However, Anglian Water was concerned that two-way radio communication would result in an accelerated degradation of the battery within the Smart Meter. Smart Meters incorporate radio two-way communication technology, enabling utilities to acquire measurement data remotely and provide absolute rather than estimated bills. “Given the size of the areas we cover, we also went to the additional expense of installing radio meters as opposed to manually read meters to see how easy they would be to read.”

“Colchester is particularly challenged when it comes to the water resource so we wanted to maximise how many meters we put into the population to boost water savings,” says Paul Glass, project manager for Anglian Water. Targeting water stressed areas, Anglian Water has deployed about 8,500 Smart Meters in Colchester as part of a large- scale pilot to test Smart Meter technology and assess the costs and benefits. More recently, Anglian Water has been piloting Elster’s hybrid Smart Meters, which comprise a fully integrated, tamperproof advanced meter reading (AMR) unit that automates the process of meter reading and provides customers with accurate bills as opposed to estimates. These have been shown on average to save £100 from a household’s annual water bill and reduce their water consumption by between 5 and 15 per cent. To date, most of the meters deployed do nothing more than record consumption rates and are read manually. By 2035, it aims to have all water supplies to customer properties metered. About 70 per cent of its customers are already metered and paying for exactly what they use. It is also one of the driest, receiving only around 600 millimetres of rainfall each year.Įnsuring the efficient use of water is therefore a central priority, with domestic metering being a major means by which Anglian Water continues to manage customer demand.

With a predicted 34 per cent rise in the number of households by 2033, it is the fastest growing region in the UK. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) delivers better management of water supply and demand in Colchester, UK

Elster online download 2012