Field application of waterworks automated meter reading systems and analysis of household water consumption

Abstract

After the construction of waterworks automated meter reading (AMR) systems with a 15-mm diameter smart water meter developed in this study, both the feasibility of field application of waterworks AMR and the patterns of household water consumption were evaluated. Average reception rate was 94.1% due to the communication blackout, and one-to-one communication with RF UHF and Internet (i.e. TCP/IP) was found to be more stable in AMR systems than multiple-to-one communication with RF UHF, DCU, and Wibro. Household water consumption clearly showed seasonal periodicity due to weather factors. Based on the analysis of liters per capita day (LPCD) for 80 households, the LPCD values were found to decrease gradually as the number of residents increased due to the saving effects through common consumption (i.e. washing, cooking, cleaning, irrigation, etc.). Relative to LPCD values of 100 control households without AMR systems, the LPCD values of 80 pilot households with AMR systems were reduced by 5.3%. Consequently, the deployment of developed waterworks AMR systems integrating smart water metering and end-use water consumptions should be encouraged to conserve both water and energy for smarter cities.