Smart water meters are to be installed at seven locations across the city-state from 2022 as part of first phase of Singapore’s Smart Water Meter Programme. 

National Water Agency PUB has appointed SP Group’s subsidiary, SP Services Limited (SP), to install some 300,000 smart water meters in Singapore from early next year. This marks the rollout of the first phase of the Smart Water Meter Programme, a key initiative under the Smart PUB Roadmap, which aims to transform the organisation into a smart utility of the future.

 

The appointment follows an open tender exercise that attracted seven local and foreign tenderers. In a statement, PUB said it had selected SP as the firm had demonstrated “a strong track record” and “the necessary technical resource capability” to undertake this project. PUB also highlighted SP’s network solutions provider Itron’s experience in deploying close to 800,000 smart water meters overseas, such as in Baltimore and Cleveland, USA. 

SP will be responsible for the supply and installation of the 300,000 smart meters, provision of the wireless communications network, developing the supporting IT systems, and providing operations and maintenance for 15 years.

Installation roadmap

The first phase of the Smart Water Meter Programme will be rolled out at Bukit Batok, Hougang, Jurong West, Tampines and Tuas, as well as in the new housing estates of Tampines North and Tengah. Meter installation is expected to start in early 2022 and complete in 2023. 

In selecting these locations, PUB had considered a range of factors including property mix, efficiency of deployment and the need to replace older conventional water meters. The meters will be installed as part of PUB’s meter replacement programme at no cost to customers. Customers will receive notification letters from PUB prior to the installation.

Empowering a generation of ‘water smart’ customers

 

With smart water meters, meter readings will be transmitted digitally and automatically daily to PUB. This removes the need for labour-intensive manual reads, currently carried out once every two months. Paired with a customer portal, customers can view and track their daily water consumption, thus empowering them to become smarter users of water, saving water and money in the process.

Through the portal, users can also receive alerts about suspected leaks and high water usage in their household or premises. This will enable them to take prompt action to fix the leaks and reduce water wastage. In PUB’s earlier trials of the smart water meters at Punggol and Yuhua, about 10 per cent of the 800 households experienced leaks, which mostly occurred at the water cisterns. Such leaks often go unnoticed until the customers receive a higher-than-usual water bill at the end of the month.

Access to near real-time monitoring and data

The smart water meters are also pivotal in enabling PUB to achieve greater operational efficiencies. With the daily water usage data, PUB will be able to optimise water production and network management by understanding water demand patterns at different times of the day across various zones. The data collected can also be used to quickly detect and locate potential leaks within the water supply network.

 

“The Smart Water Meter Programme is an important pillar in PUB’s Smart Roadmap, which outlines our vision to digitalise Singapore’s entire water system. With access to near real-time monitoring and data across the water network, this allows us to transform our operations and planning to meet Singapore’s water needs,” said Ridzuan Ismail, Director of Water Supply (Network) at PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency.

“With increasing water demand and challenges posed by climate change on our water resources, we are also constantly challenged to find more efficient ways to supply water and conserve water, in order to safeguard Singapore’s water security. Smart water meters that can provide near real-time water use information will help to change consumer behavior, can give a major push to our water conservation efforts,” he added.

PUB will review the first phase rollout, build up its capabilities and expertise, and take into account advances in technology before implementing smart water meters for the rest of Singapore. More details on the Smart Water Meter Programme’s progress can be accessed here