Anglian Water Rolls Out 1.1 Million Smart Meters Across The Region
Utility company Anglian Water has completed its initial rollout of 1.1 million smart meters across its catchment area, finishing the initial stage of the project (which is the biggest operation by any water company in England), with further installations due to take place over the next five years.
This technology represents a key part of Anglian’s water demand strategy, with the aim being to reduce long-term per capita consumption over time… particularly important given the fact that demand is expected to outstrip supply by 40 per cent come the year 2030.
Almost half of the company’s meters are now smart, which gives customers greater transparency over their water usage and consumption so that they’re better able to manage bills and reduce the amount of water they use.
Improved visibility over water usage has also enabled the utility firm’s engineers to save, on average, 14 litres of water per property per day through water leak detection and repair, a move that has prevented the equivalent of over 14 million litres of water from being wasted every day.
Given that one megalitre of water per day can supply approximately 7,000 people, fixing leaks will contribute significantly to supporting the growth of the local community and shoring up supplies in the region, which is one of the driest in the UK.
Anglian Water has now renewed its partnership with Arqiva, Kier and Clancy, with ongoing work expected to see more than 1,000 smart meters installed a day until all such devices in the region have been upgraded.
The firm’s director of customer and wholesale services, Don Maher, said: “ Our programme puts people in touch with how much water they’re using down to daily or even hourly level, which helps them take control of their household bills and find leaks that are costing them money.
“We publish approximately 8.4 million of these meter readings in customers’ portals every day. It’s just one of the ways we’re looking after the environment while protecting water for future generations.”
East of England water crisis
Anglian Water itself supplies drinking water to customers across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk, serving approximately six million people in the region.
Its catchment area, the east of England, is the driest region in the entire UK and classified as being an area facing serious water stress, with low rainfall and high evaporation losses putting increasing amounts of pressure on water resources.
The next 20 years will be critical for the region where water is concerned, as challenges such as rising global temperatures, decreasing rainfall and population growth increasingly affect already stretched supplies.
This isn’t just an issue for the east of England, however, and the rest of the country may well feel the knock-on effect of the water crisis here, since much of the region is known as the nation’s breadbasket, producing a fifth of the country’s crops and a third of its vegetables. Without resilient water resources, agriculture will struggle.
Coupled with the fact that the east is home to the four fastest-growing cities in the UK in the last ten years, this all spells potential disaster for water – unless urgent action is taken now.
How can business smart meters help?
Businesses keen to be more sustainable and improve their water footprint over time can benefit from following Anglian Water’s lead and installing smart meters onsite.
Automated meter reading involves monitoring water usage of your premises continuously (also known as data logging), allowing you to see how much water you’re using at hourly intervals by measuring the water flow.
If a sudden spike in flow is identified, you know you might have a problem that’s worth investigating on your hands. If data trends change over time, it’s an indication that the needs of your business have evolved, so you can adjust your water-saving strategies in line with this, saving water and money at the same time.
If you’d like to find out more about water audits, automated meter reading, water efficiency, changing business water supplier and more, get in touch with the Switch Water Supplier team today.