Facilities management is full of surprises—some frustrating, some amusing, and some that leave you scratching your head. One particular utility bill anomaly from a former workplace stands out as a textbook case of why metering and transponders are essential for tracking resource usage.
It started as a routine financial review when we noticed a higher cost than expected in our sewer usage. The sewer line in question was downstream from most buildings, meaning that logically, its flow should have remained fairly stable. Yet, for months, the costs kept climbing with no clear reason why.
We could even see the water flowing in the sewer but couldn’t track down the source. Finally, someone noticed an interesting pattern—a specific valve, when turned, seemed to be the culprit, however it’s impact wasn’t immediate, but rather intermittent. And there in lied the clue – it must be engaging a pump. We tracked the line and found the pump downstream. It had been quietly sending treated water to a goose nesting pond nearby.
While the pond was a perfectly legitimate feature and someone likely had make the decision to keep it full for the geese, it came with one unintended consequence: the overflow discharged straight into the city sewer.
Facilities management will always have a few unexpected surprises, but tracking the right data ensures those surprises don’t turn into expensive mysteries.
Because while geese may wander freely, your utility costs shouldn’t.