What Is a Smart Valve? Smart Water Valve Terms for Commercial Properties

The Problem: Air in Your Water Meter

Commercial water meters measure flow volume and do not distinguish between water and entrained air. Supply pressure and flow fluctuations can carry entrained air through the meter.

Air can affect a meter reading and therefore billed volume. The amount varies by site; do not assume a universal percentage.

The key insight: you're not just paying too much for water. You're paying for something you never received at all.

What Smart Valve™ Means Here

Smart Valve™ is a passive back-pressure device. "Passive" means it requires no electricity or software. Maintenance scope is confirmed for the project. It works by creating a calibrated mechanical resistance in the supply line using a spring-loaded, externally adjustable mechanism — tunable via a fingertip dial set during installation.

Specifically, Smart Valve™ installs after the water meter on the customer's service line and helps keep entrained air compressed through the meter while moderating pressure and flow fluctuations. It does not remove air, treat water, replace a pressure-reducing valve (PRV), or guarantee unchanged pressure; site conditions determine results. Read the commercial meter mechanism explanation → For a deeper technical reference, see the AWS Hybrid Technical Guide. Certification scope and supporting documents are available on the Certifications page.

Where It Installs

Smart Valve™ installs on the customer side of the water meter — between the meter and the first isolation valve or pressure regulator. This position lets the valve maintain back pressure in the short zone between itself and the meter, keeping entrained air compressed to its true volume as it crosses the billing point, regardless of how the air entered the supply line (pressure fluctuations, main breaks, surge events).

Because it installs on the main supply line, a single Smart Valve™ unit covers the entire facility — every fixture, every system, every process. There's no need for individual installations at different points in the building.

What Smart Valve™ Does NOT Do

This is as important as what it does. Smart Valve™:

• ✗Does NOT remove entrained air or treat water
• ✗Does NOT replace a pressure-reducing valve or guarantee unchanged pressure
• ✗Does NOT require electricity; maintenance scope is project-specific
• ✗Does NOT alter water chemistry or quality
• ✗Is NOT a check valve, pressure reducer, or flow restrictor
• ✗Is NOT the same as low-flow fixtures, aerators, or behavioral conservation programs

The Guarantee

AWS program pricing includes an installation charge plus a fixed monthly service/rental fee based on eligible charges. A guarantee may apply only to qualifying projects under a written agreement and covers gross eligible volumetric reduction, not net take-home. Any performance terms are project-specific; published results and measurement periods vary by site.

The AWS-supplied Amazon YYZ3 case study reports a 43.98% average across Q3/Q4 2024 using year-over-year comparisons. Q4 2024 measured 29.27%. Those results are specific to that project; actual savings and any written performance terms depend on the site assessment.

Proven Across Industries and Geographies

AWS reports 40,000+ Smart Valve installations in North America and average savings just above 22% across its North American projects. Individual results vary. Published customer results and case studies cover multiple property types; measurement and verification details vary by study. For the full results portfolio, see Case Studies & Proof.

For source-linked project results and context, visit Project Results. For detailed ROI analysis by property type, see Get a Full Proposal.

For a complete technical explanation of the mechanism — including the narrated video, physics, and engineering specs — see How Smart Valve™ Works →. For details about Flow Dynamics (the manufacturer), American Water Savings (the program operator), and the Perfect Water Valve delivery process, see Partners & Process →.