This year, as part of National Water Week, the Australian Water Association is challenging the industry to “Bring Water into Focus”.
It’s a call to spark conversations, drive behaviour change, and highlight the value of water across homes, schools, businesses and communities.
In this spirit, we’re shining a spotlight on the opportunities presented by digital water metering across the country.
An overview of the change
The move away from mechanical to digital water metering represents one of the most significant industry transformations in decades.
Climate variability, population growth and aging infrastructure are all combining to fuel the demand for more resilient, efficient and customer-focused solutions.
Unlike traditional meters, digital water meters automatically transmit usage data at frequent intervals without manual reads.
For consumers, this means precise billing, early leak detection and more control of your water usage.
Utilities will move to a data driven operating model with greater visibility of abnormal consumption patterns, helping to quickly detect issues like pipe bursts, concealed leaks or unoccupied properties consuming water.
Current progress
The Smart Metering State of Play report was released by the Water Services Association of Australia and Intelligent Water Networks earlier this year.
It revealed that while only 5% of utilities in across Australia and New Zealand had made the switch to smart water meters thus far, the growth trajectory was clear – deployment rates are expected to rise to 41% within the next five years, 71% in ten years, and 87% in 15 years.
Energy parallels
While this rollout continues to progress, the comparatively more widespread adoption of smart metering in the energy sector offers a valuable glimpse into the future for the water industry.
In the energy sector, smart meters enable the integration of behind-the-meter technologies such as rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles, enhancing both efficiency and safety of the energy supply system.
Just as smart energy meters have unlocked new services and integration of distributed generation in energy, smart water meters may underpin future innovation, including dynamic pricing, integrated household water–energy services, and real-time monitoring to strengthen drought resilience.
In the water sector, this means supporting smart pool pumps, rainwater systems and emerging technologies such as decentralised recycling systems – and there will be a growing requirement to orchestrate these to optimise the use of mains water and energy concurrently.
Moving forward
While the benefits of digital water metering are clear, the transition is not without its challenges. Many utilities are hesitant to invest in new technology and do not have the teams to support management of complex data systems.
This has led to a partnered approach to deployment emerging, where smart metering specialists like Intellihub, who manage more than 3 million electricity end-points, provide the hardware and systems needed for digital water metering and partner closely with utilities to leverage the data off the meters.
This allows water utilities to retain focus on their core challenges – like improving water quality and expanding service to growing populations – without being bogged down by the upfront cost and complexity of digital transformation.
Just as the energy sector’s transition was underpinned by net-zero goals, the water sector’s transformation will be shaped by mounting climate pressures, including the need to safeguard scarce water resources, build drought resilience, and support sustainable urban growth – with smart metering poised to be a key element in supporting this work.
