Smart meters significantly reduce water consumption and costs
“Within 4 years of meter installation, we recorded 50% savings in water expenses and consumption.” - Manu Bhai Patel, Secretary, Amisha Apartments
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The challenge: Getting an overview of consumption was difficult
Amisha Apartments comprises 76 individual apartments across three tower buildings in Mumbai, India. Until recently, their water supply was highly inefficient, inequitable, and expensive. With no centralised method for monitoring or billing water use, residents were charged a flat rate, meaning residents were never billed for their actual consumption. As a result, water waste began to skyrocket, unidentified leaks within the system were common, and an external water tanker was often needed to supplement the monthly water demands of the apartments. The tanker brought its own problems with it; its use was too expensive to be a long-term solution, and the water was often contaminated, leading to health concerns for the residents.
The solution: Smart metering secures fair billing and a great overview
To address this problem, in 2016, the managing committee of Amisha Apartments society was on the lookout for an accurate and efficient water monitoring system. Their search was answered by getting to know Kamstrup’s solutions and installing intelligent flowIQ® 2101 ultrasonic water meters in every apartment, totalling 130 metering points. The society also opted for a walk-by automatic meter reading system that could provide them meter data on the go as per their desired frequency.
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Mindful consumption and billing transparency is key to saving water and money
Thanks to the new flowIQ® 2101 water meters, each individual apartment is now charged for their exact water use, and the water bills are generated quarterly. The meters gave the residents the transparency required to monitor their water consumption on a daily and monthly basis, which helped significantly reduce the overall water consumption and expense of the society. Over four years, Amisha Apartments saved an average of 50% on their water consumption and 60% on their water expenses. What’s more, the metering solution was so efficient that it enabled the residents to remove their dependence on the supplementary water tanker altogether.
Intelligent meters detect leaks and save valuable water
Improved transparency from regular meter data has also helped Amisha Apartments detect leaks. When the first meter reading was carried out after the meter installation, 47 unidentified leaks came to light. These were leaks that would otherwise go unnoticed for months, like water dripping from sink pipes, leakage in toilet seat or cistern, or even running taps in unoccupied apartments. Thanks to industry-leading accuracy, flowIQ® 2101 has a low start flow down to 2 l/hour, ensuring that even meagre flow rates are measured. This is especially important for the society as they previously were unable to detect any leaks in their system. The new metering system has built so much trust within the society that they have now made it a practice to take frequent meter readings for vacant apartments. Whenever a flat is let out on rent, they observe the meter data closely for at least 24 hours in the empty flat. After being satisfied that no leaks are identified by the meter reading solution, they hand over the keys to the tenant.
Wireless technology improves billing efficiency
The automatic meter reading system with a walk-by/drive-by solution has helped collect consumption data quickly and efficiently, providing the society with tools to maintain fair and accurate billing for their residents.
USB Meter Reader is a compact device that fits comfortably in a pocket, even with the power pack, making it easy to transport. Within seconds, consumption readings are received, and this data is easily transferred to a PC. Software can be downloaded from the Kamstrup website. The meter list can be transferred to the USB Meter Reader when connected to a PC or wirelessly when connected to the USB power supply. This exchange of data is carried out quickly and automatically.
Meter reading at Amisha Apartments is carried out on a monthly basis and this can be done by a watchman or support staff as this data collection activity is extremely simple even for unskilled staff. The bills are generated quarterly based on a telescopic rate card maintained by the society to ensure all the residents are charged for their consumption only. This transparency has built trust among all the residents and the managing committee, which has resulted in a sense of accountability to manage their consumption.
About the project:
- Name of the Client: Amisha Apartments, Mumbai, India
- Number of metering points: 130
- Kamstrup solution: flowIQ(R)2101 ultrasonic smart water meter. AMR with USB meter reader and walk-by/drive-by solution
- Year of installation: 2017
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