Could new smart meters save millions of litres of water from leaking?

Yorkshire Water thinks so – it is working with Itron to trial the new devices, which it believes could save up to 250,000 litres of water per burst pipe

Yorkshire Water trials new smart meters it claims could save millions of litres of water from leaking.

The water company is working with Itron on the new technology, which it believes could save up to 250,000 litres of water per burst pipe – they will work by recording water flow information every 15 minutes and remotely sending this back to Yorkshire Water every 12 hours.

It will then use this data to identify when increases in demand are due to leakage and respond quickly – currently, it is not always clear whether spikes in water demand are caused by burst pipes or customers consuming more water.

Sheffield was chosen as a location for the two-year pilot for two reasons – its hills will test the capability of the wireless data transfer and its harsh winters will cause leaks the company must detect and locate quickly.

Yorkshire Water’s Clean Water Network Strategy Manager, Adam Smith, said: “This is an exciting new trial for us and emphasises our commitment to leakage reduction and service improvement for our customers.

“These new meters will hopefully help us find leaks and bursts a lot faster than previously, saving hundreds of thousands of litres of water in the process.”

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