Essex & Suffolk Water is working with its partners to bring smart water meters to Southend-on-Sea.

Working with Southend-on-Sea City Council and Connexin, the partnership is looking at ways in which more residents of Southend can reap the benefits of smart metering.

By 2035 all homes in the UK are expected to have a smart meter, which works by automatically feeding back data, allowing customers to see their usage on an hourly, daily or weekly basis.

Southend has been classed as a seriously water stressed area by the Environment Agency, so the water company is focused on introducing smart meters to keep the water flowing.

Dominic Butcher, Metering Strategy and Technical Operations Manager for Essex & Suffolk Water said:

“The way in which we use water has changed dramatically over the years and often, we don’t think about it. We turn the tap and it’s there.

“We know customers with meters use up to 20% less water and a fifth of all smart meters we have installed have found a leak in the system, allowing for immediate repairs and saving water wastage. 66 per cent of our Essex customers already have a meter, so it’s just a case of switching over to smart meters.

“The smart meters automatically take water readings, sending them to us via a secure LoRaWAN (Long Range Wireless Access Network) system. This is where we are working with the expertise of Connexin, to assess the suitability of the existing network provided by Southend-on-Sea City Council and investigate other alternatives.

“The city’s network needs to be investigated and tested carefully as all UK homes are required to have smart meters installed by 2035. We must make sure the meters work and can record the data accurately across any network we use.”

Dan Preece, Vice President, Water and Utilities at Connexin explained:

“The LoRaWAN system is required because it connects the smart water meters to the internet, over a wide area and using low power, collecting the data needed by the customer to see how much water they have used.

“We are looking at the potential to share infrastructure and work with the existing LoRaWAN system in Southend, but we will need to thoroughly test and investigate this as an option.”

Cllr Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend-on-Sea City Council, said:

“There has been some understandable concern voiced by residents about masts being installed and I have been really clear that we do not want them where they are not needed and there are suitable alternatives such as our own network or existing infrastructure that negates the need for new masts.

“However, I am pleased that there was a productive and positive meeting on Friday and we are working closely with Essex & Suffolk Water and Connexin to find a solution that satisfies everyone. I thank residents for their patience as we work through this and our officers for the work they are putting in to protect our street scene.”