Smart Metering is Critical: Report

Sixty-eight per cent of water utility managers believe it is critical that water utilities adopt smart meter technologies, says Testing the Waters, a new study from Oracle.

Water utility managers indicate that they are committed to promoting water conservation and believe smart meter technology adoption is critical. However, says the report, actual implementations are in the beginning stages.

The study, which surveyed more than 1,200 water consumers and 300 water utility managers in the United States and Canada, examined water utility managers’ perception of, and future plans for, smart meter technology, including benefits and potential obstacles.

The study also looked at water consumers’ perception of their water use, motivations for conservation, and what they feel they need from their water utilities.

Guerry Waters, VP of industry strategy for Oracle, says that if consumers had more detailed information about metering and water billing, it would help them reduce water use in their homes. Curiously, the study reveals that Canadian water utilities are significantly more likely than U.S. water utilities to consider supplying customer information a top benefit. Waters says this may be due to the high level of press coverage in U.S. drought regions such as California—water utilities don’t have to do as much work to inform the public.

Click here (must register) to read the report.