Affinity Water ready to roll out 20,000 Smart meters in Bishop’s Stortford area

Affinity Water is launching a new Smart meter project with a trial in the Bishop’s Stortford area.

Around 20,000 will be fitted in household properties from February 3 as the utility company aims to “help customers reduce their water consumption, detect leaks more efficiently and ensure a reliable water supply for the future”.

Smart meters measure, record and remotely share water consumption data several times a day.

The area around Bishop’s Stortford was chosen for the trial because of the relatively high level of leakage and the high PCC (per capita consumption) of an average of 152 litres of water per person per day compared to the national average of 141 litres.

Letters to customers will explain the Smart meter installation: “Despite our rainy reputation, we get less rain than Sydney or Mexico City.

“By 2040, an extra 800,000 people will live in 380,000 additional homes in our region, creating even more demand for the water we all use.”

The project is part of Affinity’s broader water resource management plan (WRMP), which aims to reduce PCC and halve leakage by 2050.

The company says: “Smart meters will help us to understand and address the specific water management challenges in the area as well as provide visibility to customers on how they use water.

“As we move into our next business planning period 2025-30, this initial trial will help us to expand this initiative across our regions.”

East Herts district councillor Nick Cox, who was the Green Party’s Hertford and Stortford candidate at the last General Election, is a long-term advocate for a sustainable water supply for the constituency.

He welcomed the trial: “This initiative by Affinity Water is excellent news. Our district is one of the most water-stressed areas of the country in a sub-region which experiences water scarcity and we need to slash water consumption to below 110 litres per person per day.

“Smart meters will provide visibility to residents on how they use water and what it is costing them, enabling savings to be made.

“Of course, Affinity needs to do more. The aim to halve leakage by 2050 is nowhere near ambitious enough.

“Affinity Water’s abstraction licences are due to be capped in 2030. If they are going to have enough capacity to supply the planned new housing, then the leakage deadline needs to be brought forward by a couple of decades!”