ANU saves with smart water metering

Australian National University (ANU) is committed to running a sustainable and environmentally friendly campus. The university thus requires accurate water use data to help make informed decisions on how to manage water use and how to reduce consumption costs.

WaterGroup was engaged through a tender process to supply and install its SIM (Standalone Intelligent Meter) Loggers on each existing water meter across the campus. The SIM Loggers are designed to attach to utility meters to collect water meter usage data which is then delivered via the 3G network to WaterGroup’s cloud server.

The data collected by the smart meters is displayed on WaterGroup’s interactive smart metering website, with usage displayed via informative graphs and stats. The smart metering website has the ability to transfer collected data to any other nominated platform via FTP, API, Dropbox or email.

Automatic alarms and reports were also set up on the smart metering platform in consultation with ANU. These features inform ANU of unwarranted consumption in a timely manner and help gain both water and cost savings.

The university had over 180 water monitoring devices installed across its network in August 2016. Six weeks later, approximately $300,000 in potential water usage savings had been identified. The smart metering network has also resulted in the establishment of sustainability challenges for student accommodation groups to complete on water usage efficiency, among other benefits.

The rollout of the smart metering system was a landmark project that is helping ANU’s Facilities & Services Division identify unaccounted water usage. Identifying such water waste is leading to significant cost savings, as well as the prioritisation of water-saving measures. It is thus helping ANU in its strategic goal to drive down its water footprint and reduce its water utility costs.