Digital metering offers many benefits to water corporations and their customers, so what’s the status of this technology in Australia? Find out in new industry reports coming out this month.
They’ve been available for more than 20 years, and the benefits of digital meters are well documented, from improving operational efficiency to contributing to water security.
In theory, water corporations support digital metering, but the reality of rolling out the technology isn’t as simple as it might seem and varies between organisations.
Recognising this, Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) launched a Digital Metering Systems Program in early 2020. The program shares knowledge and develops resources to support our water corporation members in Victoria and Tasmania to adopt and best manage digital metering so everyone can benefit from it.
State of Play reports
Initially, our program focused on analysing their uptake among members to assist decision-making and stimulate collaboration.
In 2021, we released a State of Play Report assessing digital metering progress, status, barriers, technology and more among our water corporation members.
The report has been updated and broadened in partnership with the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) to provide a national snapshot of digital metering. Reports will be available for IWN and WSAA members, as well as de-identified versions for the broader industry, later this month:
- A State of Play report for IWN members covering Victoria and Tasmania
- A State of Play report for IWN and/or WSAA members covering Australia and New Zealand
- De-identified State of Play reports will also be available to the broader industry.
To find out more, please email IWN at enquiries@iwn.org.au. Our member organisations will also be able to access the reports via our Knowledge Hub.
Digital metering trials and tools
Our Program is also working on other trials and tools to support digital metering among our members.
These include:
- Installation Guide – efficient installation is integral to rolling out digital meters successfully, so we are looking into developing a best-practice installation guide for our members
- Technical Database – we are also assessing the potential of developing a technical database to help members navigate the various and evolving digital meter technologies
- SNAPI technology trial – we are working with TasWater on a potential trial of this AI meter reading device. Developed in Australia, the technology can be attached to analogue water meters to digitise them within seconds
Climate change, ageing assets, growing populations and increasing customer expectations continue to make digital metering even more important. We’ll continue to assess the best ways to support our members in transitioning to it.
To find out more about our digital metering and other technology programs, please visit us at iwn.org.au
Related Articles:
- IWN Pipeline Intelligence Program trials new tech
- Ozwater’22 and AWA brings industry together
- Resilience and readiness in Victorian water sector