Doncaster is the next major city set for a smart meter upgrade as Yorkshire Water reaches its 250,000 milestone in its ambitious programme to exchange 1.4 million meters across the region.
The five-year roll-out, which began in Sheffield in January 2025, is transforming how customers manage their water usage and helping to create a smarter, more resilient water network.
The programme will see 1.4 million existing meters replaced with smart technology by 2030, giving customers real-time visibility of their water consumption and enabling Yorkshire Water to detect leaks faster than ever before.
James Wilson, Manager of Smart Metering Delivery at Yorkshire Water, said:
“Smart meters are making a big difference by helping customers save money, helping us find and fix leaks faster, and helping us all to save water. The 250,000 milestone is testament to the great work of our collaborative partnership with Netmore and MGroup. Doncaster is the next major conurbation in our sight, ready to make the smart move and we are on track to exchange over 1,000 meters a day.”
Smart meters send over 20 readings per day, providing accurate billing and helping customers understand their own water usage.
This near-real-time visibility makes it easier to spot a problem and in over the last 12-months the water company has seen:
- 12,800 customers contacted about potential leaks because of having smart meters
- 9,387 customer self-served fixes following smart meter readings
- 11.16 million litres of water saved and potential damage to properties averted
- Over 250,000-meter exchanges across south Yorkshire since January 2025
- 204,000 smart meters now across the whole of the Yorkshire Water network
- Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Wakefield benefiting from smart meter technology
Yorkshire Water is working towards halving leakage across its network by 2050. Smart metering is a key part of this strategy, providing hourly readings that allow early detection of leaks before they become bursts, reducing disruption and cost.
James Wilson continued:
“Even if customers are not due for a smart meter exchange just yet, we would recommend that they register for an online account as soon as possible, and it is really straightforward to do. Once set up, customers can easily access their bills and information, make secure payments faster, submit meter readings and then be ready for almost real-time usage and monitoring, once they’ve made the smart upgrade.”
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