Australian Water Management Review Vol. 1 2014 | Page 66

sMArt WAter teChnologies expeCted
to beCoMe More populAr in 2014
Although water is believed to be a free
and readily available resource, the truth is
companies are putting a greater emphasis
on water management and sustainability
as it becomes more expensive to use and
distribute it.
According to GreenBiz, demand for new smart meter
solutions in water billing programs will rise as more
companies come to this realisation. The experts put
together a few of the top reasons utilities will need to
invest in smart water technologies this year.
One of the biggest reasons is also one of the most
obvious – soaring demand. The United Nations says that
1.2 billion people around the world are already affected
by water scarcity. A total of 1.6 billion people have
restricted access to water because of poor infrastructure.
These numbers are expected to keep rising through
2025, and to ensure a stable supply of the critical

resource, it will require new software, solutions and
hardware to improve existing infrastructure.
Another major concern is the rising costs of utility
operations. Corporations aren’t always quick to jump
on humanitarian or environmental causes, however
investing in smart water programs will improve
bottom lines, too. This is something every company
can get behind.
For example, in the US, commercial water rates have
risen an average of 30 per cent in the past four years.
Here, many businesses are using advanced water
billing solutions for the first time, and are learning they
were using far more water than the average company.
Fortunately, investment in smart water programs is picking
up. A recent report from Navigant showed the network
market for smart water systems will be worth more than
$3.3 billion in 2022, up from $1.1 billion in 2013.

the future of sMArt WAter netWorks
The smart grid has been experiencing
strong growth in 2014, with the number
of worldwide testing sites increasing
every month. This has led utilities and
governments to seriously consider the future
of smart networks, especially smart water.

Adopting a smart water network has many of the same
benefits as a smart electrical grid, with water usage
management and disruption alerts improving network
efficiency. This is achieved by implementing a layered
network of sensors, remote control, data collection
services and analysis in order to create a smart system.

carbon emissions and being unsure about what is
going on with our system,” said office manager at
Pinetop Water, Carol Benson.

Water demand is a particularly hot global issue
currently, as many are concerned about freshwater
availability for a growing world population.

It’s hard not to notice the benefits that companies see
when moving to smart networks, as allowing staff to
move to more pressing matters means other issues
can be prevented.

Moving to a smart water network in many cities will help
to control the supply of water, as well as preventing
leaks and pipe blockages. Advances in smart meter
technology allow utility staff to monitor networks from
mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones while
away from an office, speeding up repairs.
“It is cost-effective to no longer deal with the daily
water site visits. We can say goodbye to overtime,
60 | AustrAliAn water man age m e nt re v ie w

“And staff that previously spent time manually
monitoring are now doing proactive upgrades to our
system,” she said.

It’s similar to regular engine maintenance on road
vehicles – if the engine is constantly serviced, issues are
spotted and smooth running is ensured. By leaving the
engine unattended, it will eventually begin degrading.