The transition to digital metering is a transformative journey for water utilities, offering significant benefits in efficiency, customer engagement, and water conservation. However, rolling out a digital metering program across an entire network can be daunting and complex. Taggle, who have extensive local experience, recommend a staged approach as a structured and scalable way to implement digital metering while ensuring clear, measurable outcomes at each stage.
By breaking down the deployment into manageable stages, utilities can mitigate risks, optimize resources, and continuously improve their strategies. This article outlines how to plan and set up the stages for a successful digital metering journey and the importance of defining clear objectives at each step.
Stage One: Start with a District Metered Area (DMA)
The first stage, which is often a validation or pilot stage, has proven most successful at achieving outcomes when it is based around a District Metered Area (DMA). Creating a microcosm with one or two DMAs provides a clear snapshot to understand, visualise and experience what the future state looks like when you scale up.
Versus a pilot where the meters are scattered across the network, this might include the top 100 water users for example. Taggle have found that this can get provide some good savings from large leaks but does not represent a microcosm and prepare the utility for scaling in the same way that a DMA approach does.
The DMA structure is also the most efficient deployment program as you have a concentrated area for customer communications and installation. You’ll also maximise the benefits by not just capturing water wastage (leaks behind the meter), but also network non-revenue water within that DMA. Data on how water usage behaves within a DMA provides insights into time of day and peak demands which can provide valuable information for pumping operations.
It’s important that the first stage represents a complete small portion of the full network as it is used to assess the work needed to manage the organisational change process as digital meters are rolled out. The DMA approach gives a snapshot of all the benefits which can then be used to validate assumptions in the business case, critical when funding a large-scale rollout.
Transitioning from Stage One to a Full Deployment
As stage one wraps up, it is important to evaluate if the outcomes were achieved, if there were challenges or processes to smoothen out prior to the next stage. Then get planning with the next stage.
Scaling to full deployment with the insights gained from stage one, utilities can refine their strategy for full-scale deployment. Expanding beyond the initial DMA requires careful planning, ensuring that installation teams, customer engagement strategies, and data integration processes are optimized. Lessons learned from the pilot should inform broader staff training, process improvements, and system adjustments to handle increased data volumes. By progressively increasing coverage, utilities can scale up digital metering in a way that ensures efficiency, stakeholder confidence, and a maximized return on investment.
Defining clear outcomes to ensure the success of a staged digital metering journey and helps to prove the business case. Utilities must set clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at each phase, such as:
• Reduction in NRW losses and network leaks.
• Leak management for residential and commercial properties
• Improved customer engagement and satisfaction.
• Cost savings from operational efficiencies.
• Billing efficiency and accuracy with system integration
By regularly assessing progress against these metrics, utilities can make data-driven decisions and refine their approach for optimal outcomes.
A staged approach to digital metering allows utilities to implement a robust and sustainable metering strategy while managing risks and optimising resources. Starting with a well-structured stage one within a DMA, utilities can validate their business case, refine operational processes, and build stakeholder confidence. By taking the lessons learned from early stages and progressively expanding, a full-scale rollout becomes a well-informed and seamless transition. This methodical approach ensures that the benefits of digital metering—enhanced efficiency, water conservation, and improved customer engagement—are fully realised across the entire network.
The article was first published in Utility Magazine