Managing water is imperative in residential or commercial properties. With regular droughts being a frequent problem in Australia for the past twenty years, the question is does cloud metering help with water management as a whole? How does using Software as a service (SaaS) help in measuring real-time water usage, save costs for the end user as well as increase efficiency through building management systems integration and remote communication through wireless technologies such as Izar.
So why is Software as a Service beneficial in water management? One of the major environmental issues in Australia is drought, with the country being the driest inhabited continent in the world, excluding Antarctica (Sawe: 2018.).
Drought and water management in Australia is therefore important because of the frequency of droughts that Australia has had in recent memory (Doyle: 2018). So what does water management have to do with SaaS technology (Software as a Service)? SaaS technology such as the Sydney Water Hydrus metering solution and Izar radio technology track the management of water usage in real-time (Atos: 2020).
What this means is that commercial and residential users are able to accurately measure their water usage each quarter of the calendar year. For a building manager, this also means that they can confidently identify who uses the most water in the apartment complex or office space. But how is this information stored?
As seen in the above graphic, the Sydney Water Hydrus Meter tracks the management of water which is then communicated by the Izar radio from the house, apartment block or office to the internet, this information is then easily accessed remotely by either phone, computer, tablet or a combination of the three, depending on the users preference. Having a digital metering solution helps in managing water usage, particularly helpful in a country as dry as Australia.
Having a digital metering solution is fantastic in managing water, but how does that actually help in saving money for the end user? One of the major problems that a manual metering system has is it lacks a leak detection function. This can prove incredibly costly for a building manager or home owner, as it can result in inaccurate water readings and water damage if not identified (Gold Coast Plumbing Company: 2020). A digital metering system such as Hydrus combats this problem when complemented with the Izar radio with a leak detector function. Not just that, there are also functions for reverse flow, water failure, low temperature and tampering. For the end-user and building manager, this is a solution that mitigates the risk of unidentified water leaks, which can potentially save thousands of dollars each year, while managing water in a sustainable manner.
Despite all of this, what’s the value in integrating Digital Water Metering into a building management system (BMS)? A building management system is vital for any large residential or commercial building for the building manager as it helps in monitoring and controlling the buildings’ electrical and mechanical services (Australian Government: 2020). Having the Hydrus water metering systems integrate with the building management system will allow the building manager to manage and monitor water and schedule billing cycles for end users. This provides a smoother reporting system for building managers whether it is for a block of townhouses or commercial office space.
Managing water in Australia is precious, with droughts constantly being a threat to users as well as general wear and tear of water systems. However, digital water metering solutions such as the Sydney Water Hydrus Ultrasonic provides a solution that can accurately measure water, detect water leakages and simplify reporting via BMS integration. For plumbers, builders and end users this is a solution that will likely to continue to grow in the Australian water market.
Source:
Sawe, BE (2018), The World’s Driest Continent, WorldAtlas, Viewed 7th September 2020, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-is-the-world-s-driest-continent.html
Doyle, K (2018), What you need to know about droughts: Why they happen and how they are defined, ABC News, Viewed 7th September 2020, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-01/what-you-need-to-know-about-droughts/10051956
Atos (2020), SaaS Usage Metering & Measurement, Viewed 7th September 2020, https://apprenda.com/library/software-on-demand/saas-usage-metering-measurement/#:~:text=SaaS%20(software%20as%20a%20service,metering%20and%20per%20transaction%20metering
Dane Beazley (2017), How to handle a burst water pipe emergency (5 easy steps), Gold Coast Plumbing Company, Viewed 7th September 2020, https://goldcoastplumbingcompany.com.au/burst-water-pipe-emergency/#:~:text=A%20burst%20water%20pipe%20can,to%20contain%20and%20it%20ruptures.&text=When%20a%20pipe%20bursts%20the,with%20an%20expensive%20repair%20bill.
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