SmartMeter Technology: Introducing Change to the Market

Severn Trent Services has introduced the SmartMetertrademark to the North American market. Designed as a highly reliable and highly accurate residential water meter, Severn Trent calls the SmartMeter the state of the art in flow measurement.

The meter has no moving parts and uses solid-state electronics to measure water flow at amazing levels of accuracy: It measures water over an incredibly wide range from very high flows down to a steady stream of drips. Most importantly, the SmartMeter has no moving parts. There is nothing to wear out and nothing to be replaced. This feature eliminates noise, jams, and general mechanical wear that typically lead to inaccuracy and disparity between actual and metered water usage. Given that the no-moving parts technology is unique amongst residential water meters, the potential benefit in reducing expensive service calls is great.

The SmartMeter employs a unique combination of flow transducer and fluidic oscillation technologies to provide incredible accuracy to within one percent over the entire measurement range and what's more, this level of precision is maintained over it's long lifetime. While mechanical meters can run at maximum flow for short periods, they are designed to operate continuously at just half maximum flow. There is no such restriction with the SmartMeter, which can operate continuously at maximum flow.

While the SmartMeter has numerous advantages over all other meters, its acceptance in North American market has been slow. Given that there are nearly a quarter-million units installed in the United Kingdom and a number of trials underway in US and Canada, an interviewer sat down with Dr. Neil Furmidge and Matt Kogut of Severn Trent Services to discuss the technology and what it may take to bring a new technology to significant market penetration.

Interviewer: Considering the SmartMeter trial locations in the US, has the meter lived up to expectations?

Kogut: Absolutely! In an evaluation at a public water utility in the Southwestern United States it became known as the meter they couldn't break.

Interviewer: Why the nickname?

MK: The test conditions, by design, are particularly harsh. Grit, dust, blazing hot sun by day and ground frosts by night. The meters were installed in an open pit, exposed to the elements. When it rained, the meter was quickly submerged.

Interviewer: So the meter performed well?

MK: At the end of the first month, when most meters failed, the SmartMeter remained unaffected.

Interviewer: So they stopped the test there?

Furmidge: Not at all. They extended the test. First for one month, then three months. They finally stopped the test after six months. The meters ® over 4.5 million gallons each, a new record. The previous best record was one million gallons. We're told that under similar conditions, most conventional meters fail within a month. Best of all, a post-test inspection showed the meters were in perfect working order with no variation from the original factory testing.

Interviewer: Those are impressive results, and they beg the question - why hasn't the SmartMeter caught on in the United States or elsewhere in North America?

MK: Think about it, for a technology to be this good, it must be radically differentellipseSmartMeter is! In order to see significant benefits, potential customers must be willing to try something new and in doing so, assume a certain level of risk. This is a fact of life. However, with water meters, evaluations can be designed and managed relatively easily. Given the indications, we would expect that nearly every utility would see immediate possibilities to benefit.

Interviewer: So, given that you are effecting the nature of water metering, maybe they simply do not recognize where all of the potential savings might be.

NF: That is probably right. Given the accuracy and reliability of the SmartMeter, benefits such as reduced customer billing errors/complaints, reduced service calls, fewer spare parts, and better resource management, all topped off with a five-year performance guarantee, the return-on-investment opportunity will more than cover the cost of meters and will more than likely begin to produce a positive cash flow beyond the breakeven cost in a relatively short time.

Getting back to the question of acceptance, beyond the element of risk which it seems we have 'guaranteed out', the AWWA standards generally cannot reflect new, technically unique products.

Interviewer: So the SmartMeter isn't officially approved or endorsed by the AWWA?

MK: AWWA doesn't approve or endorse products. They publish standards as guidelines for the user community. Our difficulty is that there isn't a relevant standard for a totally solid state meter. In designing and producing the SmartMeter, we have met or exceeded all AWWA performance requirements and dimensional design limits as well as complied with all applicable material specifications. It is important to note that while many large utilities have generally elected purchasing processes that include an AWWA standard spec, these guidelines are not intended to prevent utilities from solving problems and improving service through technical advancements.

Interviewer: So, as your ad states, it would appear that you have the most accurate, longest lasting, most thoroughly tested , and underused meter in North America.

MK: That's right, but we are doing our best and expect that will soon change.

How the SmartMeter Works

Water enters the transducer and accelerates into a jet induced by a narrow orifice. When the jet enters the flow chamber, low-pressure areas are created on either side, which have the effect of drawing the jet to one side or the other. Most of the flow will exit the chamber but a proportion will enter one of the feedback loops.