Water Utility Modernizes Operation with Wireless Meter Reading
The 100 year old water utility in Vester Hassing near Aalborg, Denmark, has always held cost effectiveness and satisfied customers in high esteem.
The water utility has about 1200 connected consumers and is being consciously managed by a board of five people with Erik Aaen as chairman through 13 years.
“We make a point of thinking ahead with our investments. It is absolutely imperative that we spend our funds well and don’t waste our customers’ money. Expenses and new investments require strong arguments,” says the chairman.
Long life, low costs
Security of supply and a low cost level is crucial for a water utility of Vester Hassing’s kind. Recently new wells were taken in use and new pipes were laid out. Now the time had come to renew the water meters. Different options were in play, but in the end the long term economic argument together with the possibility of improved customer services made the utility opt for the smart water meter type MULTICAL 41 from Kamstrup.
If the utility had chosen to purchase another portion of the old mechanical meter type, they would in 2016 face the problem of not being able to renew it due to the new metering directive from the EU. The Kamstrup water meter fulfils the requirements of the EU metering directive. So in Vester Hassing they chose the long-lasting solution in complete accordance with their principles for a secure and sound operation.
Automatic meter reading
At Vester Hassing water utility they had heard about Kamstrup’s Garbage Van Solution in Odense where the meter data are being collected automatically by means of a radio transceiver placed in the city’s garbage vans.
“This seemed to us a very convincing rationalization of the otherwise cumbersome meter reading operation,” says Erik Aaen.
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Vester Hassing had a strong wish for an automated method to collect data from their water meters. The result was a walk-by solution: a radio module in the meters sends metering data to a handheld terminal with a range of 200-500 metres.
The yearly meter reading between Christmas and New Year is beyond doubt the most bothersome and ungrateful part of the water utility management. |
In order to get as many consumers as possible to report their meter data in time, the water utility announces the reading period in the media and makes three report options available: Internet, phone and letter.
The new wireless reading renders this whole procedure with all its weaknesses and possible errors superfluous. There will in future be no need for troubling the consumers with self-reporting their consumption.
Significant relief in administration and customer services
Vester Hassing shares the administration together with two district heating utilities and two other water utilities in the area. Most consumers report their consumption via the Internet, but a great deal send it by traditional mail; and the consumption data must then be typed in manually. Clearly this method poses an enormous risk of typing errors.
“And then we have those customers who never report their data and who are indifferent to reminder fees,” says the treasurer Tommy Hvedhaven. Often he had to pay the residence a visit after the expiration of the reporting period. In some cases the cover to the water well was frozen and the resident not always very helpful – to say the least, he adds after a short break.
The days with unpleasant confrontations in cold winter are now over. Tommy Hvedhaven looks forward to the trip through the neighbourhood with the handheld terminal – without pushing doorbells and finding no one at home.
Of course the water utility management also highly appreciates the fact that they will now get all meter data from exactly the same time. Even if the period of data collection is stretched over several days, the collected data will all come from the pre-programmed target date.
Precise documentation improves customer services
Having the exact consumption data at hand, the utility management is able to offer a great benefit to the customers. With the electronic water meter there will no longer be raised doubt as to the accuracy. It happens still more often that people will have their meter controlled because they suspect inaccurate metering. There is a tendency towards distrust in the meter.
“And then people call us,” says Erik Aaen. “We will then begin analyzing the consumption pattern together with the customer which often results in a long discussion and the conclusion that the customer probably has a leakage somewhere.”
The electronic water meter allows readings of the actual litres pr. hour-consumption. The utility management will then be able to present precise documentation immediately to the customer, and there will be no need for long arguments.
The meter starts counting at 3 litres pr. hour which means that even tiny amounts of water will be registered. Also the peak flow of each month will be registered for the sake of analyzing an irregular consumption pattern.
And on top of that the radio module functions as a leak alarm as well. The meter will register if there is a constant flow over 24 hours which could be a sign of a leakage. When the water meter is being read it will automatically inform of this irregularity, and the utility management can then contact the customer and draw attention to a possible dripping water tap or a leaking pipe.