their usage. Smart metering technology is widely accepted and deployed by water service providers around the world.

As part of a pilot program, the City currently has about 24,000 operational smart meters that were installed between 2014 and 2018. A new Smart Metering Project, which will convert all 286,000 of the City’s water meters to smart meters, began in 2023.

The first phase of the project, a feasibility study which evaluated PUD’s existing smart metering technology and potential alternatives, was completed this spring. The City is now developing a Request for Proposal (RFP) that will go out to the industry soliciting competitive, performance-based bids to design and implement a smart metering system across PUD’s service area.

It is estimated the full implementation of the project – procurement, pre-deployment planning and full deployment of 286,000 meters throughout the entire city – will take approximately six years to complete. Throughout the planning and implementation process the public will be kept informed and updated on the progress.

Public Utilities is working with an experienced consultant to assist with in-depth, comprehensive planning, management and support throughout the project. The contracted consultant, Jacobs, has advised utilities across the world, helping them to plan, prepare and successfully deploy smart metering solutions.

As smart metering is deployed, Public Utilities customers will benefit from timely water usage data and timely and consistently accurate water bills, and the City will benefit from sustained operational efficiency and system management.

Learn about what we're doing now to improve the customer experience and modernize our systems while this project is in progress.