Siemens
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and data management software are being increasingly adopted by water utilities to address issues such as water conservation, system maintenance, and future water infrastructure planning.
According to information from Siemens, today’s aging water infrastructure requires $1 trillion in improvements to meet current design standards. “The infeasibility of expertise-wide renewal has led many municipalities to plug gaps with short-term solutions that disproportionately reduce risk and substantially increase expense,” according to company website statements.
“We need to reflect the true cost of water, which has been heavily subsidized at least in North America for some time,” says Larsh Johnson, CTO for eMeter, a Siemens business. “We need to communicate that cost to customers and start to get them sensitive to it. Groundwater depletion, drought conditions, and costs of energy-related processing of water are driving the costs up.”
To be fair to customers, utilities need to start preparing them for rising costs and give them tools to manage water consumption, Johnson says. Utilities in part need to be more efficient in water delivery, capturing losses, and updating infrastructure where needed to ensure the available water is not wasted, he adds.
“Drought certainly has everybody looking at water in new ways,” says Johnson. “The pressures are definitely growing in many parts of the US. The California water situation is going to continue to be challenging for a while, barring some sort of changes. The idea of water and water metering, and using the data in more analytic applications, is a topical issue for utilities.”
Johnson notes that most utilities are now looking at AMI-type solutions as opposed to automatic meter reading (AMR). “We’re seeing that perspectives on data and how to use it are evolving from the basic, “˜we want to reduce our meter-reading costs,’ into “˜we want to optimize our operations.’ Leak detection and conservation programs continue to be the primary data applications, but we’re also going to see more areas for demand response,” he adds. “One of them is related to providing analytic capabilities to the cloud.”
That can go a long way in assisting water utilities, many of which have fewer than 100,000 customers and a small staff to provide service. “A lot of the smart infrastructure that’s going to be required is something that would put a strain on those organizations,” says Johnson. “In many cases, they’re looking at what they can do to leverage and outsource opportunities such as cloud-based software solutions and services.”
Siemens offers a cloud analytics solution for water utilities to leverage a hosted analytic platform that works with existing AMR and AMI investments to acquire and manage data. The company provides hosting for the cloud-based solution. “That lets them focus on analytics, with subject matter experts looking at the data and using the data to analyze leaks, look at customer consumption patterns related to conservation programs, and so forth,” says Johnson. “It’s a benefit for utilities that may be constrained in their IT budgets or resources.”
Siemens’ Smart Water Platform is designed to combine EnergyIP Core Platform functionality with integration and an increasing number of customizable apps. The platform is designed to integrate with a utility’s new or existing metering system, provide actionable data to help address issues before they become problems, provide new ways to engage customers and strengthen relationships, and enable the utility to generate a more predictable revenue stream.
Use of accurate, real-time data enables water utilities to identify necessary repairs in an aging and leaking infrastructure, adapt to changing regulations, and target costly leaks and meter errors for more informed capital investments. The wireless technology enables the utility to detect issues from anywhere on the grid, including difficult-to-reach meters.
The Smart Water Platform serves as a repository for all distribution network instrumentation, automatically collecting meter data to analyze, interpret, and centralize it to make it more easily understood.
Johnson points out that “there is a growing understanding of the losses and the efficiencies that are an issue in water utilities. Efficiency gains in metering operations are driven by costs as well as data applications that justify that investment. Those pressures haven’t necessarily changed.
“What’s happening with drought conditions is the cost of water and the potential for those costs going up dramatically is what has people looking to accelerate their plans,” he says. “We’ve seen that going on for the last year, and water utilities are looking more closely at these investments and moving towards an AMI solution with a focus on meter data management, and the analytics that can result from that.”
Siemens offers consumer Web portal products that allow a customer to subscribe to information about what they’re using and get alerts when their usage exceeds certain parameters. The proactive tools are helpful to consumers who might otherwise unknowingly face a huge bill that they weren’t expecting and allows them to understand how they’re using water and what they can do to improve their water use,” says Johnson.
Master Meter
At a recent water symposium in Fort Worth, TX–H204 Texas–state officials brainstormed ideas on funding the state’s water future and what infrastructure would be necessary to ensure ongoing water resources.
Ian MacLeod, vice president of marketing for Master Meter, presented at the seminar. The discussions strengthened his belief that it’s time for a culture shift from focusing merely on meter data management (MDM), to the role it plays in a greater issue: exploring the relationship between a region’s long-term economic viability and its water supply.
“We must have a culture shift with regards to our respect for water,” says MacLeod. “It’s about understanding and appreciating all that goes in to treat, pump, deliver, and bill potable water and then process the effluent afterwards.”
While issues such as desalination and aquifer recovery were discussed at the symposium (“We’re able to shake the rocks to get gas out of the ground–what are we going to do to get more water out of the ground?” MacLeod asks), there are other issues of concern.
“The bottom line about Texas and water is we don’t want any cities to go dry, but if we want to have a robust economy and continue to attract businesses to the state of Texas, we need to show that we have a long-term water plan,” he says. “Some businesses have possibly considered not coming here in fear that they won’t have the water required for processing whatever the manufacturing is that they’re doing.”
It’s a concern that transcends Texas borders and is one in which data management may play a key role in providing information leading to more solutions.
MacLeod says he believes that while the word “conservation” is what gets most bantered around with respect to water, “For me, it’s really about water preservation. You’re trying to preserve the water you have, make it last longer, and be more accountable for it: keep it inside the pipes and know how to manage that to minimize leaks.”
For its part, Master Meter is rolling out a new AMI solution–Allegro–and a new MDM solution–Harmony–during the first half of 2015. The technology has been beta tested in Mansfield, TX, where MacLeod notes a pilot project is faring well by achieving a 100% read rate on the thousands of units in place with water consumers adopting use of the smartphone app.
Master Meter’s new products require reduced infrastructure. “Our end points are operating at four watts of power, which is very powerful,” points out MacLeod. “The antennae are fully embedded under the glass just like our Dialog 3G AMR platform. We’re going to have true two-way communication with the end point, and we’ll be able to do systemwide firmware upgrades over time to ensure that the system is always capable of working with the latest technology.”
While Allegro is designed to offer reliable data, “the special sauce is in the Harmony software,” says MacLeod. “That’s where the real value is. The AMI part of the equation is not a commodity yet for any of us. We can all make some great claims as to what it can do, but it’s in our Harmony software that the utility can leverage the data and realize meaningful change.”
To help achieve those goals, Master Meter has rolled out its “smart app” for both iOS and Android devices. Utilities can thus manage data and take action on leaks, MacLeod says.
Master Meter can host the data.
“Some utilities, particularly the larger ones, prefer to do that onsite, but the reality is for some of these mid-sized and smaller utilities, they don’t have the wherewithal and the technical infrastructure capability,” says MacLeod. “The amount of data we’re talking about: hourly reads, 24 reads a day for thousands of customers can be an overwhelming amount of data. We provide that hosting for them, and we would sell the solution as a hosted service model.”
The real value is in empowering the ratepayer, he adds.
“The ratepayer is ultimately responsible for how much water they use, turning off a faucet or not, and managing their own water budgets to avoid having to cut off services for underpayment,” says MacLeod. “The greatest value will be in its ability to put data in front of the end user in real time through handheld phone apps or through custom portals via the Internet, and empower them to better control and take charge of their own water use.”
Master Meter’s technology is designed to holistically present data and offer a greater understanding of the true workings of a water distribution system, MacLeod says.
“When you can get data involved, and then if you were to tie in outputs from the SCADA system into your Meter Data Management solution, now you can set up district metered areas and zones,” he says. “Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could have layers of data showing various pressures throughout the system and then correlate that to different amounts of water that is leaking? The higher the pressure in the system–if there are any cracks or a bad gasket somewhere–the higher the pressure will force more water out. By having a more holistic view of the data, you’re looking at pressure zones and pressure-regulating valves to mitigate high-pressure areas, and hence the leaks that relate to that.”
The technology enables a utility to respond better to a leak, break, or service order, MacLeod says. “With geocoding, we can present the location of every worker in the field, and you can now more efficiently dispatch units to where there may be a trouble spot and proactively address leaks or customer service issues in the field,” he adds. “Not only do you get a quicker resolution, you save water if it’s a main break or other kind of leak issue. Your human assets can be more effectively dispatched, enabling them with data in hand to become customer service agents in the field. It creates a far more efficient water preservation-focused utility.”
The learning curve is made easier with software that doesn’t look like it requires an engineering degree to use it, he says. “As an example, our phone app for the iPhone is a glass of water that the consumer can look at every day as it shows the glass filling up during the course of the month. It also has budgets for how much you plan on spending,” says MacLeod. “It’s put in very clear layman’s terms how much water you’re using, and how much you might expect to pay at the end of the month.”
The software for the utility side is more detailed, but is designed to be more user-friendly, he adds. “What’s going to be a longer learning curve is changing the mindset about the importance of water, the limited supply of water, and how we need to make it last longer,” says MacLeod.
The ability to bring the ratepayer into the fold with the technology offers a different approach than the historical one of manufacturers and vendors in focusing the message on the utility, MacLeod says. “In reality, all a utility can do is ask ratepayer to use less water in a drought and check for leaks,” says MacLeod. “That’s somewhat effective, but like here in Texas, people feel “˜If I can afford my water, I’ll use as much of it as I want.’ We’re lone wolves sometimes.”
Empowering the ratepayer with real-time information can produce the “shame effect,” particularly in a drought area, says MacLeod. For instance, comparing water use to other similar households offers a more accurate understanding of where one household stands relative to others, he adds.
“With this technology, we’re able to have ratepayers not only understand in real time what they’re using, but how much they’re using relative to their neighbors,” he says. “It’s that kind of insight and data put down into the hands of the ratepayer through very clear and easy-to-digest data presentment that will make the biggest difference with this technology. You can only do so much at the utility level. You have to empower and enlighten the ratepayer.”
Aclara
“In the past, the water utility collected one reading for billing purposes only,” points out Steve Bruskiewicz, product/enterprise manager of water solutions for Aclara. “This reading most likely was collected on a quarterly or other time basis. The reading only had one basis, and that was for billing purposes. With today’s AMI network, the utility has the opportunity to collect data on an hourly, or even tighter, timeframe if needed.”
While the data is still used for billing purposes, there is significantly more than can be done with it, Bruskiewicz says.
Analytics may be used to conduct a water balance with time-synchronized readings to determine water and revenue loss. They also can be used to identify bad or under-performing water meters and verify that the proper meter size and type is in use at a specific location. The data also may be accessed by end users to determine their usages over time, as well as compare their usages and conservation efforts to like users throughout the community.
Aclara’s latest technologies include STAR ZoneScan leak detection, which applies correlation techniques to data collected from acoustic loggers to identify and locate leaks throughout the distribution system.
Aclara’s STAR_prestige analytics package allows utilities to understand non-revenue water losses and meter issues by analyzing data collected by the AMI network. “In addition to applying data analysis to the customer side of the equation, they can apply analytics to solve operational problems such as meter right-sizing and right-typing,” says Bruskiewicz. “The data may be used to monitor and control the distribution system through the use of sensors and control to maintain and monitor water pressure and other system parameters.
“The collection of data is key in identifying leak locations and how much water is being lost through various types of authorized and unauthorized consumption and losses identified in the AWWA water audit,” points out Bruskiewicz. “The data may be used to identify areas of need and is key in the creation of long-term capital improvement plans to allow the utility to better manage its assets.”
For customers, “the key benefit of data is accurate billing, which eliminates estimated bills and allows for budgeting,” says Bruskiewicz. Also, usage reports “allow customers to get a feel for whether there are on-premise leaks before they turn into expensive headaches. Usage reports can also act as an accountability tool to encourage conservation efforts and to compare usage and efforts to similar users within the community.”
Utilities with strong IT departments can do their own data management, depending on the size of the utility and its capabilities, Bruskiewicz says, adding that Aclara can manage data for utilities through its hosted AMI solutions. In the future, look for development of additional algorithms for analyzing data and getting more detailed information, he says. “Algorithms have been created that will analyze the collected data and identify areas of water loss through water meter and pressure data within district metering areas.”
Aclara’s Series 3000 two-way fixed-network AMI is being used in Redmond, OR, to drill down deeper for data to help the city’s conservation efforts. It had been difficult to do so with a single monthly meter read, which the city had previously been doing through a contracted meter-reading company.
In 2006, the city installed Aclara’s STAR to obtain AMR through 15 data collectors, offering four readings a day. In 2012, Redmond installed Aclara’s Series 3000 two-way, fixed-network AMI providing time-synchronized daily readings at the top of the hour. The city can utilize Aclara’s MTUs by reprogramming them to adjust meters down to 1/10 of a cubic foot to detect a leak of 7 gallons per minute.
Redmond uses Aclara’s data in its GIS system to generate color-coded maps for conservation purposes and show average citywide residential water use. Redmond has a water distribution infrastructure of wells that pump water into the main distribution system of 164 miles of pipe to satisfy demand, with excess water redirected into reservoirs. The system serves a population of about 27,000 through some 10,000 end points, with most of the metered accounts primarily residential.
“We were looking first and foremost at accurate billing rates without having to roll rigs into the field or pay a contracting meter-reading company,” says Josh Wedding, water operations manager for Redmond, of the city’s move to AMI. “We were looking for more efficient billing reads. Once we received those accurate billing reads, we realized we had a lot more resources and a lot more data coming in than we anticipated, so we started setting up projects based on that data coming.”
One of the ways in which the data management is being used is to monitor irrigation practices: Redmond allows irrigation from April through October, with pumps producing 11.5 million gallons a day. November through March are non-irrigation months, although residents can water shrubs and gardens.
“It helps with conservation, making sure we’re using water wisely,” says Wedding. “Secondly, it helps us out with our internal practices. We can run audits daily, but monthly is what we choose to do.”
The water audit information is conveyed to the state to show monthly non-revenue for water loss.
With Aclara technology monitoring the demand side meters, Redmond is able to get a sense of its total real water loss, says Wedding.
“You’ve got your actual water loss and your apparent water loss,” he points out. “We can run calculations based on AWWA standards to figure out where our actual water loss is occurring, and where our apparent water loss is.
“We use them to find broken meters in the field. We use them to alert customers of demand side leaks. We use it as internal alerts for demand side leaks. We use it for meter trending to look for inefficiencies in the meter based on consumption over time.”
Wedding says the learning curve on using the software wasn’t too steep. “We adjusted to it fairly well coming from manual meter reads, and all of a sudden we’ve got this software,” he says. “We started out from a base standpoint of knowing how to verify reads, and making sure the correct read is coming in and it’s going to the correct customer.”
The utility then slowly implemented it in different phases, leading to further advances on what to do with the software.
Wedding’s advice to other utilities seeking to implement such technology is to set up meetings with other utilities who have it.
“We were on the leading edge with this–there weren’t a lot of utilities in the nation that had metering software like this,” he says. “If I could put myself in today’s position and just knowing what the industry has put out there, I would contact a lot of the other utilities and ask them about all of the efficiencies–the pros and the cons with the program that they use.”
Neptune Technology Group
There are many driving factors toward an increasing desire of data management and more sophisticated technology to provide it, notes Dave Hanes, director of strategic marketing for the Neptune Technology Group.
One is going from quarterly to hourly readings has increased data volumes by 2,160-fold, he says. Another factor: an aging workforce.
“With about 50% of the water utility workforce eligible to retire in five years, utilities will face a tremendous loss of knowledge and productivity if they continue with business as usual,” he says. “Systems to increase efficiency and capture institutional knowledge are needed to help with the transition.”
Additionally, there’s the concept of “one water”–an increased emphasis on removing data silos within the utility, requiring integration, analysis, and sharing of different types of data, he adds.
Neptune Technology Group’s most widely-used technology is the R900 RF radio frequency technology. Hanes points out that it supports migration from mobile to fixed-network without the need to reprogram or upgrade endpoints. It is integrated with the E-Coder register to offer enhanced data capabilities such as leak, reverse, and no-flow flags without the need for post-processing.
The company’s newest technologies include the MACH 10 ultrasonic meter, designed with a flat accuracy curve, stable accuracy over time, and no lead bronze body.
The NGO is a downloadable app that enables utilities to retrieve and display data logged information in the meter through their Android device, says Hanes. “This information can be presented or emailed to the homeowner to show usage history,” he adds.
Water utilities can leverage data to its fullest potential through the use of analytics tools, enabling the system to convert data into actionable information. “Sharing of data and information across the utility between the back office and field personnel–and from the system to the consumer–is critically important to enabling the value of the system to be realized,” he explains.
Those best suited to manage the data depends on the utility and its IT capabilities. “Those utilities that have fewer IT resources or are trying to manage their IT spending may be more interested in outsourcing the data management function through a hosted “˜managed service’ approach,” he says.
“Neptune has adopted a “˜don’t make me think’ approach to system design,” says Hanes. “Instead of hunting for information through endless data, the user is presented with the information they need in order to effectively manage their systems.”
Data is “extremely important” for sound decision-making and planning, he says.
One example of the value of data-driven decision-making tools is IDModeling’s SedarÅ«, which is able to consume data generated by Neptune’s AMR/AMI systems. “This data, including consumption flags, is then provided to field crews for investigation,” he adds. “SedarÅ« also uses these inputs to generate data-driven hydraulic models that identify potential pressure issues in the distribution system.”
One way in which data is useful to customers is through leak flags and historical usage information that are generated by the meter, which can alert the consumer to water loss issues within the home, Hanes says. “Neptune’s N_SIGHT IQ provides a consumer web portal that enables this information to be provided directly to the user, greatly reducing the lag between when an event occurs and when the consumer is made aware of it,” he adds.
N_SIGHT IQ provides water utilities with the ability to store and analyze up to 10 years of homeowners’ consumption data, along with advanced analytics based on historical trends and flagged consumption events. Additionally, the cloud-based application offers homeowners access to view, track, and manage information on their water usage, including alerts for consumption anomalies.
Looking ahead, Hanes says as more types of utility data are linked with the AMR/AMI data, “a richer view of the utility is possible.
“Data silos that have existed because of utility structure and the static nature of paper reports are quickly being overcome,” he adds. “Neptune with its N_SIGHT IQ and its partner IDModeling’s SedarÅ« facilitate easy sharing of information throughout the utility.”
Case in point: the cause of a series of reverse flow occurrences may not be ready available when this data is viewed in a data table, says Hanes. “However, when this information is mapped, patterns can be determined that may help identify the root cause and ultimately the solution,” he adds.
Hanes points out that CIP decision-making and priority setting has traditionally been based on “the experience and gut feel of the manager. As the data becomes increasingly integrated, decision-makers are now able to consider multiple variables in order to develop their priorities,” he says. “Equally as important, these data-driven decisions are now defensible.”
In 2009, Neptune was awarded replacement of the city of Dubuque, IA’s water meters through a Request for Proposals in a competitive bid process for installation of water meters, a meter interface unit on every house and a propagation study for approximately how many wireless collectors would be needed. The collectors were installed at 15 sites.
Dubuque’s water utility is part of its city’s government services, and serves approximately 23,000 water customers for a population of 58,000.
“We were able to leverage on those collectors a lot of existing fiber optics backhauls that we had from a network that was built through IT projects, traffic projects or an institutional network that was installed by our local cable company, Mediacomm, seven years ago as part of our franchise agreement,” says Chris Kohlmann, information services manager. Because of that, the utility was able to quickly gather a lot of data on the fiber-optic backbone, she adds.
At the time that Dubuque was installing the meters, IBM also was seeking a mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 200,000 for its Smarter Cities laboratory project.
“Dubuque also was being looked at as a site for one of IBM’s first on-shore service centers,” says Kohlmann. “One of the folks on the site selection committee looked at our work with sustainability, as well as our projects where we’ve done a lot of community engagement, and said Dubuque was a place where they thought they could do this pilot.”
Neptune partnered with the city and IBM in order to provide meter-reading data.
“At the beginning of the project, IBM acquired 15-minute reads, so we worked with Neptune on its R900 product,” says Kohlmann. “As the project continued, they were able to get the same analytics from hourly reads, so we used the R450 AMI product, which was what was specified for the majority of the city in Neptune’s RFP proposal. They worked in terms of formatting the data, helping us to transmit the data to an intermediate FTP site, and do some pre-processing through a third-party partner.”
Dubuque created a pilot study of 400 volunteers in the city who regularly monitored their water usage and reported leaks. The result: a 6.6% reduction in water usage and an 11-fold increase in the amount of reported leaks.
Dubuque has an incentive program for residents to fix leaks, providing 50% up to $100 on leak repair costs. The portal enabled residents to more quickly identify and address leaks.
Kohlmann says that while Dubuque had done several pilots around electricity, travel, and health with IBM, “I don’t think IBM was ready for the pricing model that would fit middle-sized cities. It wasn’t their fault,” she adds. “It’s just that they were more tuned in and accustomed to working with large metropolitan areas with this kind of technology. As a leave-behind, they really didn’t have much for us at the time. Now they do have a marketable product and have gone on to market this to towns in Australia and Miami-Dade County, Florida.”
Kohlmann says the “real take-away that we had from this and the other pilots were the power the data provides to an organization. Neptune was seeing this and had a portal which was not as detailed, eloquent, or as full of analytics as the IBM piece, but it had what we determined people needed.”
What people need is to know how much water they were using, when they were using it, and some rudimentary comparative data enabling them to be cognizant of how their water consumption stacks up in relation to others’, she adds.
To that end, Dubuque offers its residents DBQ IQ, part of the Neptune IQ products, free of charge. DBQ IQ is a water management dashboard providing volunteer users online access to water usage data specific to their utility account.
While the IBM portal was offered primarily to residents, the DBQ IQ is offered for all of the water utility’s 23,000 customers.
“The primary uptake has been in terms of people who are landlords or property managers of multiple family units,” says Kohlmann. “They can get a leak alert or a high-usage alert via text message or e-mail informing them that there’s a property using an exorbitant amount of water.”
The information is not immediate, but offers the data within a day of when the collectors transmit it. Kohlmann says the real value of data management is appreciated in the back of the house when customer service folks get a call asking why their bill is so high. “They can immediately open up the same kind of portal that the resident can and see what they were using hourly,” says Kohlmann.
A discussion may ensue during which the water consumer realizes that they may have been doing a lot of watering in the garden on a warm day or they had company at the house. “It definitely gives a more informed answer to a customer,” she adds.
Data can be compared to a previous year and flag possible upward use trends. “If I can look at a portal where I can see day by day and hour by hour, then I can pinpoint to you pretty quickly just from a visual observation that these are high-use days or–by the way–you have a leak,” says Kohlmann of the data’s customer service capabilities.
