INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
The future of smart water
metering in 2019
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D
arren Oxlee, Chief Technology
Officer and Director at Utility
Systems, looks at the future of
smart water metering in 2019. Driven by
the requirement to improve operational
efficiencies and revenues, cut down on
wastage, and enhance customer service,
water utilities around the world are turning
to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) –
including smart meters – and the trend is set
to accelerate in 2019.
Utilities are under increasing financial
pressure from non-technical water losses –
including potable water lost in the system
through leaks – and inefficient revenue
recovery that results in millions being lost
due to incorrect billing and theft.
Harnessing technology such as the Internet
of Things (IoT), connectivity and data
analytics not only helps better manage
infrastructure and reduce losses but will
also bring changes to the way in which
utilities currently operate. Here are five
things utilities must consider in their quest to
become smarter:
Changing skills requirements – switching
to smart water metering increases the skill
level required from those who are involved
in the installation and management of
metering infrastructure; as the use of
this technology grows, the skills needed
will go beyond basic plumbing and into
more advanced skills, including IT and
communications technologies.
Customer service and behaviour – utilities
will be able to proactively monitor customers’
accounts, identify issues, complaints and
queries, and resolve them much faster than
they are currently able to. Additionally, initial
studies have shown that once consumers
have full visibility of their usage data – via
a mobile app, for example – their water
consumption drops by about 15%.
Regulatory compliance – with near real-
time two-way communication and valve
control, smart meters can not only provide
customers with prepaid water with the
ability to top up their water allocation, but
also cater for South Africa’s free basic water
requirements – all managed at the device level.
When coupled with increased billing accuracy,
the long-term benefits of investing in smart
water metering will outweigh the higher
initial capital outlay needed as compared
to a traditional water system. As such, the
growth prospects for smart water metering
are enormous: in addition to the financial
and operational benefits, municipalities
are increasingly including smarter water
management as part of their broader Smart
City development programmes.
Only a very small percentage of existing
metered end-points in municipalities around
the country are ‘smart’, and converting the
remainder provides a substantial growth
opportunity that the local industry can take
advantage of. n
Broader industry partnerships – among
the drivers of growth in AMI include private
sector companies introducing innovative
products and solutions that are redefining
smart metering, as well interest from large
telecoms operators who are recognising the
opportunity to add additional services to
their current offerings.
Infrastructure and maintenance – smart
metering will enable far more accurate, real-
time data monitoring, helping utilities reduce
the time taken to identify and fix leaks by
flagging water losses earlier. Not only will
this save costs, but it means more focus and
investment can be directed toward proactive
maintenance of water infrastructure.
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