Utility Week

M E T E R I N G day, of which 22.5 litres/per person/per day come from plumbing repairs. We are really pleased with the progress of the trials so far and we are confident that the positive trend of results will continue." Unlike energy and gas companies, there are no set national targets for smart water metering and ministers have not given any direction as to the kind of meter that should be installed. A report published in April last year by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) did highlight the benefits that such devices could bring. In particular, the report claimed smart water meters could help reduce consumption by 17 per cent and could also play a "key role" in identifying leaks across the system. "We've urged the government to enable companies beyond water-stressed areas to implement compulsory metering and require all companies to consider the W hile the rollout of energy smart meters continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons, water smart meters have proved to be far less controversial. Admittedly, the smart water meter revolution is still in its infancy, with a small number of water companies trialling and rolling out the technology in relatively small numbers. ese are mostly by water companies in the water-stressed areas of the South and East. But as homes and businesses move towards smart systems and the Internet of ings, smart water meters could play a much wider role in all our lives. According to ames Water's recent interim results report, it had 265,000 smart water meters transmitting across its network by the end of September 2018, although with more being installed on a daily basis, the figure is rising all the time. Like many of the other smart water meters currently being trialled, the devices being installed by ames Water take hourly, automatic readings and send them to the utility firm via radio waves. "With our meters providing accurate and up-to-date data on water use, higher or unusual readings can be investigated quickly, allowing us to pinpoint leaks on customers' pipes and, in most cases, offer to fix them free," says ames Water's metering manager, Stephanie Baker. "We've already proactively contacted almost 8,000 customers about leaks on their pipes, identified using smart meter data, with the repairs preventing 6.53 million litres of water being lost each day." Anglian Water has also been trialling smart water meters in Colchester, Newmarket and Norwich since 2016. "Our trials have allowed customers to access near real-time consumption data through an online portal, encouraging them to reduce their water use," says an Anglian Water spokesman. " is has been supported by a dedicated smart leakage function that alerts customers to internal pipe leaks, helping to save water and reduce the likelihood of unexpected bills. "We have seen an average reduction in daily consumption of more than 11 per cent across the board, with Newmarket alone saving around 250,000 litres per smart water meters operating across ames Water's region by the end of September 2018 m i l l i o n l i t r e s p e r d a y 2 6 5 , 0 0 0 32 www.utilityweek.co.uk/fLeX at's the amount of water ames Water is saving by harnessing water meters to detect leaks – the equivalent of more than 2.6 Olympic swimming pools By Jamie Hailstone

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