Portsmouth Water expects to install a smart meter in all of its customers’ properties within eight years.
The water company said the rollout will cost £40 million and is seeking a partner to lead on the installation project for both domestic and business customers.
Portsmouth said the scheme will usher in a “new era of water management” by enhancing operational efficiency, improving customer service and promoting water conservation.
“Our universal metering programme represents Portsmouth Water’s unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability in water,” said Jim Barker, head of water resources at Portsmouth.
“By embracing smart metering technology, we aim to empower our customers with greater control over their water usage, while simultaneously fostering operational efficiency and environmental stewardship.”
The next phase of the scheme is to gather and relay data from the network to the water company to inform network decisions as well as supporting water efficiency targets.
Smart metering and measures to better manage demand have come into focus for the upcoming price review. PR24 is the first time Ofwat has specified that companies add smart style devices instead of older style meters.
Granularity of data from smart meters can inform consumers of their daily usage as well as when this is highest. Customer-side leaks can be identified also if meter readings show higher flows at a property.
Portsmouth’s plan for PR24 proposed £75 million of expenditure on smart metering between 2025-30 and £10 million to reduce leakage by 16%.
Some £7 million was proposed to upgrade IT systems to become the first fully smart company. Utility Week previously revealed the company’s adoption of the Kraken operating system to facilitate the ambition.
The smart network scheme is based on a pilot from 2021, which was designed to drive per capita consumption down by 20-30 litres daily.
Meter penetration has remained relatively low in Portsmouth’s region. The company attributed this to billpayers not seeing the financial benefits associated with a meter because it already has the lowest charges in the country.
At 160 litres PCC, Portsmouth’s customers are at the higher end of consumption and above the average of 145 litres.