“So why install an expensive meter in our home or homes of similar customers?”
You miss the point.
The meters save them from driving and getting out of the truck, avoiding the vicious dogs, climbing over the hedge, wiping off the dirty meter, squinting to read the arrows, writing down the readings any transcribing the numbers into the database.
We have had smart PG&E meters for at least a decade.
So they drive by to get a useage reading.
What we can’t figure out: Is how do wired water meters work/send signals when they are 3-5’ below the ground surface.