Christmas keeps coming. Several property managers and owners of retirement living villages throughout Australia will again have conserved thousands of litres of water, saving their residents tens of thousands of dollars by detecting leaks. It makes for a nice present under the Christmas tree. This initiative involved collaboration with WaterGroup, Australia’s largest corporate water savings provider, renowned for its success in helping clients save money and water.
Even as we experience regular rain events, water conservation is crucial in Australia. We all know how quickly lengthy and severe droughts can limit water supply in many regions. We also know of the increasing pressure from our stakeholders not to waste water and to report on sustainable water management.
These conditions underscore the challenges of limited supply, increasing demand, and socially responsible water use. On average, Australians pay up to $1,000 annually on water bills, and according to ABS figures, they collectively consume 19,000 gigalitres—equivalent to 38 Sydney Harbours—each year.
Agriculture is the largest global consumer of water. Yet, buildings account for 12 per cent of the world’s limited freshwater usage, according to the United Nations Environment Program. Although the government has recognised that Australia is encountering “major challenges in ensuring sustainable water supply amid increased climate variability,” there are few policies or incentives to promote sustainable building practices or retrofits to reduce water consumption.
Nevertheless, many substantial water savings in residences, offices, and businesses throughout Australia have been achieved over the years. The bit that is still missing most often, and the one that nowadays is the number one creator of both water and monetary savings, is an active water management system.
Retirement portfolio owners using this cover one of Australia’s largest owners, managers and developers of independent living communities providing homes for over 17,000 Australian retirees.
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure, and therefore, a key contributor to water savings and achievement of environmental targets was to deploy a smart metering solution, which could be deployed quickly across [our] portfolio, to enable village managers and operation teams to access, gain insights and take meaningful action to reduce water, identify leaks early and generally improve operation performance,” a spokesperson for the company said.
A strategic partnership with WaterGroup was born
Most of that company’s retirement villages now feature smart water metering solutions, which include a smart water logger and a desktop portal for accessing the gathered water data. Committed to water conservation, the company collaborated with Australia’s largest corporate water savings organisation, WaterGroup, to launch a smart water metering initiative to help them with detecting leaks.
The retirement village managers receive an ongoing Active Water Analysis, Risk, and Efficiency (AWARE) management service to optimise the benefits of their smart metering systems. This service features a skilled team consistently monitoring and evaluating the data. Reports indicate that the company saved over $100,000 in expenses this year alone. It has continued to reap the benefits of the AWARE service.
Data automation delivers real value
In 2024, another water leak crisis hit a retirement village on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Water started to gush out from deep in the underground pipes. Left unattended, this major fissure was estimated to cost the retirement village more than $3,500 a month. However, WaterGroup’s smart logger alerted the village of the leaks, bypassing serious cost and potential safety and damage issues.
The local village manager was the first to be alerted to the leaks. He asked staff to look out for damp residues around the grounds and buildings. However, something needed to be more obvious.
“I noticed the leak alerts continuing and water use increasing without being able to observe the issue; I knew we needed to call in the experts for an assessment,” he said.
WaterGroup’s leak detection team was engaged, and within a few hours, they pinpointed the leak’s location using sophisticated acoustic equipment. They found a cracked pipe beneath what appeared to be dry concrete slabs along one of the Village’s outdoor paths, which was promptly repaired by a local plumbing company.
Saving water is the right thing to do
Across its retirement living villages, this property management company has supported a lower cost of living for its most valued stakeholders, its residents, by detecting and resolving leaks.
Buildings play a critical role in conserving the precious resource of water. The company has committed to pursuing water savings by investigating rainwater harvesting and reuse, retrofitting water-efficient fittings and fixtures, designing water-sensitive products, monitoring water in real-time, and using the latest leak detection technologies.
For more information, visit watergroup.com.au
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