Meeting Water and Energy Saving Goals: Using Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Sensors, and Intelligent Software and Communication Network Tools
Advanced technologies, including AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) and Intelligent sensors are tools that utilities and institutional facility managers are tools that utilities and institutional facility and operations and maintenance managers are turning to reduce water loss, operating expenses, and unplanned repairs and equipment replacement. In addition, sensors and meters can provide data to machine learning models to help predict water and energy loss, leaks, and other preventable risks. Finally, the adoption of low-cost, scalable, and sensor/metering communication networks, including LoRaWAN, are making it more affordable for teams to deploy these tools across their campus, network, and cities. Many of these technologies can also be integrated into SCADA or other critical enterprise software systems to provide users with a single point of ground-truth for operations.
The following are some examples of technologies that help teams remotely monitor, detect, predict, and respond to unplanned water and energy consumption and loss
Pressure sensors and AI software that can detect, pinpoint and prioritize leaks before they become problematic and cause boil notifications and neighborhood shutdowns.
Pressure sensors monitoring supply/demand imbalances to optimize water operations in a distribution network and to identify water loss between wholesale and retail water distribution points
Monitor pumping and related equipment for sub-optimal performance and potential water supply/demand imbalances
Level sensors to monitor signs of infiltration and intake that can drive higher energy/treatment costs
End-point valves to regulate water consumption for customers that are aligned with drought and conservation schedules
Irrigation soil moisture sensors to reduce commercial, household, and agricultural water consumption
Commercial and household water leak and flood detection sensors
Circuit and device level energy consumption to monitor individual drivers of higher energy consumption at the plant, pump station, or across the utility operations
AMI meters that are read remotely and report water consumption on a more frequent basis than older metering technologies to improve timely insights into end-user water consumption
Steam trap sensors to monitor energy loss from closed or open steam trap failures