SMART WATER, SMART CITIES

Digitising water systems reduces non-revenue water and operating costs, which is a pre-requisite for any municipality attempting to modernise towards smart city standards.

Few cities have reached the status of being comprehensively ‘smart’, yet there are some examples of smart city advances, such as dynamic traffic lights in New York and smart energy grids in Shenzen. Smart water adoption has outpaced most other smart infrastructure initiatives because utilities can quantify the financial impact of leak reduction, pressure management and regulatory compliance. Water infrastructure is often the first viable entry point for smart city deployment because it delivers measurable economic outcomes such as reduced energy use in pumping.

Smart water systems allow utilities and building owners to cut operating costs through leak detection, pressure optimisation and predictive maintenance. According to the Global Infrastructure Hub, implementing smart meters retroactively on buildings reduces their consumption by as much as 22%. Leak detection reduces water waste and motivates lower insurance premiums.

Smart water is a combination of technologies: sensors to monitor systems, data gathered from those sensors and software that turns the data into actionable knowledge. It also extends to renewables such as rainwater capture and grey water recycling.

By applying relatively simple solutions like connecting smart meters to pipes, site managers have the benefit of accurate, data-driven reporting. It encourages exploring advanced technologies, and smart buildings can support municipalities through integrated reporting systems.

When buildings adopt compatible smart water technologies, municipalities gain access to consumption and leak pattern data that strengthens planning and reduces system losses. Retrofittable sensors, telemetry and analytics can be layered onto existing pump and treatment assets, reducing upgrade costs. This can be on a new development site or to enhance the city’s oldest building.

Focussing on making water smarter will create smarter cities.

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