
Water companies and the water sector face huge challenges over the coming decades if Water UK's 2050 vision and the Government's environmental targets are to be achieved.
New report by Frontier Economics and Artesia, commissioned by Arqiva, shows AMI metering - that provides continuous meter read data - can deliver up to £2.2bn net benefit across England and Wales six times that of alternative, drive-by' solutions
Connecting smart water meters to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is a low regret' investment under an adaptive planning framework.
Report calls on Ofwat and water companies to facilitate an accelerated rollout of always-on connected water metering - AMI technology - in the forthcoming PR24 / AMP8 period
May 23 2022, UK, London: A new research report has laid out how the rollout of always-on connected water metering, providing continuous data - specifically Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) - has the potential to deliver significant benefits for the environment, water companies and society as a whole.
The independent research, undertaken by Frontier Economics and Artesia, commissioned by Arqiva, concluded that the adoption of AMI can enhance customer engagement and experience, improve company performance, deliver better environmental outcomes and enable greater regulatory compliance.
Water companies and the water sector face huge challenges over the coming decades if Water UK's 2050 vision and the Government's environmental targets are to be achieved.
The research shows that through increased data insight and customer involvement, always-on water metering will help to tackle issues pertaining to the climate emergency, water scarcity and pressing customer and societal demands brought about by an increasing population. Building on the cost benefit analysis commissioned by Arqiva in 2021, the research suggests AMI can deliver up to £2.2bn in net benefit across England and Wales if implemented and used with the right level of ambition.
The research directly compared the benefits of AMI with that of Automated Meter Reading (AMR) solutions, where meters transmit to either hand-held or vehicle-mounted readers on a periodic basis. While all smart metering has a positive business case, this research shows that AMI allows far greater benefits and for these to be secured faster. The benefits which the different options were assessed on include adaptive planning and resilience, impact on company performance commitments and additional data benefits. In the event of water companies fully embracing AMI, it provides six times the benefit of AMR. Always-on connected water metering can provide the data needed to take action to reduce costs, for example through reduced leaks, and support water customers to take action to reduce bills..
Owing to the increasing reliance on data and technology to meet best practice within the sector, the research suggests that water companies should consider that any delay to their investment in AMI would likely impact their ability to achieve leakage, sustainability and consumption reduction targets.
In response to the unprecedented challenges that the water sector faces, Ofwat has asked that companies build resilience and adaptability into their plans. While aware that AMI requires wider investment, this new research by Artesia and Frontier recommends that Ofwat robustly challenge water companies on whether they have considered the entire spectrum of benefits which the most advanced metering options may enable.
Ultimately, the inclusion of always-on connected water metering, providing continuous data - specifically Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) - in PR24 (Ofwat's price review for 2024 which will set wholesale price controls for water and sewerage companies for 2025 to 2030) represents a tangible way for the UK and its water companies to counter some of the challenges outlined in Water UK's 2050 Vision and to help meet the Government's environmental targets.
From a consumer standpoint, being able to see continuous consumption data and leakage notifications engaged those customers in understanding their use of water, leading to faster and cheaper leak reduction and personal consumption reductions as evidenced by those companies who have already invested. For vulnerable customers, the cost benefits analysis opens the door to innovative tariffing because even without usage based charging, the business case is still robust and positive.
Water companies and Ofwat are faced with a choice about how ambitious they want to be in the run up to PR24 and AMP8. The societal, environmental, and economic benefits of deploying the most advanced technology, specifically AMI, are clear, and a lack of ambition will impede water companies' ability to meet leakage and consumption targets and to secure the accurate and timely data required to help customers take action to reduce their water bills. The immediacy of the environmental and cost of living issues we face means that government, regulators and industry must work together to support and accelerate the adoption of always-on connected water meters.
Laurie Patten, Director of Strategy and Regulation at Arqiva
We know from previous research that there is a solid case for smart metering. However, what these findings illustrate is that a rollout enabling always-on connected water meters, specifically AMI, would better facilitate social and environmental benefits for society as a whole, driven by data.
Rob Lawson, Director at Artesia
Our findings show that AMI represents a low-regret investment and enables more ambitious outcomes for customers and society. It is more cost effective than AMR in achieving consumption reduction, leakage efficiency and carbon abatements, while also being a resilient option in light of potential climate and demand cha
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
15/07/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/07/2025
L3Harris put its CORVUS-RAVEN counter-small UAS capability into the hands of soldiers at VANAHEIM, showcasing its ability to provide passive signal detect, enha...
15/07/2025
Netflix Viewing Up 13.5% vs. May, Represents 42% of Monthly Gain for Streaming
...
15/07/2025
SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALARU, India Sangeeta Chakraborty has been named chief revenue officer at Amagi, a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology pro...
15/07/2025
As part of its mandate, the Advanced Television Systems Committee the U.S. organization tasked with developing advanced broadcast TV standards promotes ATSC 3.0...
15/07/2025
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contributions, announces the launch of two innovative control panels Studi...
15/07/2025
Chris Kontopanos has joined leading high-quality microphone solutions manufacturer, DPA Microphones, as the company's new Regional Sales Manager for the Mid...
15/07/2025
Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-powered video automation, has launched a major platform upgrade built to simplify live and archival video editing f...
15/07/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will preview its latest innovations at IBC2025, Stand 7.B21. This year's showcase highlights how...
15/07/2025
IBC2025 is set to transform the onsite experience for its global attendees with the launch of a pioneering new feature: full integration of Amsterdam's GVB ...
15/07/2025
Music, sport and technology collided in spectacular fashion as ASB GlassFloor powered the debut of Beats N Buckets, Germany's first Basketball meets Hip-Ho...
15/07/2025
The Collectv, the Emmy award-winning broadcast solutions and workflows consultancy - and winner of Broadcast Tech's Team of the Year is delighted to announc...
15/07/2025
SipRadius, the expert in secure, low latency media transport, will showcase how broadcasters and media companies can take control of fragmented IP workflows at ...
15/07/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, today announced its strategic partnership with beIN ASIA PACIFIC, a leading multi-platform sports media...
15/07/2025
Company marks 15 years of innovation at the show
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, will return to IBC (Hall 1, Stand F83. RAI, Amster...
15/07/2025
New software solutions extend trusted timing measurement across broadcast, venue, and professional AV applications
Hitomi Broadcast, the market leader in audi...
15/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
15/07/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron said its Chyron LIVE cloud-native live production solution has successfully completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical...
15/07/2025
PHILADELPHIA The Xumo streaming platform joint venture between Comcast and Charter has announced the nationwide launch of a new line of Xumo TVs from Westinghou...
15/07/2025
LONGMONT, Colo. DPA Microphones said Chris Kontopanos has joined the microphone solutions provider as its new regional sales manager, Mid-Atlantic....
15/07/2025
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNIT...
15/07/2025
News Corp Authorizes New $1 Billion Stock Repurchase Program and Intends to Acce...
15/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Announces the Start of Production of Los secretos de l...
15/07/2025
Harmonic's Hybrid, AI-Powered and Live Sports Streaming Innovations are Key ...
15/07/2025
The well-known and well-loved 4099 has been completely revamped. It features amazing CORE+ technology, which eliminates distortion and extends dynamic range, a ...
15/07/2025
Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Mea...
15/07/2025
Peak audiences of over half a million tune into both Kerry v Tyrone and Donegal ...
15/07/2025
PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 posted: 15/07/2025
Proton Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025
Alongs...
15/07/2025
Submissions for NVIDIA's Plug and Play: Project G-Assist Plug-In Hackathon a...
14/07/2025
The Royal Moroccan Air Force hosted a C-130 award ceremony with L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert a...
14/07/2025
UK launch set for September, following on from recent US and Germany releases
London - UK, July 14, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, da...
14/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
14/07/2025
The awards are open to IBC2025 show exhibitors and offer a valuable platform for companies to raise awareness for the new products and solutions they will be la...
14/07/2025
Clear-Com is excited to announce a significant expansion of the award-winning Arcadia Central Station with new software updates. Together, these releases dram...
14/07/2025
Grass Valley and Daktronics today announced a strategic technology partnership that unites Grass Valley's live production expertise with Daktronics' lea...
14/07/2025
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset, and swXtch.io, provider of cloud-based multicast and reliable networking solutions, are partnering to deliver multicast...
14/07/2025
Tintri , a DDN subsidiary and leader in AI-powered data management solutions, today announces a game-changing and award-winning refresh to its global Partner P...
14/07/2025
HighField AI, the broadcast industry's first agentic and multimodal AI platform for automating graphics production, is now commercially available. Developed...
14/07/2025
Encompass Digital Media has today announced that it has been delivering a complex global services project for DAZN, the world s leading sports entertainment pla...
14/07/2025
MASV (massive.io), the fastest, most reliable large file transfer platform trusted by over 10,000 global organizations, announced today it will showcase its nex...
14/07/2025
Calrec is introducing a series of usability, customisation and system enhancements across the entire range of Argo consoles at IBC 2025, on Stand 8.C47. Look ou...
14/07/2025
Fincons Group, IT business consultancy and systems integrator company with more than 40 years of experience in the market, is proud to announce a new engagement...
14/07/2025
Intinor returns to IBC to present the latest updates to its Direkt series. A key development on show is Intinor Direkt Management (IDM), a web-based interface f...
14/07/2025
Back to All News
Trailer Out Now! Netflix and YRF Entertainment's Mandala ...
14/07/2025
Back to All News
25 Former Athletes Seek Redemption in Final Draft,' Japan...