UK-based Anglian Water has selected Arqiva to deliver and oversee a smart water metering fixed network trial.
The four year deal also involves Sensus, who will provide the smart meter units. Arqiva build the fixed network infrastructure to facilitate the deployment and operation of 7,500 new smart water meters in and around Newmarket, Suffolk.
Currently, Anglian Water is trailing the smart metre technology and selected Newmarket as the site for its so called ‘Innovation Shop Window project, where it can test and demonstrate its latest innovation projects.
The water firm also seeks to fulfil three objectives which include 100% customer satisfaction, ensuring zero bursts or leakage and to reduce average water consumption per person per day to about 80 litres.
Anglian Water opines that installing smart water metering systems can contribute towards achieving its objectives, especially reducing the average water consumption.
Arqiva says that during the trial period, the smart water meters will measure the flow of water and rate of consumption every hour, at both residential and commercial properties and will transmit the information to Anglian Water through its Arqiva’s network.
The information will help the water firm in better understanding how water is consumed at different places and reduce leaks or bursts through unusual or high water consumption at certain place.
Apart from this, easily locating bursts or leaks can help in reduced time for workers in reaching the exact point of impact and repairs can be conducted to the pipeline in less time, which can save precious amount of water.
If the leakage is on a customer’s private pipeline, the authorities can notify the owner as soon as possible about the leakage so that they can get it repaired.
Anglian Water smart metering initiative programme manager Paul Glass said: "Smart metering has a key role to play in giving our customers access to information about their water use – helping them to understand how much water they are using, and therefore how to reduce their consumption and bills. In combination with our efforts on the wider network, this will help secure water supplies for the future."
"We procured Arqiva (and Sensus as subcontractor) through an EU compliant tender process. We selected them because of the long-term commitment they made to the deployment and on-going monitoring of our fixed network trial, as well as their proven expertise in delivering large-scale network builds."