Improvement of the energy efficiency in water systems through water losses reduction using the district metered area (DMA) approach

Abstract

The reduction of water losses is a crucial aspect to be addressed in Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) since they account for almost 50% of the water supply globally. To have a better figure of the involved water volumes, the District Metered Area (DMA) approach has been used in a WDN of a town located in the center of Italy (Osimo). In particular, a complete methodology for calculating and then detecting the water losses is described and applied using the end-users’ water volumes consumptions obtained by inspecting water bills and the supplied water through on-field measurements. These values have been subsequently used to develop and calibrate a hydraulic model of the district under investigation through EPANET, thus allowing the WDN management to estimate both flow rates and pressures to assess the zones where smart meters have to be installed. Water losses have been controlled by monitoring the flow rates through smart meters with an innovative 868 MHz remote reading infrastructure, thus leading to 5,558.8 m3 of avoided water losses (12.5% less than the initial case) that corresponds to an energy reduction and an economic saving of 7,332 kWh and 1,857 € in the last three-month period of the year 2020, respectively.