Smart Meters and the smart grid are beginning to be talked about in the mainstream press as more and more electricity companies roll out smart meter projects. Smart Meter project are underway or imminent throughout the world in countries such as Victoria, Australia, (http://bit.ly/363G7a), Italy (http://bit.ly/1avyko) and Brazil (http://bit.ly/1YOLTn). Smart meters are typically defined as a new type of electricity meter. These types of smart meters provide two-way communication to both the consumer and the electricity utility of consumption by time of use so the days of the meter reader calling to a person's house are fast coming to an end.. Smart Meters are replacing this old Automatic Reading (AMR) system and provide more detailed information. However, smart meters are often incorrectly assumed to refer solely to electricity measurement. The question then is what other kinds of energy usage can be measured by smart meters and what are the issues and challenges facing the deployment of smart meters not only for electricity utilties but also for organisations and domestic households? Over the next few weeks, we will examine these issues.

In essence, smart meters are designed to tell customers how much energy they are consuming on a real time basis. This data includes not only how much energy they're consuming but also the monetary cost of this consumption and the impact the consumption is having on greenhouse gas emissions. A smart meter can't pinpoint which appliances are consuming most energy or the cost of energy at different times of the day but a smart meter is a necessary component for facilitating Demand Response and other techniques and systems that can provide this information. Smart meters are deployed throughout a geographical area and relay consumption data back to the utility provider. This network of meters is what makes up a 'smart grid'. With a smart grid, utility companies have the capability to measure consumption on an per-area or per-premises basis.

Typically smart meters take periodic measurement of consumption during specific time periods and communicate this data to a utility or a smart meter management company, usually on a daily basis. These meters are also known as interval meters. Some meters may also provide an easy to read display to help consumers reduce consumption and monitor compliance with local laws and regulations. There are different types of smart meters for measuring different types of consumption. Currently, smart meters are provided for the measurement of water, gas and electricity consumption.

A water smart meter measures the consumption of water in a household or organisation. The data provided by this type of meter indicates the amount of water being used as well as its flow patterns and can be used to track, predict and change trends in water supply demand for organisations. For organisations and individuals in certain industries such as agriculture, water usage is a key metric and a managed water system can enable the early detection of leaks, the reduction of waste water and the early warning of fluctuating rates of water usage. While the measurement intervals of smart meters are usually either 10 or 14 minutes for electricity companies intervals of 30 to 60 minutes are more common for water utilities.

Water smart meters provide a rich pool of data to the utility company. Chief among this data are details of leaks at consumer premises.Many algorithms can be used to detect leaks but one simple rule of thumb is to ascertain where hourly usage ever drops to zero. If it doesn't, it's likely that there is a water leak. In many jurisdictions, consumers may be fined for not repairing a water leak so timely notification of such data would be likely to win customer goodwill. Leak or indeed theft of water from a mains can also be detected by comparing the day's consumption for the users of the mains (e.g. residences on a street) with readings from the water mains serving the street. A water smart grid infrastructure can also detect a drop in pressure for a water main. This usually denotes a break. By pinpointing the location and extent of a water main break in a timely fashion, utilities can respond to problems in their network and service their customers in a more satisfactory fashion.

In certain parts of the world drought is a major issue. In such cases, it is essential to identify outdoor watering or non-essential water use during daylight hours. Up to now, it has been difficult to enforce restrictions on such behaviour but individual smart meters that would detect such over-consumption and violation of restrictions make compliance much easier to enforce.

While smart meter programs are expensive to implement, they do provide consumers with better service at a cheaper cost once they are installed. For example, it is possible to determine final meter readings and issue final bills for customers leaving an area. Water flow can be remotely disconnected or restricted where appropriate. This means that utilities no longer have to send service engineers to customers who have requested a disconnect or are being disconnected for non-payment. Meters can also be tested remotely to check that they are working. Similarly, theft of a meter can be remotely detected.

Like electricity and gas meters, water smart meters ensure that bills are based on actual readings rather than on estimates. This minimises disagreements and conflict with the consumer and the water utility, reduces calls querying and/or complaining about bills to the utility and improves customer satisfaction.  Water smart meters can also help control electricity costs for the utility itself. Many utilities pump water to a high point during off peak hours when electricity prices are lower. To avoid turning on these pumps during periods of high electricity prices the utility can develop water rates that track electricity rates. This reduces peak water consumption.

Figure 1: Smart Meters are a key component of Water Conservation Programs

One issue that should also be considered is the granularity of measurement. Often, one water smart meter records the water consumption for a premises even if this premises is a large site. To obtain a better quality of data, individual it may be necessary to also install meters at high use areas like cooling towers, iririgation systems, food preparation areas or at a rainwater supply tank. This finer level of measurement will lead to a more effective water management system where will not only enable overuse at a business premises be detected on a timely basis but also the exact location of the problem.

The management of water smart meters is a key issue as the data generated is used for fault and operations management as well as billing purposes. As we will discuss in the next few weeks, the lack of standardisation is hindering the capture of this data. Vertoda can not only capture data from smart water meters but also transform that data into meaningful information for reporting leakages and providing details of revenue generated as well as acting as a bridge between the water network and the software and Information Systems of the utility.