ABSTRACT
Intelligent metering Water meters have typically been installed in a meter box, often in the garden. They have to be physically read. The set-up in Figure 7.1a is not atypical. However, the gas and, particularly, the electricity industries in the developed world have adopted smart meters that measure continuously and so can allow smart tariffs and excellent customer inform - ation. Automatic meter reading can be carried out remotely. It often uses wireless tech - nology to connect to a local station, which might be a van passing down the street to read all the meters. The frequency of the reading is the key to whether it is just a more convenient dumb meter or a much smarter device. A true smart meter reads the flows ‘continuously’ (e.g. Figure 7.1b), reports the information to the water company, analyses the information and presents various sum - maries to the consumer. So, in addition to the meter there is likely to be a consumer wireless display unit. A smart meter may be able to provide extremely valuable waterdemand information which enables water providers to deliver services more efficiently. For example, knowing if there are areas or households with particular patterns in water demand (e.g. religious or cultural patterns) may enable water pressures to be altered during the day to suit those areas, thereby also reducing any volumes of water leaking from underground pipes at other times of the day.
