The meters will gather real-time information on water capacity levels, consumption and pass through; this is fed back to Icosa Water via a smart metering platform.
Icosa Water is a regulated water and wastewater services provider, established to offer new development residents with water and sewerage services, and operates in the southeast of England. Connexin describes itself as a smart city operator.
The need for action in this regard was recently underlined at the Waterwise conference, where Sir James Bevan, the head of the Environment Agency, warned that the UK could run out of water in under 25 years. He announced to the Waterwise conference, in London earlier this year: “Around 25 years from now, where those [demand and supply] lines cross is known by some as the ‘jaws of death’ – the point at which we will not have enough water to supply our needs, unless we take action to change things. The country’s rising population is on the verge of exceeding the falling supply of water. Climate change is also a factor.” he added.” It is estimated that the population of the UK is set to rise dramatically, from about 67 million to 75 million in 2050, with this rise will come an increased demand for water.
Sir Bevan added: “Running short of water could be avoided if people’s water use was cut by a third and leakage from water company pipes by 50 per cent.”
Connexin CTO Will Kebbell said: “By actively monitoring water pressure and investigating abnormalities, water companies can be more proactive - resolving issues before they escalate or affect customers. LoRaWAN is a versatile technology and which can support a range of use cases in differing industries. Recently, Connexin have partnered with Hull City Council to help improve waste collection in the city, however LoRaWAN has also been used across the world to improve social care, public services and in the commercial sector.”
