Northumbrian to add a million smart meters

Northumbrian Water has laid out plans to install more than one million smart water meters by 2030.

The devices will connect to an integrated data management system that will let the company detect and reduce customer-side leaks.

The smart network will relay hourly information via software from Siemens that will let Northumbrian analyse data and tell customers of any anomalies in consumption, including potential leaks.

The network will help the company meet its regulatory targets to lower water consumption and to continue to reduce leakage across networks.

Northumbrian’s water resource management plan (WRMP) for 2025-30 states that the company plans for all metered properties to have a smart meter by 2035 and said it will not install anymore non-automated meters. The area is not classified as water stressed so uptake of metering is currently optional.

Gary Adams, head of smart transformation at Northumbrian, described the software implementation as “a critical cornerstone” in the company’s smart metering journey.

He said it would allow the company to “effectively manage the large volumes of metering data we will receive and to drive efficient operational activity for both our customers and our wider business providing access to granular smart data at the click of a button”.

Siemens worked with Northumbrian to design, develop, test and launch the meter data management software service. It will be Siemens largest deployment of grid software so far.

Meanwhile within Northumbrian’s plans for wastewater, the company has mapped upgrades for two sewage treatment works between Darlington and Stockton worth £4 million.

The enhancements are designed to help improve water quality of the final treated effluent to protect the watercourses the sites release into.

Work is due to be completed on the sites by May 2024 and aligns with the company’s ambition to improve river health across its region.

watr