New Web Portal Connects Cary Utility Customers to Their Hourly Water Use Data
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2013
New Web Portal Connects Cary Utility Customers to Their Hourly Water Use Data
CARY, NC – Whether you’re worried you may have a leak or interested in using water more wisely, the data you need is now at your fingertips with the Town of Cary’s Aquastar Web Portal, a new tool that allows more than 60,000 Cary utility customers in Cary, Morrisville, and RTP to securely see how many gallons of water they’ve used, right down to the exact hour of every day. The portal, which includes the ability for customers to set water usage text or email alerts, is the final step in the Town’s Aquastar advanced meter infrastructure project that replaced monthly manual meter reads with a wireless system that collects multiple remote meter reads each day and radios them to Cary Town Hall. Cary is the first municipality in the Triangle to complete and maintain a fixed wireless meter reading system, a system that will conservatively save utility customers more than $10 million over its 17-year life when compared to traditional manual water meter reading.
Customers who already have an online utility bill payment account with the Town can use the same information to log in to Aquastar. Those who don’t yet have an online utility bill account will need to establish one before they can access Aquastar; however, establishing the account will not require customers to start paying their bills online. Simply search “My Utility Bill” at www.townofcary.org.
“The Aquastar Web Portal is one more example of how the Town works to help citizens maintain a high quality of life through cost-effective, innovative programs,” said Karen Mills, Finance Director. “While we’ve designed the portal to be user-friendly and intuitive, we encourage utility customers to either watch or read our online tutorial prior to accessing their data so that they can get the most out of Aquastar.”
The Town contracted with PlanetJ of Escondido, California to design and construct the Aquastar Web Portal for $172,553. Enhancements to the portal, such as increased functionality and analytical capability, will be considered as part of the Town’s annual budget process.
To access the web portal, search “My Utility Bill” at www.townofcary.org; to learn more about the project, search “Aquastar” at www.townofcary.org, email utilityaccounts@townofcary.org, or call (919) 469-4050.
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PRIMARY CONTACTS:
Karen Mills, Finance Director, (919) 469-4110
Scot Berry, Utility Accounts Manager, (919) 469-4054
Deanna Boone, Deputy Public Information Officer, (919) 462-3908
Susan Moran, Public Information Director, (919) 380-4240
RELATED LINKS:
Aquastar Web Portal--My Utility Billing
Aquastar Web Portal Tutorial Video
