Using Tools in the Fight Against Non-Revenue Water

Non-revenue water is a combination of apparent losses, operational use and real losses. Apparent losses are comprised of data errors, meter accuracy issues, unauthorized consumption and collection issues. These apparent losses can represent a significant financial burden to the utilities as they request spent production costs and lost revenue capture. 

The encouraging news for utilities is that newer advanced electronic meters—like E-Series^® Ultrasonic meters—that remove inaccuracy issues due to wear over time, including lower flow measurement and alarms for tampering and potential customer leaks, which can significantly reduce apparent losses. 

New Technology Offers Easier Deployment

Advanced devices are streamlining the effort to attack NRW. Meters that are equipped with pressure and temperature sensors are transforming from the classical meter to cash use case to providing greater insights into the operations of the distribution system. 

In the hunt for real losses, pressure sensors have traditionally been deployed throughout the distribution network to detect a drop in pressure in an area. When this happens, utility personnel is sent to investigate with leak correlators or other tools to diagnose the problem. When the capability is built into the meter, there is one less device the utility must install and maintain.

Our enhanced E-Series Ultrasonic meters feature a built-in pressure sensor, which provides pressure data that is sent along with consumption data to the utility’s data management system. When placed throughout the system at various customer endpoints for even deeper insight.

Another important feature of our system is off-schedule alarms. Normally, meters in the distribution system transmit their info four times per day, unless prompted. With the off-schedule alarm, changes that fall into certain parameters will transmit the information instantly, providing even more immediacy to the call to action instead of waiting. This feature is currently being rolled out as part of our ORION^® Cellular solution.

Conventional Approaches to Identifying Leaks

In conjunction with pressure monitoring, utilities can also set up district metered areas (DMAs), in combination with new metering technology, can play a significant role in a comprehensive NRW strategy.

DMAs—hydraulically separated areas within a distribution system—are also a valuable tool for combating NRW. This typically involves the installation of boundary valves and a master meter to measure the inflow of water to the area, then comparing the inflow to the total reading of the meters. In most cases, there is some preliminary work necessary to determine the accuracy of meters in that area. This provides a better understanding of the split between NRW due to real losses versus that due to meter inaccuracies.

For instance BEACON^® Software as a Service, paired with ORION^® Cellular endpoints, allows utilities to assign a group of meters to a master meter to establish a baseline for meters within a DMA. For more tips on establishing a DMA, watch this "The Smart Water Show” episode with Morrice Blackwell, Senior Manager of Utility Solutions at Badger Meter.

Why Make NRW A Priority?

Reducing NRW has the net effect of boosting revenue, lowering costs and improving sustainability and is something every utility can achieve with the right tools in place. Implementing a smart water system to monitor flow, pressure and district metering areas—with a utility management system like BEACON SaaS paired with ORION Cellular endpoints and E-Series^® Ultrasonic meters—can help utilities reduce NRW. This is accomplished by monitoring water flow with alerts at the first sign of an issue, such as a potential leak, freeze or reverse flow condition. Even small sources of non-revenue water can add up quickly, so it’s important to invest in tools to catch them right away. The bottom line is that utilities should capture revenue for produced water.