Return on investment

Value streams and methodology

Every dollar shown is tied to a stated calculation method and a stated baseline. Streams with invoice-verifiable evidence carry higher confidence than modeled risk-avoidance streams; both are reported separately rather than blended.

YTD value captured
$1,215,000
Annualized run rate
$1,962,000
Platform cost / yr
$268,000
Payback period
3.2 months
Net return multiple
6.3×
Contribution

Five value streams, ranked

Energy from optimized aeration and pumping is the largest line item. Aeration blowers alone account for 50–60% of total treatment plant energy spend, which makes it the single biggest controllable opex lever in the utility.

Energy savings from optimized aeration & pumping$418,000
Avoided regulatory / NPDES permit exceedance risk$265,000
Avoided unplanned lift station downtime / avoided SSOs$312,000
Chemical dosing optimization savings$174,000
Avoided emergency / expedited chemical delivery costs$46,000
Stream 1Largest leverAI 88%

Energy savings from optimized aeration & pumping

YTD
$418,000
Annualized
$690,000
Attribution confidence
88%
Methodology

Aeration blowers and pumping represent 50–60% of total plant energy spend, making this the largest controllable opex line in the utility. Savings are calculated as (baseline kWh/MG − achieved kWh/MG) × MG treated × blended $0.094/kWh, using a rolling 90-day pre-AI baseline per unit process. DO-trim and blower sequencing changes are attributed only where the SCADA setpoint change is timestamped against the AquaGuardian recommendation.

Financial values are estimates. Figures are not audited financials and are shown for evaluation purposes.

Stream 2AI 72%

Avoided regulatory / NPDES permit exceedance risk

YTD
$265,000
Annualized
$410,000
Attribution confidence
72%
Methodology

Modeled as (probability of exceedance event × expected enforcement cost) avoided, where probability is derived from the frequency of process excursions that AquaGuardian flagged and operations corrected before a permit-limit breach. Expected enforcement cost blends state penalty schedules, mandated corrective-action capital, and consent-order administrative burden observed in comparable mid-size utilities.

Financial values are estimates. Figures are not audited financials and are shown for evaluation purposes.

Stream 3AI 76%

Avoided unplanned lift station downtime / avoided SSOs

YTD
$312,000
Annualized
$505,000
Attribution confidence
76%
Methodology

Each predicted lift station failure intercepted before wet-well overflow is credited with the avoided cost of a sanitary sewer overflow: emergency crew mobilization, vac-truck recovery, site remediation, public notification, and expected regulatory penalty. Only events with a documented pre-failure intervention are counted; scheduled maintenance is excluded.

Financial values are estimates. Figures are not audited financials and are shown for evaluation purposes.

Stream 4AI 84%

Chemical dosing optimization savings

YTD
$174,000
Annualized
$286,000
Attribution confidence
84%
Methodology

Alum, polymer, and hypochlorite consumption is compared per million gallons treated against the pre-AI baseline at matched raw-water quality bands, so seasonal turbidity swings are not credited as savings. Delta is priced at current contract unit cost.

Financial values are estimates. Figures are not audited financials and are shown for evaluation purposes.

Stream 5AI 91%

Avoided emergency / expedited chemical delivery costs

YTD
$46,000
Annualized
$71,000
Attribution confidence
91%
Methodology

Direct, invoice-verifiable stream. Counts each replenishment PO raised ahead of the supplier lead-time window that would otherwise have required expedited freight, priced at the historical expedited premium per delivery for each chemical.

Financial values are estimates. Figures are not audited financials and are shown for evaluation purposes.

Guardrails

What is deliberately excluded

Overstating savings destroys credibility with a utility board. These categories are left out of the totals above.

Weather and demand swings

Chemical and energy deltas driven by raw-water quality or seasonal demand are normalized out. Only matched-condition improvements are credited.

Scheduled maintenance

Planned rebuilds and calendar PM work are not counted as avoided failures, even when AquaGuardian confirmed the asset condition.

Soft and staffing benefits

Operator hours recovered, faster reporting, and reduced callouts are real but excluded from dollar totals to keep the ROI defensible.

Demo environment · values shown are realistic estimates, not audited financials

Add-on modules

AquaGuardian add-on bots

Optional autonomous modules that run on top of the core AI layer. Click any bot for how it works, the data it consumes, and its guardrails — the first three ship with a live console in this demo.

Energy Optimization Bot

Highest value
Live in demoAI 93%

Tracks blower and pump energy against real-time flow demand and prices out savings from optimized run schedules, DO trim, and blower sequencing.

Typical: 8–14% reduction in kWh/MG

Open console

NPDES / Permit Compliance Reporting Bot

Live in demoAI 90%

Auto-generates regulatory submission data from plant telemetry and flags exceedance risk before the sample is pulled, with an audit trail per parameter.

Typical: 30+ staff hours/month recovered

Open console

Chemical Dosing Optimizer Bot

Live in demoAI 88%

Optimizes chlorine, polymer and alum dosing against real-time flow and quality targets rather than fixed setpoints, holding compliance margin at the lowest feasible dose.

Typical: 6–11% chemical spend reduction

Open console

Lift Station Overflow Prevention Bot

PreviewAI 86%

Predicts wet-well level trajectory against available pump capacity and forecast inflow to flag sanitary sewer overflow risk hours ahead.

Typical: SSO risk events intercepted 4–9 hrs early

Asset Lifecycle & PM Manager Bot

RoadmapAI 84%

Maintains condition-based PM schedules and remaining-life estimates for pumps, blowers and valves, replacing fixed-calendar intervals with condition triggers.

Typical: 15–20% reduction in PM labor hours