Tag Archives: water

Acquisitions & Partnerships, News, South East England News

Essex & Suffolk Water select Connexin for largest UK IoT smart water metering contract

UK-based smart technology and digital provider Connexin has been selected by Essex & Suffolk Water for the advanced water metering infrastructure (AMI) framework contract, to manage the roll-out of smart meters across the Essex and Suffolk supply regions. The agreement is the third major smart water meter win for Connexin having already secured Yorkshire Water and Severn Trent Water.

The new AMI IoT metering award is the largest of its kind in the UK water utility sector. The delivery of an end-to-end ‘Meter as a Service’ solution will cover smart water metering requirements across Essex and Suffolk, while also supporting Ofwat’s per capita consumption (PCC) and leakage targets. The water company has also committed to ensuring that all water meters are “smart” by 2035.

Installation of Connexin’s low-powered and long-range LoRaWAN® network infrastructure will enable communications with Temetra’s Head End System (HES), sending data from smart water meters via the Connexin AMI network infrastructure to effectively analyse reports from across the network remotely in real-time. Connexin will install 164,000 Itron water meters by the end of 2025, 612,000 meters by 2030 and up to one million meters in total by 2035.

In the next 11 years, Connexin will provide a wireless communications network for up to one million households and businesses, meaning remote access to hourly water meter readings, this will increase visibility of usage and help customers take control of their bills. The Connexin network will support the water company in identifying and reducing household leakage across Essex and Suffolk; reducing the amount of water wasted across some of the country’s most water-stressed regions.

Gary Adams, Head of the Smart Transformation Programme at Essex & Suffolk Water, said: “Our partnership with Connexin is a cornerstone in supporting our smart meter rollout ambition in these regions and we are excited to bring their extensive knowledge and experience into our programme of work.

“We are passionate about the environment and our targets to reduce both consumption and leakage, creating a more water-efficient system for our customers. Our rollout of smart metering will support this and provide valuable insight in shaping how the industry can better understand where water is used, and make sure we’re looking after it for the future.

“We know that approximately 18% of our domestic customers have a leak at their property which has a direct impact on the value of their bill. Through this smart connectivity, we will be able to detect customer side leakage more precisely and quicker than before supporting our customers in keeping their bills as low as possible. The hourly data will also allow us to work with our customers to demonstrate how much water they are using and provide guidance on how to reduce it to help improve people’s lives and safeguard our environment.”

Connexin has been awarded a contract of up to 15 years to provide the new infrastructure, five years initially with the option to extend for a further 10 years – truly cementing its position as the go-to end-to-end solutions provider for smart water metering within the utilities sector.

Dan Preece, Vice President of Water & Utilities at Connexin, said: “We have proved once again we are a leader in smart water infrastructure. Securing the largest UK water metering contract is a commitment to the well-being of our communities and the conservation of our most precious resource. Together we are paving the way for a more connected, efficient, and responsible world – one drop at a time.”

The Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8) commences on 1 April 2025, affecting all water companies within England & Wales. The purpose of AMP periods, set by industry regulator Ofwat, is to increase efficiency and service levels within the sector. It is anticipated that AMP8 will transform the water industry’s commitments towards climate change and customer expectations on service, society, and the environment

Customer Service, News

New research: digital self-service now more popular than calling customer service

60% of UK household water and energy customers prefer not to call customer service if they can use online tools to solve their problems, according to Macro 4 research

Crawley, UK, March 22, 2022 – Most consumers are ready to swap customer service calls for digital self-service in the wake of their experience during the pandemic, according to new survey findings released by Macro 4. The research, which examines UK consumer attitudes to household energy and water suppliers, suggests that 61 per cent of customers have become more comfortable interacting with companies digitally since the pandemic, on websites, apps and other online channels. And 60 per cent would now prefer not to call a live customer service person at all if they can solve their issues themselves using online resources.

When asked what aspects of service are important in a household energy or water supplier, 72 per cent of the 1,000–plus survey respondents said they now want utilities to provide online resources that make it easy to resolve their questions themselves rather than having to use the phone. 93 per cent said it was important[1] that they are able to contact their supplier in whatever way they prefer – such as by phone, email, social media, text or messaging apps. And 93 per cent stressed the importance of getting a quick response whether they call or make contact digitally.

Macro 4, a division of UNICOM® Global that helps enterprises accelerate digital transformation, commissioned two separate surveys of over 1,000 household utility bill payers in the UK. The results are published in a report, ‘Giving UK Utility Customers A Voice’.

Jim Allum, Director, Commercial and Technical at Macro 4, said: “During COVID-19 restrictions, we all got used to doing more things digitally. And for many people that would have included resorting to online self-service since most contact centers at the time were experiencing significant delays due to soaring call volumes. What’s interesting is that the habit has stuck. The majority of people are now happy to use self-service instead of speaking to a customer service person on the phone – especially for simple queries. One positive of helping customers to do more for themselves is that it frees up hard-pressed contact center agents to handle more complex queries by phone, chat or email, and this is where companies can add real value. And it should also mean shorter wait times for those people who do need to speak by phone.”

Questions related to bills and charges often trigger calls to the contact center and this was one of the specific gripes identified by the research. 31 per cent of energy customers and 26 per cent of water customers in the survey sample want their current suppliers’ bills to be easier to understand[2]. And 73 per cent regularly check their energy and water bills for mistakes[3].

Allum said, “Self-service can play an important role by providing reassurance and clarity surrounding bills and how they are calculated. For example, if customers are given self-service access to detailed historical information, as well as basic analysis facilities to compare their own billing and usage rates over time, they can rule out any anomalies for themselves.”

Further underlining consumers’ growing preference for digital resources and interaction, nearly two thirds of the customers questioned in the survey believe it’s more convenient to view all of their household bills online rather than on paper.

Allum added, “Ditching paper altogether is not yet an option, however, since nearly a third of the people we asked still want paper bills. This research highlights the importance of building flexibility into your communication systems so that you can personalize your service to meet the needs of different customers. It’s all about delivering a consistently great experience across every communication channel.”

Macro 4’s report ‘Giving UK Utility Customers A Voice’ can be downloaded at https://bit.ly/Utilitysurvey.

[1] ‘Very important’ and ‘Somewhat important’ options combined

[2] Survey of 1,193 utility bill payers (18+) between 19.01.2022 – 21.01.2022

[3] Survey of 1,312 utility bill payers (18+) between 08.02.2022 – 10.02.2022

Business Investment, Tech, Wales News

Smart technology pioneer prepares to unveil portal solution to global water crisis

A DISRUPTIVE smart technology company is preparing to unveil a new pipeline portal that will revolutionise the water industry.

Already being trialled in Europe, the Middle East and parts of the UK, the invention from North Wales-based iVapps is creating waves in the sector and will be launched into the global market next year.

The marine-grade stainless steel portal features the world’s first smart cartridge valve complete with inflow technology sensors, enabling the user – from water companies to the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries and more – to digitise their pipelines and control and monitor temperature, flow, pressure, turbidity and quality.

This will enable the user to identify and resolve issues in a number of areas, including contamination, bursts, and leakages, allowing them to move quickly to prevent further environmental and financial damage and reduce the loss of our most valuable resource – water.

Nigel Roberts, National Business Manager for the UK and Europe, said the St Asaph-based firm has big plans for the future.

He added: “The response and support we’ve had has been very positive, from water companies to governments and large manufacturing organisations across the UK and Europe.

“They and the industry in general now accept that digitisation of the pipeline networks is critical for their future sustainability.”

During the summer, it was reported by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) that more than 3.3 billion litres of treated water – 20% of the nation’s supply and 234 million litres a day more than a decade ago – are lost due to leaking pipes in England and Wales.

“The water lost would meet the daily needs of 21.5 million people,” said Nigel.

“We have the technology to help eliminate this problem and deliver fundamental benefits to the environment and the water industry by supporting the development of a future proof network in partnership for generations to come.”

The iVapps portal solution has AI (Artificial Intelligence) capabilities which can be serviced without having to shut down pipelines or excavate roads, causing major disruption.

Once installed any future sensor technologies can be introduced or upgraded within 10 minutes and reused again. Delivering a low cost, low carbon, green friendly advance on the current process.

Celebrating victory in the Wales Start-Up Awards – where iVapps was nominated in three categories and won the Innovative Start-Up of the Year prize – Nigel said there is nothing like this anywhere in the world.

“Our potential in the global market is huge, and with very little valve innovation in the last century, certainly in terms of smart technology, we believe this has the potential to be a game changer.”

For more information, visit the website www.ivappstech.com and follow @iVAPPST on social media.