Cities and local authorities increasingly want connected services that boost their attractiveness and sustainability and meet the demands of their residents.
In terms of water services, the shift toward the smart city includes transitioning to remote reading systems for water meters. The use of low-power radio waves means this is an easily implemented solution with no health implications.
What are the advantages of remote water meter reading?
Conventional water meters do not provide local authorities or consumers with an optimal service: water leaks are difficult to detect, reading the meter requires a visit from the technician, it is hard to monitor water use, etc.
Remote meter reading provides real-time meter readings and information about water use without the need for a home or site visit.
Why do we use remote water meter reading?
As an expert in water management for over 160 years, we are currently digitizing our solutions so that they align with the needs of tomorrow's cities. Remote water meter reading paves the way for users to benefit from new services, including:
- tracking usage in real time;
- monitoring meter anomalies (breakage, theft, etc.);
- frost alerts so they can insulate their installation and meters;
- easier access to bills and logs of their water use;
- leak detection;
- no need to wait at home for a meter reading;
- setting a limit on water use and receiving a notification (by email, text, etc.) if it is reached.
City authorities can also be alerted if water outlets or fire hydrants are leaking or being misused.
Users’ data is confidential and always will be, under all situations. We process data to improve the service provided, but we guarantee that data will always remain protected.
- Better service to residents
- Fewer leaks in the water network
- Fraud detection
Are you are a city authority? What benefits does this bring you?
We did it!
France
Working in stages over several years, we rolled out remote meter reading throughout the Paris region served by SEDIF, covering 150 separate municipalities and over 4.6 million people. Today, all new or replacement meters are fitted with a wireless module that communicates with our regional customer service center.
Japan
In 2014, we rolled out an automated remote water meter reading system to improve customer service in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. This is part of Japan’s drive to shift to a smart services model. In the same year, we opened an ultra-modern call center in Narita, a city where we have been using an electric vehicle fleet since 2012.
France
In 2015, the Lyon metropolitan region awarded us an 8-year contract to run its drinking water production and distribution services, including rolling out remote meter reading for 400,000 customers. Thanks to the new system, every week around 300 leaks after the meter are detected and affected customers are warned immediately.