2LT Local News

LITHGOW, Central West, NSW, Australia – Lithgow Council is to roll out a network of smart meters over the next few months.

A contract to supply the meters has been entered into with Taggle Systems, the council advised on Wednesday.

The decision to introduce smart meters was made by the council in February.

For a number of years Lithgow Council has been missing out on revenue due to more than a third of its water supply not being accounted for. In the 2017/18 year this was trimmed back to 30%, but still cost the council $1 million in lost revenue.

A study of the water loss resulted in a recommendation to develop a meter replacement policy which included reviewing the current meters installed. Nearly half of these are the original meters that were installed when metering was first undertaken in the 1990’s.

Industry practice determines that the useful life of a mechanical water meter is 10 years, with some manufacturers claiming twenty years useful life. After a period of 8 years use though, the meter will begin to incorrectly measure the amount of water passing through. When meters begin to fail, in all but exceptional cases, the meter under-registers.

To address this major issue as well as other benefits, Council has resolved to implement an Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system or as is more commonly known, Smart Metering. The benefits that can be achieved include but are not limited to:

–  The ability for customers and Council to identify leaks early within private properties;

–  Automatic monitoring with alarms that can detect if changes occur within the system that require attention, e.g. leaks, freezing, no water, meter tampering;

–  Customers may monitor their own usage through an online portal should they choose to sign up;

–  Avoidance of bill shock with near real-time data on consumption and excess use alarms;

–  Extend the lifespan of the network through optimised operations and proactive maintenance

"This is one of many actions Council is undertaking to better manage our water infrastructure to ensure long term sustainable outcomes. Being able to better account for our water means that we have been able to maintain the current cost of water rates for the next financial year," Mayor Ray Thompson said Wednesday.

Other councils which have implemented Smart Metering report that they have been able to identify customer leaks within the first weeks of the meters being installed, not only saving water but reducing the cost to residents.

"Once your new meter is installed Council will receive an alarm from the system to notify staff of a possible leak. When these are received Council will issue the resident a Leak Notice to inform the resident of possible leak. Once the system is fully operational residents will be able to register to the MiWater portal and see in near real time their own water consumption, configure their own alarms so that they will get notification directly via SMS or email," Director of Water and Wastewater, Daniel Buckens said Wednesday.

Frequently Asked Questions and Fact Sheets about the meter replacement project and Smart Metering are available on Council’s website, at the Administration Building at 180 Mort Street, Lithgow and will be provided with upcoming water bills.