Smart Water Networks: Tackling water waste with IoT for a sustainable future

With recent reports stating that almost a fifth of water supplies are lost before they reach our taps, Dan Preece, Vice President of Water & Utilities at Connexin explores how we can regain control of one of our most precious commodities through a more resilient network to make water utilities more efficient, reliable, and sustainable.

The Environment Agency (EA) states that by 2050, to support a growing population, the economy, food production and the environment - all in the face of climate change - an extra five billion litres of water will be needed a day, a shortfall which will have to be met through resources, efficiency and reducing demand.

As Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy warns: “As the climate crisis worsens and more pressure is placed on our water systems, we must fix our broken water infrastructure to ensure we have a resilient future water supply.” But with the EA’s recent report that almost a fifth (19%) of water supplies are lost through leaks in the network before reaching customers’ taps, how can we tackle our current losses to prepare for the road ahead?

From source to tap

To manage this sheer amount of water waste, we need to gain a better understanding of what's happening. Shifting our attention to identifying water patterns and forming robust strategies to manage water loss. This is easier said than done. However, technology is advancing rapidly to help water utility companies gain a far clearer, real-time perspective of water usage to identify leaks, implement preventative measures and reduce waste faster than ever before.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has gained momentum over the years as a way for physical devices in our world to connect and transmit relevant and new types of data through networks into powerful cloud-based platforms to gain new insights and understandings of what is happening in their infrastructure.

In the water utility space, it holds the potential to accelerate the development and improve the management of water, in the form of a Smart Water Network. Smart Water Meters enable Water Utilities to monitor both household and non-household customer consumption 24 hours a day, at a significantly increased and granular level to previous manual and drive-by reading methods. The focus for Smart Water Metering is to enable operational efficiencies, identify leaks and assist with driving down per capita consumption. Smart Water Networks expand further on Smart Water Metering and enable solutions that can monitor flow and pressure at many different points within their network, solutions capable of proactively monitoring critical asset conditions, level sensing, CSO and water quality, all through the data driven insights it produces.

To this end, IoT is generating a lot of noise, especially as a key driver in supporting Ofwat’s per capita consumption (PCC) and leakage reduction targets, and with the impending Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8), IoT has the potential to radicalise the sector to build the network of networks.

Building blocks to a more resilient network

However, the building blocks for IoT is the critical infrastructure itself which relies on LoRaWAN®, a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) which is an end-to-end system that wirelessly connects battery operated ‘things’ to the internet in regional, national, or global networks. By incorporating LoRaWAN technology with other prominent IoT technologies, our LPWAN architecture becomes the winning formula. LPWAN is designed for low power, low-cost consumption and can scale from a single gateway installation up to large global networks with billions of IoT devices.

Despite its transformative potential, LPWAN faces an uphill battle. The UK Government sees Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) and the ubiquitous roll-out of 5G wireless infrastructure as the answer to all connectivity challenges. As an investor in LPWAN infrastructure, Connexin wants the UK Government and all relevant departments and agencies to be advocating for the right kind of connectivity for the right use case.

In the last two to three years, water companies have really seen the value in LPWAN by utilising the network to proactively monitor water usage to better manage cost and prevent wastage. The LPWAN connectivity network collects water usage data and the IoT Platforms receiving this data are capable of analysing and blending various datasets to provide rich insight into network performance and operations. With the meters in place and the network fully implemented, insights and trends can be reported and actioned promptly, and preventative measures can reduce the level of water waste and subsequent climate impact.

The connectivity of these new low power networks is stable and reliable, and the smart meters have a battery life of around 15 years, meaning that the technology is self-sufficient – saving time and money in the longer term.

Leading by example

Severn Trent Water stands as a prime example, as the first to implement a large-scale deployment to tackle leakage and track usage. The company is reaping significant value from the data it is gathering through its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network, witnessing the advantages of reducing water consumption. Notably, response times to leaks and incidents have seen a staggering 76% reduction.

With support from Coventry City Council, data collectors have been installed onto lamp posts across the city to create gateways for the network that the smart water meters can report into. This provides Severn Trent Water with valuable water usage data in near real time to gain a better understanding of water consumption on its network.

By leveraging this real-time data, Severn Trent Water achieves precise consumption monitoring, accurate billing, swift leak detection, emissions reduction, and proactive asset management. This approach ensures a more efficient and environmentally friendly network operation.

What’s next?

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. This starting approach to IoT through smart metering will open the doors to what the network is truly capable of. The LPWAN ecosystem of solutions is incredibly large, scalable and truly valuable for water utilities.

By utilising the LPWAN Smart Water Network, pressure sensor monitoring can identify potential leaks within the system. The solutions can also help target common issues such as pollution incidents by proactively monitoring water quality at critical points in the network, to improve the wellbeing of citizens; sewer level sensor solutions for early detection and warning to reduce the risk of overflow; and asset monitoring for real-time monitoring of pumps, valves and other critical infrastructure ensuring safety and proactive maintenance scheduling, optimising cost and minimising downtime.

They can also be used to provide customers with further breakdown of their water usage, transforming how the utilities industry works with its customers to increase customer satisfaction. Customers receive accurate, automated billing, with hints and tips to proactively make decisions on how they use water and how they can use it better. Amidst the cost-of-living crisis and climate emergency, reducing water wastage and usage – and therefore saving money – is essential.

As AMP periods are in 5-year cycles, it’s crucial to plan with a forward-looking approach, considering the impact and requirements that will arise beyond just the next cycle and it’s time to act now if the industry is to modernise in line with other utility services.

The future of water management lies in these smart water networks, but the real value will undoubtedly lie in creating the ultimate network of networks and utilising it fully to make water utilities more operationally efficient, ensuring reliability and sustainability in the years to come.

Liberté, Egalité, Connectivity: LPWAN For All

At Connexin, we believe the future of smarter infrastructure requires a nuanced approach to connectivity. While 5G and Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) are vital, they cannot address every use case. Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) are essential for scalable, energy-efficient digital transformation and we’re calling on UK businesses, government bodies, and industry leaders to join us in demonstrating LPWAN's value through real-world solutions.

It’s time to make some noise. Join the movement at https://www.connexin.co.uk/liberte-egalite-connectivity.