As water and electricity suppliers, Hjerting El- og Vand are setting the pace when it comes to water metering. They were one of the first water suppliers to be introduced to Kamstrup’s MULTICAL ® 21 water meters, and operational manager Dennis Schrøder tells us they never doubted that MULTICAL ®21 was the product they needed. After 3000 new meters had been installed, several test readings were carried out. In the very first of these, which included 255 meters, three leaks were registered.
Meters had to fulfil requirements
To live up to its intentions as a modern, user-friendly supplier, Hjerting El- og Vand decided to install new intelligent meters to replace the mechanical ones. Dennis Schrøder explains that one requirement was that meters should be developed and manufactured in Denmark. At the same time, they had to fulfil expectations of more accurate readings, and the decisive factor was leak surveillance.
The investment has already produced several favourable results, and has opened up some interesting possibilities for the water supply company.
Leakage surveillance prevented water damage
It used to be extremely difficult to localise leaks, and unless discovered by consumers themselves, leaks would not be noticed until the next annual meter reading. The intelligent meters enable Hjerting El- og Vand to carry out constant test readings. The meters pick up the tell-tale signs of a leak, and show an alarm code, which can also be read remotely.
Hjerting El- og Vand have already made use of this and benefited from it.
The three leaks registered at the first test reading were located to two leaking hot water tanks and a leaking bathroom pipe.
“When I called to inform the house owners, they were quite surprised at this information, but naturally, they were glad that the leaks had been discovered, preventing damage by water and stopping the waste.”
According to Dennis Schrøder the water supplier benefits just as much from the leak surveillance, since in the long term it will enable them to save a great deal of water and money.
Excellent signal in meter pits
Even though meter pits are not so widespread in Hjerting, it was still vital to choose a remotely read meter that could also be installed in a meter pit.
Traditional water meters may collect condensation in the display, so the decimals are difficult to read, but the new meters are sealed in a way that protects both the electronics and the display completely against penetration of moisture. Dennis Schrøder has only heard positive reports from consumers, too. They can easily read the meters, including the ones in meter pits.
“We were particularly interested in how meter readings in meter pits would work out, but all our experiences have been positive. The radio signals from the readings have come through clearly, and being under water has not affected the meters either.”
Dennis Schrøder, Operational Manager at Hjerting Electricity- and Water
Making full use of intelligent reading
As a leading utility supplier, Hjerting El- og Vand wants to exploit the full potential of the new meters, and therefore decided to invest in radio communication, with readings taken by a stationary antenna. The electricity meters used by Hjerting are also from Kamstrup, so it is quite simple to connect the water meters to
the same system as the electricity meters. The water meter transmits a wireless signal to the electricity meter, from which both water and electricity consumption can be read. “We anticipate that our processes can be optimised even further, and it will be a great advantage that the consumption figures can be seen directly on the computer.”
Dennis Schrøder expects even further reductions in water waste, since the stationary reader makes twenty-four-hour water surveillance possible.
Hjerting El- og Vand hope to involve consumers more in future, and they are looking into the possibilities of providing an app and an indoor consumption display, so each household can check its own consumption regularly.
FACTS OF MULTICAL® 21
- No moving parts in flow pipe
- Registers current flow and detects leaks
- Measures from 2 litres flow per hour
- Historic data for trouble shooting and tamper detection
- Remote meter reading, drive-by or stationary
- Vertical and horizontal installation
- 16 years lifetime
- Kamstrup has delivered more than 3 million ultrasonic meters for heating and drinking water installations