Using Ami Technology To Reduce Non- Revenue Water, Improve Resiliency, And Enhance Customer Satisfaction
Annual Conference
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By early December last summer, many communities across New Zealand were subject to water restrictions. Wellington and Hamilton City and Waipa and Waikato Districts banned or limited the use of sprinklers, whilst customers in Auckland, Canterbury, Wairarapa and many other areas were encouraged to reduce water consumption.
In contrast to regions like Australia and South Africa where droughts can extend for long periods, droughts in New Zealand typically last for much shorter durations. However, even short droughts can have significant consequences as storage facilities are often quite small and continued bore extraction during dry periods lowers aquifer levels which increases risk of salt water intrusion into aquifers.
Water efficiency is quickly becoming a topic of discussion countrywide. By some estimates, New Zealand is losing 100 billion litres of water annually through water loss. In some regions, many customers remain unmetered whilst some councils are expanding metering programmes but many are faced the challenge of creating a defensible business case.
This paper will discuss evolution of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technologies, presenting examples from projects around the world relevant to New Zealand’s unique water environment.
In one particular example, a 12-month AMI pilot study of a District Metered Area (DMA) with 500-homes has been established to use time-series data from customer meters to reduce Non-Revenue Water (NRW) before and after the customer meter. The study area is located in Gwinnett County (near Atlanta in the USA) and integrates AMI meters, network pressure sensors and weather data to identify NRW including pre and post customer leaks, water theft and meter accuracy.
Reduction of NRW, which averages 30% worldwide for utilities, can enable improved management of water supply during drought conditions and also the deferment of capital expenditure.
In addition to establishing NRW quantities, data from advanced metering can enable better understanding of network demands, demand patterns and network operation during drought or other disruptions to supply (including earthquakes) for improved operational response and community engagement.
Case studies of AMI projects will be presented illustrating benefits realised for improving water network resiliency including demand management, NRW reduction and enhanced customer engagement. Particular focus will be applied to outcomes relevant to improved potable water supply resiliency in New Zealand.