Standard content for Members only
To continue reading this article, please login to your Utility Week account, Start 14 day trial or Become a member.
If your organisation already has a corporate membership and you haven’t activated it simply follow the register link below. Check here.
Data is vitally important in both the energy and water sectors and, as networks and systems in the utilities sector become smarter and the needs and expectations of the customer change, its importance is rapidly growing.
“Smart networks need smart data,” according to WRc senior consultant Andy Godley, speaking in the Wipro Water Theatre at this year’s Utility Week Live. But what is smart data, and how can it be used effectively? The answer is to think SMART.
S is for specific
What do utilities want? Specific data is important, as it can help both water and energy companies identify and fix a problem.
M is for measured
Information that is coming from a sensor or a meter in the water or energy network can be used to measure the amount of energy or water being used by a customer. This should make it easier to incentivise customers to reduce their energy and water use, as resources become more constrained.
A is for acceptable
Smart meters “appeal to the pocket of customers,” says Godley, but data privacy is important. Customers must have the right to choose which companies can see their data, and how much of it they can see.
R is for realistic
Utilities need to understand the limits of the technology, and be realistic about the extent to which data can aid them. Poor quality data is likely to hinder rather than help.
T is for time
Data collected efficiently will allow a utility company to identify and fix a problem – such as a leak for a water company or a problem at a substation for an electricity distribution company – quickly.
Data is becoming ever more prominent in the everyday operations of utility companies. The smart meter rollout will soon begin in earnest in the energy sector, and water may well follow. However, also speaking at Utility Week Live, Sutton and East Surrey Water’s innovation manager Jeremy Heath does not believe smart metering will be a national mandate because every water company will want to use smart data to resolve its own problems.
Please login or Register to leave a comment.