Water Efficiency May 2012 : Page 12
ADVANCED ADOPTION Real-time data, two-way communication, leak detection, remote service connections, and reduced labor costs are driving an increased adoption of AMI. BY CAROL BRZOZOWSKI ITRON dvanced Metering Infra-structure (AMI) tech-nology is engaging water consumers in the process of understanding their usage in a more pinpointed fashion. As present “smart” technology addresses those issues and mechanical systems are phased out and fixed, network systems are adopted with greater frequency. Future technology now on the draw-ing board will tighten the process to provide more robust analyses in service to water conservation, efficiency, and financial results. AMI Brian Fiut, senior product manager for Itron, points out smart metering is changing how water utilities operate. “Th e growing amount of legisla-tion regarding water loss mandates is forcing utilities to rethink the way they measure and meter their water supplies,” he says. “Th ese technologies enable accurate usage information to be communicated to the customer, be-tween the customer and the utility, and 12 WATER EFFICIENCY WWW.WATEREFFICIENCY.NET A internally within the utility itself. “This ‘action-able data’ helps deliver upon the expectations that AMI will be an invaluable tool toward successful water conservation, consumer educa-tion, system integrity management, and improved operational efficiency,” he continues. Currently, 21 states list goals and targets for non-revenue water, with 11 off ering performance incentives for water loss reduction, Fiut says, adding most legislation targets non-revenue water to be between 10 and 15%. “Although we have not seen any agencies enforcing sanctions for utilities that do not meet the targets, in most cases utilities are encouraged to put a water loss management program in place,” says Fiut. “Consequently, over the next fi ve years, virtually all water utilities across North America will be reviewing their metering infrastructure and thinking about implementing smart metering or AMI, if they haven’t already,” he adds. Fiut says Itron is optimistic that the next fi ve years will see ever-increasing adoption rates by utilities that imple-ment AMI technologies, with all water stakeholders reaping the benefi ts. “One of the biggest challenges facing water providers today is aging in-frastructure, which oft en is the cause of lost water due to leaks,” he says. “Leaks can cost utilities millions each year, including pumping and treatment costs, as well as missed revenue opportunities from lost water.” Itron water AMI solutions gather granular data and integrate information from monitoring devices to help locate leaks more effi ciently, stop the fl ow of non-revenue water, and improve overall system integrity, Fiut says. “Also, with the collection and ap-plication of interval data, utilities can implement resource management pro-grams and help educate their customers about eff ective water use and conserva-tion,” he adds. Itron also provides a comprehen-sive Meter Data Management (MDM) soft ware solution. MDM is a prerequisite
Advanced Adoption
Carol Brzozowski
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