The modern business landscape makes sustainability the need of the hour. It’s no longer a buzzword but an essential strategy for growth and success. Water conservation is an utmost important sustainable practice that holds a significant place in the industry, especially for businesses with high water usage. And, without a doubt, smart water meters have become one of the promising tools in the industry to fight the battle against excessive water usage and wastage. With smart water meters, businesses can not only reduce their environmental footprint but also enjoy substantial financial savings.
By type, smart meters are divided into three categories:
- Smart Water Meters
- Smart Energy Meters
- Smart Gas Meters.
You can term them as industrial, residential, and commercial by application. In this article, we will focus on Smart Water Meters - their application, uses, and benefits.
However, before we begin, let’s look at some market statistics. In 2021, the global smart meter market size was valued at USD 9660.94 million and is expected to rise to a CAGR of 8.11%, reaching USD 15424.25 million by 2027.
IoT Analytics’ Global Smart Meter Market Tracker 2020-2030 estimates that since the end of 2023, around 1.06 billion smart meters (water, electricity, gas) have been installed globally.
Let’s dive deeper into why businesses need water meters and how they utilize these smart water meters for their business.
What is a Smart Water Meter?
Also called water consumption meters because these are sustainable and environment friendly, businesses often leverage their functionality and features for water management.
In layman's terms, a smart water meter is a digital device that measures and monitors water usage in real time to provide reliable data based on water consumption patterns.
Smart water meters function efficiently through wireless technology and communicate remotely while enabling automated readings and data transmission for consumers and utility providers.
Let’s understand this with a simple example: If a commercial building has a smart water meter, it tracks the water usage and detects leaks. On leak detection, a smart water meter alerts the building management for repairs to avoid water wastage.
Smart water meters can also be accessed online via the user’s mobile app. In short, they empower users to monitor and manage their consumption with greater convenience, efficiency, and better conservation capabilities.
Is there a Need for Smart Water Meters?
To fulfill the fundamental aspect of water conservation and efficient water management, smart water meters act like indispensable tools for detecting leaks and other limitations to avoid significant water losses and high financial costs.
In short, the need for smart water meters arises for the following reasons:
- Cost saving
- Leak detection
- Water conservation
- Powerful data insights
- Improved sustainability
- Enhanced operational efficiency
A good smart water meter takes measurements without getting affected by the change in pressures in the water supply. It records the minutest changes in water usage. Due to all the above reasons, many people also call it an Eco-friendly Water Meter.
Also Read: 10 Differences Between Flow Meter And Water Meter
How to Install a Smart Water-Saving Meter?
There are standardized guidelines given by the Bureau of Indian Standards for smart water meter installation. The general steps for smart water meter installation are as follows:
- Assess the existing water infrastructure and location for suitable placement of the smart meter
- Ensure that the water supply is shut properly to prevent interruptions or leaks during the process. You can fit sediment filters to ensure there are no particles or sediments that find their way into the meter.
- In case of multiple inlet pipes, re-plumb the pipes into a single water main for each flat.
- Install the smart water meter in the designated location near the main water line. Look for technical professional assistance to avoid any issues during installation.
- Configure and program the water conservation meter to collect and transmit water usage data at regular intervals.
The best part about new-age smart water meters is that they provide you with accurate information on usage statistics, water consumption, and alerts on anomalies like leakages, very high or low consumption, changes in flow rate pattern, long-hour usage, etc. You can get access to this information via online portals or even on your smartphone through an app.
Also Read: The Huge Role Of Water In ESG Reporting
What’s Better - Traditional Water Meters or Smart Water Meters?
Smart water meters are designed to offer advanced functionalities like remote monitoring, leak detection, and real-time data collection as compared to traditional water meters. A few major differences are highlighted in the table below:
How Much Water and Money Can You Save by Installing a Smart Water Meter?
Smart meters for water conservation help businesses save significant amounts of water by addressing and detecting leaks promptly.
To give you an example, a hotel with a smart water meter installed can easily detect a bathroom leak and save around 10,000 gallons of water per month.
Smart water meters influence user behavior to conserve water through multiple mechanisms like real-time monitoring, usage alerts and notifications, access to usage data, budgeting and goal setting, behavioral feedback, etc.
Smart water meters also offer tamper-proof benefits with features like tamper detection, electronic tamper alerts, data integrity, remote monitoring and control for promoting water conservation.
Businesses can easily reduce water waste, water bills, and operational expenses by optimizing usage with these efficient water usage meters.
For instance, if a manufacturing plant installs smart water meters, they can reduce their water expenses leading to cost savings of around USD 5,000 per month.
With real-time data on water usage, companies can identify the areas of inefficiency and implement optimum resource allocation strategically, thus leading to efficient resource allocation.
For example, if a commercial building optimizes irrigation schedules based on data from smart water meters, they can reduce water usage by 16% leading to savings of USD 2,000 monthly.
The best thing is that smart water meters can detect abnormal usage patterns that allow businesses to address issues while avoiding costly repairs.
Taking a hypothetical example, if a restaurant detects a malfunction in a dishwasher with its smart water meter, this will prevent water wastage by USD 500.
Installing smart water meters is a step forward in a company's sustainability journey, offering both environmental and economic benefits.
By reducing water consumption, businesses not only save on utility bills but also contribute to the conservation of this precious resource, aligning their operations with global sustainability standards.
In conclusion, as more businesses adopt these innovative tools, the cumulative effect on global water conservation can be profound, marking a positive step towards a sustainable future for all.
Also Read: The Only Way Businesses Can Become Water Secure
Save Water with Kritsnam’s Ultrasonic Smart Water Meters
Designed specifically for organizations committed to becoming water-secure, Kritsnam’s Dhaara Live helps achieve water efficiency while complying with the regulations and the best part is it comes with a feature of super-easy reporting.
With Kritsnam’s Dhaara Live, saving water is as easy as a pie. You get timely alerts, regular reminders, and personalized reports with dashboard services that are ideal for water managers.
In addition to Dhaara Live, Kritsnam Technologies stands out from the crowd because of its new-age smart water meter called Dhaara Smart which is powered by IoT and advanced latest sensor technologies.
With battery-powered capabilities and integrated telemetry, it becomes easier for companies to manage water consumption from anywhere and at any time, even when the power is down.
Click here to explore all smart water meters by Kritsnam.
