How much revenue is water supplier losing because of broken water meters? It leaves you wondering why the meters are broken and what’s your best course of action to rectify the effect.
Without knowing the root cause, taking action is barely possible and will come at a considerable unnecessary cost to a water retailer’s business. Leaving the broken water meters issue unresolved would also lead to money loss eventually.
‘There are 147,603 (11%) meters in the NHH market showing zero consumption which affects over 113,276 occupied business premises.’ (Wave Utilities)
Good news is that the problem of broken water meters is now getting addressed with our client Wave Utilities leading the way by initiating this exciting new research project under MOSL Market Improvement Fund. Occutrace are delighted to be a delivery partner for the Meter Condition Assessment and contribute to the industry knowledge by using our experienced resource to shed light on the root causes of broken water meters.
According to Wave statement: ‘As of 1 January 2021, there are 147,603 (11%) meters in the NHH market showing zero consumption which affects over 113,276 occupied business premises.’
As noted by Wendy Monk, Director of Regulation and Compliance at Wave, they have identified that in around 65% of cases of a meter showing ZERO consumption, that meter has been broken. ‘This leaves customers in an extremely vulnerable position, especially if they have a leak.’
What is Meter Condition Assessment?
The Meter Condition Assessment project aims to assess the condition of broken meters across the water market by investigating a sample of these meters. On completion, Wave will build a source of evidential data to highlight the number of broken meters, identify any patterns and understand at which point a meter is likely to fail.
The Meter Condition Assessment project will be the investigation that is to provide the evidence required to inform the design of market improvements which will benefit all parties.
Our team with the Field Operations Lead Natalie Martin heading this project delivery at Occutrace cannot wait to kick things off and start bringing new insights and knowledge to the water market.
Watch this space, updates will follow.