Barwon Water is teaming up with Iota to meet the shared challenges facing the Victorian water sector with smart water-saving tech developed in the state.
With support from a technology platform developed at South East Water, Barwon Water will accelerate and expand its digital meter rollout to save water following successful trials in Apollo Bay and Birregurra.
The trial in Apollo Bay, part of Barwon Water’s Smart Networks project, involved installing 300 digital meters with integrated vibration sensors. They are designed to detect and fix network leaks that would otherwise go undetected.
With enhanced network and customer leak detection, it is estimated that 74 million litres could be saved annually across the Apollo Bay system.
With the successful trial now complete, Barwon Water is looking to expand the digital meter rollout further.
Iota’s enterprise IoT platform, Lentic, will be deployed to enable the effective rollout of digital meters at scale, optimise device management, and streamline alarm management.
The first stage of the rollout will involve building capability and expanding deployments to specific areas in Barwon Water’s network, targeting leak reduction and water savings.
The second stage will focus on a broader rollout to customers across Barwon Water’s service region, which has a population of more than 370,000. The project is expected to generate annual savings of approximately 1,200 million litres.
Working together to roll out smart water-saving tech
The Smart Networks program forms a key part of Barwon Water’s long-term digital transformation and water-saving strategies. Its goal is to be more efficient and save customers water and money on their bills.
The program is designed to detect leaks within the Barwon Water network and enable further engagement with customers to reduce demand and customer-side leaks.
Barwon Water has undertaken significant work in this area, with its flagship Birregurra Sustainable Communities—Water project showing what’s possible with digital meter installation (about 400 were installed) and community-driven initiatives.
The water-saving program, in partnership with the community, has saved 38 million litres of water, identified and repaired more than 90 leaks, and reduced customer bills by $81,000 since it was established in 2020.
Barwon Water wants to minimise technological risk as part of the wider digital meter rollout in the Smart Networks program. So, Iota was selected as a trusted partner to provide the Lentic Enterprise IoT platform technology and dedicated service support during the project’s initial stage.
The partnership will deliver a digital metering solution for Victorians by a Victorian utility.
Barwon Water Managing Director Shaun Cumming said Barwon Water was excited to be collaborating with Iota to adopt technology and learnings from South East Water.
“Greater collaboration and knowledge sharing between water utilities leads to better outcomes for everyone.
“By partnering with Iota and learning from South East Water’s approach, we aim to minimise potential technological risks and enhance knowledge and resource capability across the sector to deliver the best outcomes for our customers and the environment. “
Iota is South East Water’s commercialisation arm. A genuine partner to the water industry, Iota incubates, produces, and commercialises a portfolio of technologies South East Water has developed and proven within its network.
South East Water Managing Director and Iota Director Lara Olsen said, “We congratulate Iota and Barwon Water on their partnership and the benefits smart meters will bring to customers, the community, and the environment.”
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