We had an incredible time last month at the third annual NextConservation award ceremony in Las Vegas.
150 people from more than 40 companies in the water meter industry gathered on the top floor of the Strat in Vegas to celebrate the conservation of 31 billion gallons of water in 2024. To put that into perspective, it would take 319 fully-filled Vegas Spheres to hold that much water.
The evening was spent celebrating with delicious food, a sunset over the mountains, rollercoaster rides for the brave, and industry friends reconnecting.
This water conservation was made possible by submetering systems, which enable property managers and billing companies to charge tenants based on their exact water usage. This brings the highest level of transparency, accuracy, and fairness to utility billing. But beyond billing, submetering fosters a culture of accountability that drives real conservation.
The award ceremony is a reminder of the greater mission that unites everyone in the industry: to protect and preserve Earth’s most precious resource: clean water.
Adam Paul (CEO, Next Meters) and David Clyde (COO, Next Meters) presented custom blown-glass trophies to leading billing companies, property management groups, and meter installation teams that contributed to this record-breaking water conservation number.
After all the awardees had accepted their trophies, the lights dimmed and David Clyde unveiled a special surprise connecting conservation with impact.
“Tonight we wanted to honor this effort on a deeper level. As we have been conserving 31 billion gallons of water here, there are still millions elsewhere that struggle every day to find access to clean water.
And as a symbol of your efforts and the impact they’ve had beyond our borders, in the name of the NextConservation award winners, we’ve donated wells to five villages in Northern Ghana.
And we have footage of those villages [and their new clean water] to illustrate the impact we have outside of the US.” – David Clyde
This video was shown following David’s speech, giving everyone in attendance a powerful look at the impact each well will have on more than 10,000 people combined. The opening scenes reveal the villages’ previous water sources, highlighting the sickness and loss they once faced.
The impact was deeply felt by everyone in attendance.
Each awardee received a “village frame,” featuring a photo of the new water source in use and details about the village it serves, creating a meaningful connection to the project. Many recipients expressed heartfelt gratitude for the unexpectedly powerful gesture, with several expressing interest in supporting future clean water efforts themselves.
It was a memorable surprise, and we’re especially grateful to the dedicated teams on the ground who lead the education, installation, and maintenance of these wells.
