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Portsmouth Water has embarked on a smart meter trial to lower per capita consumption (PCC) by 20 to 30 litres ahead of rolling the programme out in AMP8.
The company, which has one of the highest rates of PCC in the country, said it will encourage customers to lower their usage for environmental reasons, rather than to save money.
Lianne Riggs, water efficiency lead at Portsmouth, told Utility Week: “Before Covid our PCC was around 147 litres to 150 litres, so to bring it down to 120 litres would be perfect. Reducing 20 to 30 litres per day per customer would be great. Giving customers the visibility and tools to make the changes should make that possible.”
The trial will take place in 50 homes for 12 months to gauge seasonal changes to usage, including as a result of freezes and bursts during the winter when the metering will be able to support leakage reductions.
Portsmouth currently has low meter penetration, which Riggs said is because bills are low in the region. “We’ve pushed and pushed that metering will save customers money but in reality that’s not going to convince people. In future we need to focus on the impact on the environment and resources are running low, so it’s the right thing to do.”
Following the trial, the company wants to ramp up its smart meter programme in the next investment period from 2025 to 2030 covered by PR24. Prior to that customer surveys will ascertain what level of communication and contact users prefer.
“Of course, there is a greater cost to smart metering than standard metering,” Riggs said, “But you can get a lot from the technology versus that cost. We certainty would have on balancing our water demand, and the demand on our networks will be a lot lower if customers are using less water.”
Portsmouth said increased engagement with billpayers in the trial, together with near real-time data on how their consumption changes at different times of day and season, will guide people to reconsider water use in their homes.
Following the trial, the company wants to ramp up its smart meter programme at PR24.
As well as the smart meter trial, Portsmouth has invited its customers to join the Get Water Fit programme to encourage people to take part in saving challenges and offers free water efficiency devices.
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