New device tracks water usage for Des Moines Water Works residential customers

Des Moines Water Works customers have a new tool to help keep their water bills low.It’s like a Fitbit for home water use.Flume is a device that attaches to a home’s water meter to track water usage. It connects to Wi-Fi and syncs with a smartphone app. The smart home water monitor updates regularly on the app, with readings taken every five seconds. “You can set consumption alerts for the day, the week, the month,” said Kyle Danley, the chief operating officer of Des Moines Water Works. “It’s very customizable.”This could affect water bills. “The main use is to let people better understand and manage their water. They can use less water and ultimately save on their water bills,” said Danley.Danley tested Flume for a few years at his home to ensure it would be useful to DMWW customers.He discovered he had a problem with a bathroom toilet.”The flapper was leaking, and I didn’t know that,” he said.Flume also flags issues that crop up when homeowners leave for an extended time, or even when they are home.”If you’re away from your home and your ice water line breaks, floods your floor, you’d be alerted to that,” Danley said. “The garden hose could be on, a faucet that’s dripping or anything like that.”DMWW opened Flume to the public to purchase at a discount this spring.The device and app usually sell for $250. DMWW residential customers can purchase for $105. Through Sunday, it can be purchased on sale for $85. More information can be found at www.flumewater.com/dmww.There are 300 households signed up so far. Danley said the goal is 600.DMWW has other ways to assess home water usage, and customers can also sign up for consumption alerts. So far, Flume is available only for Des Moines Water Works users.