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As the energy sector gears up to install smart electricity and gas meters in every home in the UK by 2020, water is getting “left behind”, according to the Society of British Water and Wastewater Industries (SBWWI).
In a paper published by the trade association, SBWWI said that without “a clear strategy” for smart water metering it was difficult for the supply chain to deliver “smart and innovative solutions”.
SBWWI has called for the re-establishment of a national smart metering forum, to be led by the government, Ofwat or the Environment Agency.
According to the association, this would provide the industry with a platform to discuss the policy and future direction for water smart metering, agree the common specification for smart meters and discuss research needs.
SBWWI said: “Domestic water metering in the UK progresses in a piecemeal fashion, with each UK water company having different approaches, policies and metering coverage.”
It is concerned that where meters are installed, they are usually “dumb” as water companies are struggling to make an economic case for smart meters to Ofwat,
In addition, the association claims there is no clear policy and planning for the future of smart metering.
SBWWI said it needed a “strong, single voice”, representing the interests of the water sector in energy smart metering agenda as well as a stakeholder forum where water companies, regulators, the supply chain, and customers can work together on a common agenda for the future.
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