Smart Water Utility
Before answering that question, we have to ask another: What makes water utilities different? Obviously, one answer is the resource the utility delivers – water. But we also have to look at how water utilities operate and the issues that are important to them.
Take conservation, for instance – it’s crucial in communities where water is scarce; and utility management programs must factor in measures to monitor and curb excessive consumption. In other areas, water availability isn't the challenge. Where parts of the water infrastructure are a great deal older than that for electric or gas utilities, water leaks caused by corroding pipes, as well as funding for repair and maintenance, become major concerns.
So far, the "smart grid" that’s all the buzz in the electric market hasn’t shown itself to be an exact fit for the water industry. The more water utilities realize that electric and gas solutions may not work for water, the better they understand what they do need. That’s the beginning of working smart.
Water-Smart
The first criterion for being a "smart water utility" is "water smarts." Water smarts requires a focus both on conservation (demand-side management) and Non-Revenue Water (supply-side management).
Before a water system can be managed intelligently, a utility must have accurate data direct from the measurement source – in this case, smart encoders where the register meets the meter. The encoder should be a solid-state absolute encoder with 8-digit, high-resolution registration – such as Neptune’s E-Coder®. Whereas a standard 6-wheel encoder gives 10-gallon registration, an 8-digit encoder registers all the way down to a tenth of a gallon. This way, the encoder is able to flag smaller leaks early, before they have a chance to become a problem.
A smart encoder should also monitor flows in 15-minute intervals to accurately detect not only leaks but also reverse flow events and possible theft situations as well. It can also assist with correct meter sizing.
Acoustic leak sensors can transmit sound vibration information from water distribution mains and service connections, including alarms to signal leak conditions anywhere along the entire distribution system. The data collected is passed seamlessly into ARB® N_SIGHT™ host software where leak reports can prioritize leak surveys, correlation activities, and direct repairs.
AMI System-Smart
For utilities that need to support District Metered Area (DMA) monitoring and accurately compare pumped-to-billed water, the smart option is to select a time-synchronized AMI system such as ARB® FixedBase™ AMI that provides a precise snapshot in time of water use. Only time-synchronized meter readings can be compared to one another for analysis of consumption anomalies.
That same AMI system should be able to provide hourly interval data that's as useful to end-use customers as it is to utilities. For instance, utilities can use profile usage data to determine annual water budgets for a customer segment or even individual accounts. By showing customers how their current water use compares to the past, utilities can encourage customers to adopt water conservation measures. A smart AMI system provides hourly interval water use monitoring (for high-frequency move-ins/move-outs) and time-of-use billing initiatives.
Meter-Smart and Revenue-Smart
Being water-smart takes care of one major resource. When you add meter smarts, you protect other utility resources including time, money, and personnel. For instance, by specifying the correct meter for the application, you can help maximize revenue and achieve regulatory compliance.
A high meter IQ includes the ability to accurately measure low flows down to 1/8 gpm in residential meters, helping to identify smaller leaks much faster. On the other end of things, maximum flow range, as well as revenue, is generated by utilities smart enough to select the right meter for the right application. Far too many utilities use only turbine meters for all their Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (ICI) applications. Not all ICI applications are created equal. Many of these applications consist of a mix of processes and potable water use requirements that demand a wide range of flow measurement and are better suited to compound meters. Compound meters are capable of capturing high flow rates and extremely low flow rates down to 1/8 gpm that turbine meters are not capable of registering.
Neptune also offers other ways to boost the revenue intelligence of meters – including the ICI meters that typically generate the majority of utility revenues. Like their residential counterparts, these ICI meters incorporate easily replaceable Unitized Measuring Elements (UMEs) for simple maintenance, so they perform optimally and stay on the job. And the SEER® (Statistical Evaluation for the Enhancement of Revenue) performance modeling tool predicts the accuracy of these meters to within two standard deviations while calculating the payback of their replacement.
A water utility is smart not only when it follows AWWA meter testing guidelines for ICI meters but also adheres to environmental regulations. Neptune offers utilities no-lead bronze meters that meet NSF/ANSI 61 Annex G & F requirements. By choosing Neptune, utilities think in the long-term, and that’s also smart – whether it’s realizing the Life Cycle Value that comes with sustained accuracy over time or using stainless steel bodied fire service meters for added safety and maximum meter life.
Customer-Smart
When it comes to understanding your customer, nothing’s as smart as the right AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) system. The information provided by Neptune’s ARB FixedBase AMI System allows your utility to profile water usage for each account, with 24-hour consumption data presented in tables and graphs for every end-user. And with that information in hand, your customer service personnel can better manage customer inquiries and expectations as well as educate customers on water conservation. The System’s ability to put actionable data in your customer’s hands via e-mail or web portals makes your utility even smarter.
Data-Smart
As mentioned earlier, solid-state encoders such as Neptune's E-Coder are not only water-smart; they’re also data-smart. The E-Coder’s 8-digit resolution and 15-minute consumption monitoring for advanced leak, tamper, and reverse flow detection allow the generation of event flags for these situations. In the case of an AMI system such as
ARB FixedBase AMI, when those same event conditions are met, the MIU overrides its normal transmission schedule to immediately send the smart encoder’s alarm information. The ARB® N_SIGHT™ AMI host software allows configuration for emailing selected personnel immediately so that they can take action to address the situation.
This kind of actionable data is what drives smart water utilities to integrate all the daily work processes of their entire systems – including Customer Information Systems (CIS), Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). By integrating a smart encoder with even smarter software, you can proactively take care of many problems before customers can call them in. And instead of personnel having to extract and decipher data, an integrated system automatically mines the data you need – to provide actionable reports at the click of a mouse.
Energy-Smart
AMR and AMI system technologies such as ARB® FixedBase™ AMR and ARB FixedBase AMI can significantly reduce the number of meter reading vehicles and time on the road. It’s not just extra-efficient; it’s also energy-smart, reducing your carbon footprint. By reducing or eliminating truck rolls, a typical utility that gathers reads once a month from thousands of accounts can literally save tons of CO2 emissions per vehicle every year.
Smart water utilities also pay attention to the demand-side management of water. AMI system technologies assist water utilities in managing their water distribution requirements and controlling the energy costs associated with pumping and treating water.
Future-Smart
It really does pay to plan ahead. And to plan smart. Knowing that the system you deploy today will still be in place more than 10 years from now, you can assess short-term and long-term needs as well as business drivers that support your particular AMR or AMI system initiative.
When preparing RFP documents, make sure your specifications address what you mean to accomplish – for example, monthly or daily reads or using fewer meter readers. Stay open to whatever systems will best achieve your goals, whether AMR or AMI. This is better than simply specifying a functionality without knowing what it can do to meet your utility’s individual needs – what your definition of "demand read" is, what latency is allowed, or what customer service or operational needs you are trying to address, for instance. Not all AMR and AMI systems are created equal. They operate in different frequency bands, have different communication schemes, different output power, utilize different battery sizes in endpoints and, as a result, address utility needs in different ways. Spelling out specific needs in RFP requirements will ensure the system you select will best meet your needs.
Your utility, while it may share concerns with others, is unique. Your strengths and challenges are unique. And so is the AMR or AMI system that will keep your utility running efficiently and effectively well into the future. Selecting an AMR or AMI system that meets your utility’s short-term and long-term needs and a system provider that is financially strong, has a proven track record of manufacturing quality products and taking care of its customers, makes your utility "future-smart".