Public Perceptions of Household IoT Smart Water “Event” Meters in the UK—Implications for Urban Water Governance

Athanasios Goulas,Daniel Goodwin,Paul Jeffrey,Caitriona Shannon,Heather M Smith

doi:10.3389/frsc.2022.758078

Abstract

Cities around the world are facing water availability challenges, intensified by increasing populations and climate change. Technology, such as household smart meters measuring domestic water consumption, can play a role in demand management, yet a deeper understanding of public expectations and the practicalities of city-wide implementation is required. This article explores public perceptions of smart water meters that use Internet of Things (IoT) technology and machine learning to profile household water use “events” and anomalies. By leveraging insights from an online survey implemented in the UK (n = 558), this article explores factors influencing the likelihood of citizens choosing to have this type of meter installed along with potential societal barriers and opportunities. Nearly half of the participants said they would choose to have such a meter installed and logistic regression showed predictive variables were younger ages, being male, those with existing water meters and those with other smart devices. The likelihood of choosing this type of water meter was also associated with preferences to have control over data privacy, whether the meter would reduce water bills and whether it was provided free of charge. We locate these results within other contemporary experiences of smart meters and water grids in urban contexts to discuss practical challenges of using real-time environmental data for urban water governance. Policymakers and water resources planners should continue to monitor public perceptions, implement urban experiments and cost-benefit analyses to better interpret the wider benefits of such technology for behavioral and educational interventions within a more digitized and increasingly data-centric water grid.

Highlights

Water supplies are under increasing stress from growing populations, economic development, tightening environmental regulations and climate change (Arnell, 2004; McDonald et al, 2011; Boretti and Rosa, 2019)
Demand management can help reduce per capita water consumption (PCC) through utilizing water efficient technology alongside more detailed data and behavior change initiatives (Fielding et al, 2012; Liu et al, 2017)
Water meters are one of a number of possible demand management interventions aimed at supporting a decrease in domestic water consumption (Stavenhagen et al, 2018; Ornaghi and Tonin, 2021)

Summary

Introduction

Water supplies are under increasing stress from growing populations, economic development, tightening environmental regulations and climate change (Arnell, 2004; McDonald et al, 2011; Boretti and Rosa, 2019) These challenges are especially salient in many established cities where aging infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with change (Buytaert and De Bievre, 2012; Kristvik et al, 2019). Water meters are one of a number of possible demand management interventions aimed at supporting a decrease in domestic water consumption (Stavenhagen et al, 2018; Ornaghi and Tonin, 2021) Their effectiveness hinges on the assumption that relevant stakeholders (e.g., the public, water companies, governments) respond rationally to information about water use and price signals, which may not fully account for the complexity of factors underlying investment decisions or how individuals use water (Bell, 2015). Through contributing to better demand management, the business case for smart metering can potentially be supported by avoiding (or deferring) the augmentation of and investment in water supply and treatment infrastructure (Makki et al, 2013; Beal and Flynn, 2015)

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