WaterGroup and HZ Metering roll out NUmeter technology
by Water Source
WaterGroup, in collaboration with global manufacturer HZ Metering, will soon distribute a new smart water meter in the market – the Network-ready Ultrasonic smart water meter (NUmeter).
According to the company, NUmeter is the first commercially available ultrasonic smart water meter to have a fully-integrated Internet of Things (IoT) type network communications module.
WaterGroup Managing Director Guenter Hauber-Davidson said the partnership with HZ Metering was one more step towards helping utilities take on Australia’s biggest water challenges.
“The NUmeter will enable WaterGroup to help tackle two of the major challenges facing Australian utilities,” Hauber-Davidson said.
“First of all, each year, utilities deliver about two billion cubic metres of potable water every year – but about 10 to 12% of this water is lost each year. This loss of water equates to over $400 million in water production costs every year.”
Hauber-Davidson said Australian utilities will be able to collect real-time, reliable data on non-revenue water, with the potential to save millions of litres of water every year.
“This loss can be minimised if a utility has a smart network and a smart water metering system,” he said.
“With the NUmeter we can provide utilities, that operate networks, with a cost-effective way to truly understand, in near real-time, where the water is going – and where it is lost – in their water distribution networks.
“There is a potential here to collectively save Australian water users more than 160ML of water a year, enough to supply a city of 900,000 residents with water.”
HZ Metering General Manager Jianguo Dong said the NUmeter is also able to help utilities manage water demands more effectively, as population rates increase across Australia.
“We are seeing water and wastewater utilities across the globe implementing IoT technologies, including smart water technology and smart water meters, as part of their strategy to meet the population growth challenges of the future and to become smart cities,” Dong said.
“If Australia is to meet population growth, it needs to make sure it does the same thing.
“This can only be achieved if owners/operators of water utilities have access to real-time information – via smart technology, smart networks and smart meters – that will help their decision making around planning of and investment in water infrastructure to meet future demand.”
