Vodovod Dubrovnik has a total of 28,222 installed water meters, of which 12,765 have the ability for remote reading. These meters make up about 45 per cent of all measuring points in the local self-government units where Vodovod operates, and 7,147 water meters with remote reading have been installed in the area of Dubrovnik itself.
According to Vodovod, the remote reading system is being introduced gradually, with residential buildings taking priority. Currently, 7,361 water meters are being read remotely, which includes 1,205 main water meters in residential buildings and 6,156 secondary water meters in apartments. The remaining installed remote meters are being integrated into the system gradually, and until then they are read in regular cycles.
Reading water meters in the city is carried out by only nine employees, out of a total of 184 employees at Vodovod. Monthly remote readings are carried out by two employees of the Remote Meters Department, who also install and maintain the remote reading system.
Residents of Ploča have complained that their water meters are not being read regularly, resulting in sudden large water bills. The same problem is faced by residents in other parts of the city. Readings are usually monthly, but in exceptional cases, due to the inability to read, a bill may be issued based on the average consumption of the previous three months, known as the computer average. In the case of such a bill, it is adjusted to the actual consumption at the next meter reading. The mentioned situation sometimes creates a difference in water consumption for users, as was the case in the area of Ploča, but in the operation of water service providers, such situations are rare.
In Dubrovnik, there are still consumers who pay for water based on the number of household members, rather than actual consumption. All main water meters in the area of Vodovod Dubrovnik are replaced with digital water meters in a five-year replacement cycle, as prescribed by the Law on Metrology and the Rules on certification periods for individual legal measures. According to the regulations, the certification period for water meters is five years, and consumers in the area of Ploča are included in the replacement cycle along with all other users.
Residents of residential buildings can request the installation of a remote reading system, provided that certain conditions are met. The system is installed upon request in residential buildings that have a main water meter and secondary water meters for individual apartments, and the installation requires the consent of co-owners who together own more than 51 per cent of the residential area of the building. The cost for each resident with one water meter starts at 182 euros, and the final amount depends on the number of water meters in the apartment and the work required on the main water meter of the building. The costs of installation are borne by the co-owners, and the requests are processed regularly without long waiting times.
