An example of a digital water meter. (kaninw/Shutterstock)
In Houston, long periods of heat often mean higher water use. But for some residents, the real shock comes in the mail—faulty meters have been misreading their water for years.
An investigation from KPRC 2 found that 2,000 home water meters were so old that they couldn’t connect to remote read sensors, which send meter readings directly to the water department.
A total of 25,000 smart water meters will be installed to the tune of about $8.5 million, paid for from the 2026 fiscal year city budget. According to Public Works Director Randy Macchi, this could be just the beginning of installing new meters, as there are more than 300,000 meters across the city that are over 20 years old.
“Now as we’re bringing in a new technology, we need to make sure that the city as a whole is able to support it if we’re going to roll it out on a larger basis,” Macchi told KPRC 2. “So, we’re going to hit every council district. We’re going to hit every corner of the city and we’re to see how well it’s working and maybe what additional things that we need to invest in to make that work really well.”
COURIER HTX asked Houston residents if they have been personally affected by faulty readings due to old machinery.
Timbergrove West resident Kristin L. said that they had been overcharged due to estimated readings.
“When they can’t (or don’t) do a physical read of your meter, they just make an estimate,” she said. “This can (and did for me) lead to being overcharged in a subsequent month.”
Cary Reeder, who resides in Ridgewood, also mentioned potentially being overcharged by $20 on what is normally a $30 bill.
The new meters will be installed as soon as the city receives them. Machhi also warned that residents who receive a new meter may see a higher than average bill, as old meters sometimes become less efficient in sending accurate readings.
“As the hardware gets older, it actually starts running to the favor of the customer,” Macchi said. “The pilot for us is to be able to test our own processes…to test how many crews we’ve got to get out doing things at a given time. Even to test how long it takes to install individual meters.”
