Case study

Anglian Water develops a meter maintenance and replacement strategy

At-a-glance:

• UK water utility Anglian Water needed to understand what factors affect the accuracy of water meters over tim
• Elster Metering is conducting a comprehensive analysis project using highly-specialised testing equipment
• The findings will form the basis of a strategy for meter maintenance and replacement going forward

The challenge:

Understanding what factors affect the accuracy of water meters over time and how this will shape the strategy for replacing them in the future is the subject of a comprehensive research project that Elster Metering is performing for Anglian Water, a leading UK water company.

With around 1 million mainly domestic water meters already installed throughout its catchment area in the east of England, it is vital Anglian Water understands exactly how meters age.

Any drop off in accuracy will ultimately hit company’s revenues – generating a need to identify at what point devices should be exchanged and how this impinges on the whole lifetime cost of metering.

The solution:

Anglian Water has worked with Elster ever since it started installing water meters as far back 1989, shortly after the company was privatised. Elster meters were again chosen when the company began large-scale metering in the mid-1990s.

Today, Elster is currently in the process of removing 1,000 of these older meters to carry out a range of extensive tests at its UK facilities in Luton.

Using specialised equipment, qualified engineers are analysing devices that have been exposed to varying conditions, such as hard and soft water, high and low pressure, high and low consumption and areas where repair work may have lead to tiny particles getting into the meters.

In this way Elster is a valued business partner for Anglian Water - advising on a strategy for the maintenance and upkeep of meters but also ensuring it makes informed decisions and builds a sound business case for replacing devices over time.