Livios“Our digital water meter is unique in Europe. Neighboring countries look at our approach with envy,” says Alexandra De Jonge, Program Manager of the digital water meter. But what are the advantages of the digital water meter? Why was he created? And what makes ‘our’ meter so special? Bouwsite Livios inquired.
By the end of 2030, every household in Flanders must have a digital water meter. The roll-out is a collaboration between various water companies and network operator Fluvius. How did it go?
Alexandra De Jonge: “De Watergroep, Farys and Pidpa all looked separately at the possibilities of rolling out the digital water meter in Flanders. In March 2020, we joined forces and together we started looking for a uniform way to distribute a digital water meter. The condition was that the water meter could be linked to the digital electricity meter, or e-meter. That is why we approached Fluvius and not long after that we concluded a partnership with them.”
“In 2021 we really started and we developed the pilot project, in which we installed a digital water meter in 70,000 families. It was installed simultaneously with Fluvius’ digital electricity meter in one customer visit. That pilot project was favourable, so the three water companies and Fluvius decided this spring to continue the rollout to the general public, so that we meet the requirement of the Flemish legislator to provide every household with a digital version by the end of 2030.”
Read also: Digital meter keep refusing? Then you risk a fine.
Why is it so important that the water meter is linked to the e-meter?
“The water meter must be able to communicate in a certain way in order to be able to send data. We use the e-meter for this, to which the water meter is linked 1-to-1. The water meter sends the volume of water you use to the e-meter, which in turn sends the data. That data is then safely split up: the electricity data goes to Fluvius, the water data goes to the relevant water company.”
“The water meter itself captures the data every hour and sends it to the e-meter once a day. To do that, it is equipped with a battery that is firmly encapsulated. Little is known about the amount of data that will be continuously sent from the water meter and how this affects battery life. To guarantee that they would continue to function as optimally as possible, it was important to us that the data could be sent via the e-meter.”
Did you know…
About 11 percent of our energy bill goes to heating water? How can you save on this? We list some tips for you.
Does that make the water meter so unique?
“Europe is watching ‘our’ water meter with wide eyes. In Flanders we have the luxury of rolling out the water meter in this way because we only have one network operator: Fluvius. This is not the case, for example, in the Netherlands, where there are several network operators. So we are in a unique position.”
“The fact that various water companies are joining forces to realize this is also an advantage. Although a water company can also operate alone. Just look at Water-link, the water company of the Antwerp region that has rolled out its own water meter.”
Digital water and energy meter. © Fluvius / Frank Goethals
Water company Farys recently launched an online customer portal. Will the other water companies also follow suit?
“Absolutely, the Pidpa customer portal will go live in October and that of De Watergroep will follow in early 2024. The biggest advantage of the digital water meter – besides the fact that you no longer have to report the meter reading yourself – is that something useful happens with the data . The data is processed, we do something with it in order to better inform or even warn the customer. By gaining insight into the daily data, continuous or abnormally high consumption can be determined more quickly, which may indicate a leak or pipe break at that customer.”
“We can also inform the customer about his personal water consumption. Do you use more or less water than an average family (the average domestic water consumption per Fleming is 40 m³ (40,000 litres) per year, ed.)? If it is more, we can provide targeted tips on how to save water via the customer portal. In this way we focus on rational water use and help to reduce the bill. In addition, we can monitor the temperature around the water meter. If it drops, the pipes or the water meter itself could freeze and a leak could occur. In short, with all this data we give the customer much more insight into his water consumption.”
A water leak can cause a lot of damage and costs: Fortunately, you can repair and prevent the problem yourself.
Water is becoming scarcer, the Blue Deal also presents us with challenges. Can the digital water meter make a difference on a social level?
“Dealing more consciously with blue gold is an absolute priority. The Blue Deal presents the drinking water companies with challenges, and thanks to the water meter we get a much better insight and we can better match supply with demand. By collecting all the water data, we have a wealth of information at our disposal, which makes it easier for us to predict consumption and better adjust production accordingly.”
“In addition, we can detect leaks in the public pipeline network more quickly. Every year a lot of water is lost due to the age of our networks, due to subsidence in the city due to heavy traffic, due to differences in height, and so on. By working with the data, we can better manage our pipelines, maintain them more effectively and avoid leaks as much as possible.”
Do you expect a smooth roll-out or are there still hurdles to overcome?
“Currently, just under 100,000 households have a digital water meter. Just as replacing a mechanical water meter used to be free of charge, installing a digital version is also free. We will work with Fluvius until the end of 2025, but then it will be up to the water companies themselves. So you can have a digital e-meter, but not yet a digital water meter.”
“We are looking at how we will approach the roll-out in practice over the past 5 years, so that everyone will have a digital water meter in their home by the end of 2030. Once that job is done, we can look further and roll out other initiatives. We are not standing still.”
From heating to sanitary facilities to renewable energy: discover everything you need to know in the free magazine ‘My Energy’.
From solar boiler to heat pump boiler: these are the options for your domestic hot water
Recuperating rainwater: it can save you this
Installing plumbing: these five mistakes are most often made
This article was written by our partner Livios.be, an expert site that focuses on construction and renovation.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.
Yes, I want free unlimited access
2023-08-14 07:21:00
#Europe #watching #digital #water #meter #wide #eyes #receive #copy
