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A water-secure future: cost-effective and sustainable smart metering at scale
Sponsored by ST Engineering
Chong Liang Ming, Head of Smart Utilities, Urban Solutions at ST Engineering, explains how water advanced metering infrastructure can unlock efficiency, resilience and sustainability benefits for cities, utilities providers and building managers.
The pace of urbanisation has exerted new pressures on cities and the adjacent organisations that keep them efficient, sustainable and liveable. One of their most urgent challenges within this is the management of resources – and chief among them, the management of increasingly limited and precious water resources.
In many cities, water infrastructure is ageing and inefficient, contributing to inaccurate meter readings and significant water loss that create more operational challenges than it addresses. In some regions, non-revenue water loss – water that is produced but not billed to customers due to leakage, backflow and tampering, mostly – can account for up to 40-50 per cent of total water production. Additionally, manual water meter readings are prone to errors, and billing that is based on approximation rather than actual consumption is commonplace. These result in financial losses for utilities providers since consumers are not charged according to actual consumption.
These issues stem from water infrastructure that has not been digitalised. Due to age, traditional water infrastructure often lacks the capacity to provide real-time data, making it difficult for utilities providers to manage operations efficiently and proactively. At a time where sustainability is top of the agenda for cities and infrastructure owners, there is now an urgent need to modernise water management to not only ensure efficient usage, but also to support water conservation efforts to meet the current and future water demands of cities.
Digitalising water infrastructure
The first step for cities in implementing smart water solutions is to gain comprehensive water data. Starting with the digitalisation of water assets and resources, this transforms conventional metering devices into integral elements of a fully digitalised water management infrastructure.
In response to increasing water challenges, ST Engineering’s Urban Solutions business launched BrightCity, a comprehensive suite of integrated smart water advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solutions to address the pain points of cities and utilities providers. ST Engineering is a global technology, defence and engineering group with a diverse portfolio of businesses across the aerospace, smart city, defence and public security segments. BrightCity is offered amongst its suite of smart city solutions that help cities become more connected, resilient and sustainable.
BrightCity comprises the Meter Interface Unit (MIU), Meter Data Management System (MDMS), wireless communications network and customer portal.
The MIU is designed as a simple plug-and-play add-on for mechanical water meters from major manufacturers. It enables real-time data transmission to the unified MDMS which centralises information and enhances the operational efficiency of water meter systems, and provides fault detection and alerts, as well as easy in-field upgrades. The MIU is both cost-effective, as it doesn’t require the wholesale replacement of existing meters, and scalable, as it can be expanded to work with multiple types of meters, with variants that can clip onto existing meters or mounted on walls or in pits.
Built with open connectivity standards and interoperability in mind, the MIU eliminates communications network and equipment lock-in and enables greater flexibility over multiple types of deployments. Its in-built communication capabilities support always-on data transmission through cellular or LoRa networks, and on-demand data transmission through short-range radio frequencies for drive/walk-by meter readings.
The MDMS processes and stores the data from the meters, analyses and translates readings into actionable insights for more efficient water management. It reduces data siloes and centralises monitoring and management of water infrastructure and meters, streamlining operations and reducing water consumption and wastage. It also offers a unified dashboard overview which utilities providers and building managers can easily access for real-time consumption data, billing information as well as automated alerts on unusual water usage and issues with the meters’ operational health.
Sustainability and low maintenance are key priorities for BrightCity. Unlike electric meters which can draw power from the grid, water meters are typically battery powered. This requires the MIUs to be energy-efficient to ensure that the meters can operate for 10-15 years without battery replacements. As a result, the MIUs have been engineered to optimise the data packet size and transmission frequency to balance power conservation with the need for frequent data updates.
Data-driven water insights
Access to data-driven water insights empowers utilities providers and building managers in numerous impactful ways. One of the most common applications is in better planning and management of water consumption versus production. For example, in Singapore, understanding the real-time water demand helps to determine which form of water production to use at different times of the day, optimising resources and ensuring supply meets demand efficiently.
For utilities providers and their customers, this data provides detailed insights into consumption patterns. They can identify outliers and address unusual usage patterns, enabling them to shape behaviour and drive water conservation efforts. Historically, it has been challenging to promote efficient water use, but with data, managing and reducing water consumption becomes easier and more targeted.
Another significant benefit is improved leak detection. While smart water meters alone won’t pinpoint exact leak locations, they can help to localise potential leaks. Most water leaks in buildings occur before they become visible and by the time a major leak is noticed, significant water wastage would have occurred. By installing MIUs at key points in the water network, infrastructure and facilities managers can compare incoming and outgoing water volumes. A discrepancy indicates a potential leak within a specific zone, which will prompt the MDMS to alert infrastructure managers to investigate and take mitigating actions.
This targeted approach allows for more efficient and effective leak detection compared to traditional methods, which often involve laborious searches throughout buildings or rely on high water bills for detection.
Secured data and infrastructure
BrightCity prioritises data security through a multi-layered approach. It begins with secure development practices and rigorous firmware audits to eliminate vulnerabilities. Its end-to-end encryption safeguards data integrity, from meter readings to storage at the backend server, ensuring security during transit and at rest. Additionally, BrightCity leverages secure cellular networks with robust authentication and encryption features. It uses the low-power, low-cost LwM2M protocol to restrict network access to authorised devices, further enhancing overall security measures.
Future-ready cities to address water challenges
BrightCity marks a significant advancement in sustainable water management by harnessing robust engineering to address the limitations of current water AMI systems. By digitalising conventional water meter infrastructure at scale, BrightCity empowers utilities providers and end users to manage water consumption effectively and efficiently. This will help to pave the way for more efficient, resilient and sustainable water systems to meet the evolving needs of cities well into the future.
For more information about BrightCity, visit www.stengg.com/en/smart-city/urban-solutions/smart-utilities-and-infrastructure/smart-water
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How does BrightCity's MIU improve water meter data accuracy and efficiency?What role does MDMS play in centralising water consumption data management?How can smart metering detect and localise water leaks effectively?In what ways does BrightCity ensure long-term energy efficiency for meters?How does digital water infrastructure support sustainable urban water management?Latest City Profile
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