Smart metering needs central coordination, Baringa finds

Centralised coordination and joint-investment will be needed to drive the best outcomes from smart metering. That was the key finding of a Baringa report commissioned by Ofwat ahead of the launch of its new Water Efficiency Fund, to derive lessons from the energy smart meter rollout for the water smart rollout.

Among the lessons from energy Baringa identified were benefits from: common agreement on the benefits and use cases of smart and the minimum technology and capabilities required; comparing performance and sharing best practice; and collaborating and investing in joint solutions to common challenges.

However, at present each water company is cutting its own path on use cases, benefits, technology, necessary capabilities, data analysis, customer engagement, internal system/process/policy changes, and overcoming challenges. Each company is also procuring individually and “providing the supply chain with a proliferation of different requirements”.

Baringa made 12 recommendations across four areas, as shown in the table. It also proposed a potential governance model for the ownership and delivery of the recommended initiatives, but emphasised that this will require further work.