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Make your home water-smart

IoT based smart water meters can play a critical role in intelligently measuring, monitoring and controlling water usage. Unlike a regular water meter, a smart water meter can measure consumption at a metering point and communicate to the central data servers, all in real time.

Internet of Things or IoT as it is popularly called, has seen an exponential growth and adoption amongst tech savvy consumers. It is not too uncommon to see young kids asking Alexa to power on the TV or change the colour of the LED light bulb. The idea of a smart home focuses on creating a living experience that is convenient, safe and stress-free. But, will any of this remain relevant if we do not have continued access to one essential natural resource: water. Looking at the way we are wasting water today, it would not be surprising if our future generations will have little or no access to fresh water. So, the big question remains – what can we do to save this precious resource? Conservation is the first step towards creating a better water future. Saving or conserving water can only happen when you measure your water usage and are aware about how much water is currently wasted. 

With sudden rise in the number of apartments and residential complexes in cities, there is a glaring gap between demand and supply of water. According to a survey by UN’s State of the World Population report in 2007, by 2030, 40.76 per cent of country's population is expected to reside in urban areas. Water utility providers all over the world are striving to bring efficiency in demand and supply optimisation, leakage detection and reducing demand. With cities growing vertically to accommodate growing population, there is a need for a smart metering solution that can measure water usage in each individual apartment in high storey residential complexes. IoT has enabled a smart water metering solution for high rise buildings to ensure that people pay as per their water usage.  

IoT based smart water meters can play a critical role in intelligently measuring, monitoring and controlling water usage. Unlike a regular water meter, a smart water meter can measure consumption at a metering point and communicate to the central data servers, all in real time. The data from the smart water meters is presented on an easy to understand dashboard and on end user’s smartphones that enable the consumer to make informed decisions about water usage. 

India has over 15 million apartment units in 55 cities currently. An average Indian household (a family of four - middle-income group) roughly consumes 1,000 litres per day. The WHO prescribed water usage is 150 litres per person per day which translates to 600 litres per day. Therefore, it is safe to assume that most families waste roughly 35-40 per cent of water in their homes. This 35 per cent water can be saved with smart water meters. When people are aware of the amount of water they consume and have to pay for what they use, there is an immediate behavioural change to bring down the consumption. If all high rise buildings that currently do not have any metering adopt smart water metering solution, it can result in tremendous savings. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house