Smart meters
In this article
A smart water meter (or 'digital meter') measures your water usage in hourly intervals and automatically sends this data back to us at least once a day.
This data can provide you with useful insights about your water use and help to detect leaks sooner. Smart meters also provide us with meter readings for properties that our meter readers can’t access.
How do smart water meters work?
A smart meter enables automatic communication between your meter and our servers and systems. It transmits your water use data to us over wireless telecommunication networks each day.
Most of our customers with smart meters will be part of Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) network. This means your water use data will be measured and shown in hourly intervals and available to view in your online account the following day.
Please note: A smart meter is different from a remote access device. These are electronic devices that can be fitted to an existing standard meter for a once-off fee. It allows us to get your water use reading remotely, from outside the property boundary, but doesn’t provide you with access to your water use data in your online account.
What does a smart water meter look like?
Smart meters are similar in size and appearance to standard meters - the main difference is that they have a digital screen.
Depending on which smart water meter model you have, you can interact with the screen to show you additional information, such as litres per hour, which can be useful in detecting potential leaks.
A standard (manually read) meter.
A Sensus iPERL smart water meter.
You can find a list of all the different smart water meters we currently use on our 'How to read your meter' page.
What are the benefits of smart water meters?
We've been using smart meters for over 10 years in regional areas where it can be difficult for our meter readers to access properties safely.
The Perth Smart Water Meter Pilot is using the latest technology to assess how we can use smart meters to improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of meter readings, and provide you with access to information that can help you save water and money.
Understand your water use
Having access to regular water use data gives you an insight into your daily water use. This will help you understand your water use trends over time and identify ways to save water and lower your water bill.
Detect hidden leaks faster
Being familiar with your water use patterns means you can be on the lookout for spikes in water use that may be due to a leak. From a running toilet cistern to a burst pipe, water use insights can help you identify water loss sooner, saving you time and money.
Avoid surprises with your water bill
Having access to your daily water use data means you can avoid surprises when you receive your bill. With smart meters, you can see your water use in close to real time in your online account, which allows you to track how much water you’re consuming and make changes accordingly.
Boost business efficiency
By checking your smart meter data and considering the activities, equipment and operations that influence your water use, you can target specific daily, weekly or monthly activities and build new and efficient processes and procedures into your business operations.
Where do we have smart meters?
We currently have over 40,000 smart meters installed across Western Australia, including in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the Pilbara, Yanchep and in the Kimberley.
We are currently running a pilot in Perth to see how we might use smart meters in the future.
For more information and updates on how we are progressing with smart meter installation across WA, visit the below project pages.
Our smart meter rollout projects
- Perth Smart Water Meter Pilot
- Kalgoorlie-Boulder Meter Replacement Project
- Exmouth Meter Replacement Project
Got a smart water meter? Here’s what you need to know
How you read your smart water meter will depend on which model we’ve installed at your property. You can find detailed instructions on how to read each type of smart meter in our help article.
Some customers may also be able to see their water use data in their online account. To find out if and when you can access this data, please visit the project page for your area.
The smart water meters use secure, existing telecommunication infrastructure to send your water usage data to our servers and systems.
The data doesn’t contain any identifying information about you and we use global standards to ensure the data is secure from end to end.
No personal information is stored on the device itself. We know privacy is important to you; for more information, please read about how we manage your information following the Privacy Act 1988.