WaterGroup has launched Australia’s first, NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB IoT) ultrasonic, intelligent water meters. Connecting these devices is as easy as connecting to a mobile phone says WaterGroup.
“With Australia’s big telecommunications companies switching on NB-IoT now, water utility managers can, for the first time, connect and deploy sophisticated smart water meters across their existing telco networks effortlessly without the need to first establish a communications system,” says Guenter Hauber-Davidson, the managing director of WaterGroup.
“These new water meters will play a key role to help water utility managers successfully tackle the huge water loss in Australia. Every year, our urban and regional water systems deliver about two billion cubic metres of potable water every year. Yet 10-12 per cent are lost through leaks and other causes such as unaccounted use of water,” says Guenter.
“These fully integrated ultrasonic, intelligent water meters are ideal for residential dwellings, apartments, difficult-to-access basements and even rural zones where Optus, Vodafone or Telstra have enabled NB-IoT already. This makes them a convenient and cost-effective choice for water utilities, builders and strata managers,” says Guenter.
NB-IoT communication is fully-integrated into these new next generation smart meters without any moving parts. Instead of using mechanical wheels that wear out over time, these meters use advance ultrasonic sensing technology to provide highly accurate meter readings for the entire life of the meter. High quality and a long life is a given.
WaterGroup has been leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT), with related innovations, new service delivery models such as leak insurance and bill shock. These sustainable solutions have already helped water suppliers, municipalities, hospitals, universities, large corporates, shopping centres, and other large water users to save huge amounts of water and money.
During FY 2016/17 alone, WaterGroup has delivered measurable outcomes for its clients including water savings of almost 300 million litres (ML) with cost savings of over $1 million.