RMS Budget White Paper
November 17, 2003
Dennis E. Ray
Department of Computer Science
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA 23529
To Mr. Ray,
Enclosed is the budget whitepaper for the Resource Monitoring System.
The problem with any septic system is the amount of water that enters the septic
tank. There exists a limited capacity of the septic tank and currently no feasible
method for tracking the water entering it, RMS provides a solution to this
problem. By monitoring the amount of water that enters the septic system, it
allows the user to take steps to help maintain the septic system. The basic
hardware requirements will be the water meters, the interface components, and
the supporting hardware for the development of the RMS system. The required
personnel consist of a four member team as well as an electronic engineering
subcontractor. The estimated time to completion of the RMS prototype is seven
months with a total cost of development under $360,000.00. This investment in
the RMS system is estimated be returned in under one year. After the first year
of production, we estimate over $7,000,000 in profit.
Sincerely,
Michael Higgins
RMS Project Manager
The Resource Monitoring System
The Resource Monitoring System
Consolidating utility data, leading to a more informed
and environmentally friendly consumer.
Budget Whitepaper
Abstract:
As septic system replacement service prices rise, increasing numbers of
consumers are looking for ways to manage the amount of water they use in order
to better maintain their septic system1. The fundamental problem consumers
have in managing their use of water is that there is no feasible way to tell how
much they have used. As a result, they are unaware of how much water is going
into their septic systems at any point in time after washing clothes, taking a
shower, or running the dishwasher.
Recent advances in technology make the traditional means of meter
reading and information gathering obsolete. Today's technology has the ability to
provide the consumer this information in real time. It can instantaneously report
accumulated and average water usage. These innovations also provide the
means to control such usage and even alert the user if septic tank capacity is
about to be exceeded. This same technology can be expanded in the future to
provide information not only on water, but also on electricity, oil, and natural gas.
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The Resource Monitoring System
The Resource Monitoring System (RMS) will display current resource use,
analyze consumption data, and provide capacity warnings. In the future options
may be added, such as water leak detection and billing estimates. RMS helps
consumers maintain their septic systems by providing a means to track the
amount of water going into the septic system.
Background:
The septic system (see figure to the
right) consists of two main parts, the septic
tank and the drainfield. The septic tank holds
the household wastes until the solid materials
separate from the water (effluent). The effluent
goes into the drainfield, which disperses the
effluent into the soil. Controlling the rate of
water consumption is critical to maintaining a
septic system2. If one sends an excessive quantity of water into the septic tank,
this impedes the solid waste separation process. The excess water forces solid
waste and scum to flow into the drainfield, reducing its ability to disperse the
effluent into the soil. Since the unprocessed waste comes to the surface, a failed
drainfield constitutes a health hazard. It will require a costly excavation to repair
and restore the drainfield to its full capacity. The following graph (see table on
next page) shows how much water a septic system can handle in a given day
based on the septic tank size.
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The Resource Monitoring System
Average Daily Sewage Flow
Average Sewage Flow
Tank Size (gallons)
(gallons/day)
0-500
900
601-700
1200
801-900
1500
1001-1240
1900
2001-2500
3200
4501-5000
5800
Currently no feasible method exists for homeowners to keep track of their water
usage and estimate the remaining tank capacity.
The RMS Solution:
The Resource Monitoring System eliminates this problem by recording a
household’s water intake and estimating the
remaining capacity of its septic tank. An RMS
screen, generally located on the wall near the
thermostat in the house, can display this information
for the consumer. By sounding an alarm, the RMS
system notifies the consumer if current water usage
exceeds septic tank capacity. This system uses a
central unit (see figure to the right) that accepts
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The Resource Monitoring System
readings from several water meters placed throughout the house. Installation of
an RMS system would include a central unit with display screen, a processor,
and a data storage device. The system requires a software component to
interface with the hardware and perform calculations based on the data that it
received.
Budget and Personnel:
Development of an RMS prototype requires a Project Manager,
Software
Analyst,
two
Software
Engineers,
and
Electrical
Engineering
Subcontractor. The Project Manager has responsibility for directing development
and keeping the RMS project on schedule. The duties of the Software Analyst
and Software Engineers include designing, developing, and testing the RMS
software components. The Electrical Engineer will be responsible for the
development of the hardware to software interface and the creation of installation
procedures for the RMS system.
The development costs for the Resource monitoring system is
estimated at a total of $352,000 and has been broken down as follows:
Personnel
$ 320.000
Office Supplies
$ 30,000
Product Equipment
$ 2,000.00
The costs estimated of the system are based on personnel and hardware
required over seven months.
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The Resource Monitoring System
Justification:
Twenty-five percent of all homes in the United States have a septic
system3. For RMS systems, that would mean a potential market of 30,000,000
homes plus 300,000 new developments with septic systems per year4. The costs
associated with the product will include the purchase and installation of the RMS
hardware as well as ongoing development and maintenance costs for software.
To minimize the installation costs, contractors building new homes will be able to
buy the RMS system to install during construction. An estimate for the price of
the system comes to around $600.00 for a basic installation, which includes three
water meters and the central RMS unit. After $250 in costs for the hardware and
$100 for the software, one can expect an estimated return on investment of $250
per installation. With ten percent market penetration on the new developments
alone, one can expect a potential $7,800,000 in profit per year.
Conclusion:
The problem of exceeding septic system capacity due to over
consumption of water damages that septic system and constitutes a health
hazard. The deployment of The Resource Monitoring System offers homeowners
great advantages by providing a convenient method of tracking their water usage
and alerting them when septic tank capacity is exceeded. With a potential market
of 300,000 new homes with septic systems a year, RMS can solve these
problems and be profitable.
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The Resource Monitoring System
References
1.
http://www.septic-info.com/doc/cat_list/technologies/home.html
2.
http://www.septic-info.com/doc/display/32.html
3.
http://www.crcwater.org/issues12/20010130epa.html
4.
http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/h150-01.pdf
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