Smart Water Metering

This virtual event explored how machine learning augments traditional rules-based methods for customer-side water leakage detection. Rules work well for standard households (e.g., nighttime flow alerts) but struggle with non-standard usage and non-household properties, where intermittent, low-volume, or continuous processes obscure leaks. Watch on-demand here Watch on-demand here Tackling Leakage through Machine Learning Machine learning learns patterns from data—via supervised and unsupervised approaches—to detect nuanced, meter-specific anomalies, adapt to changing behavior, and reduce noise, making it effective for the “hard 20%” that consumes 80% of effort. The recommended model is complementary: use rules to clear simple cases at scale, then apply ML to exceptions for higher accuracy and targeting. Success depends on data quality, scalable engineering for millions of meters, and a closed feedback loop to validate outcomes, retrain, and maintain performance. While ML has higher compute costs, it unlocks savings through increased leak recovery, regulatory gains, and operational efficiency, with single-tool integration improving prioritization and reporting. Data privacy must be addressed through appropriate system design and governance. Get the whitepaper Get the whitepaper Speakers ‍ Jason King, Business Development Manager, Arqiva Stephanie Edmonson, Senior Product Manager, Arqiva Jack Kilvington, Head of Data Science, Arqiva ‍ Key takeaways 1. Rules Remain Reliable: Rules-based leakage detection remains effective for standard households (e.g., 2–4 a.m. no-flow rules) but struggles with non-standard usage such as industrial sites, high-use properties, and intermittent low-volume leaks. 2. Machine Learning Augments: Machine learning complements rules by learning patterns from data (supervised and unsupervised) to identify subtle and edge-case leaks that rules miss, enabling targeted, higher-value interventions. 3. Hybrid Strategy Wins: A hybrid approach is recommended: use rules to efficiently clear straightforward cases and apply ML to the 20% of meters that consume 80% of operational effort and often drive disproportionate leakage volumes. 4. Data-Driven Deployment: Successful ML deployment requires robust data quality, scalable engineering to handle millions of meters, and a closed feedback loop (verification, retraining, performance monitoring) to maintain real-world accuracy. 5. Cost-Saving Intelligence: While ML adds compute cost versus rules-based methods, it unlocks savings via earlier detection in complex scenarios, supporting regulatory performance and reducing water production, abstraction, and associated emissions. "It doesn’t have to be an either or; rules based with machine learning works really well to scale across the entire estate and handle both the standard cases and the non‑standard ones." Jack Kilvington Head of Data Science, Arqiva Watch the Webinar HERE Watch the Webinar HERE

Investing in smart metering to close London’s water gap with Thames Water Explore how Thames Water reduced consumption, minimised wastage, and shifted to data-driven operations with the power of smart water metering. Get the whitepaper Get the whitepaper The investment case: confronting a systemic challenge London is not supposed to run out of water. Yet beneath the surface of the capital’s daily life, the morning showers, the office towers, the restaurants, the hospitals, a quieter story has been unfolding. Demand is rising. Rainfall is becoming less predictable. Rivers and reservoirs are under mounting strain. And by the middle of the next decade, the gap between the water London needs and the water available to supply it is projected to widen dramatically. Forecasts point to a deficit of 326 megalitres per day by 2045. For a global capital, that is not a marginal shortfall; it is a structural imbalance. Thames Water has warned that if supplies were to fail, the economic cost to London could reach £500 million per day. In a region officially classified as being in severe water stress, and already operating under compulsory metering powers, parts of the supply area have begun to slip into deficit earlier than expected, driven by higher demand and continued pressures resulting from continued network leakage. This is not the result of a single dry year. It is the cumulative effect of population growth, climate volatility and tightening environmental constraints. The system was designed for a different era, one with more predictable rainfall and lower consumption. Today, the margin for error is shrinking. For Thames Water, the conclusion has become unavoidable: The challenge is now systemic The problem has moved beyond fine‑tuning supply operations to addressing a fundamental mismatch between current water usage and what can be sustainably provided. Regulatory pressure is increasing Oversight from regulators has intensified, demanding more transparent performance and stronger long‑term planning. Consumption targets are tightening National expectations for reduced water use are becoming more stringent, raising the bar for both utilities and consumers. The economic cost of inaction is clear Delayed investment or insufficient intervention now carries significant financial risk, making proactive change essential. And London is not alone. Across England and Wales, water companies are facing the same convergence of pressures. Many operate in areas classified as serious or severe water stress. The task confronting the sector is no longer incremental efficiency improvement; it is demand transformation at scale. In that context, smart water metering has shifted from a technological upgrade to a strategic lever. It is one of the few tools capable of reshaping consumption patterns across millions of households, identifying leaks faster, providing real-time insight, and enabling more targeted interventions. In a water-stressed future, visibility is power. And without it, the imbalance only grows. National mandates with local consequences That pressure is now being codified into national policy. Consumption cannot simply stabilise; it must fall. Targets require average use to drop to 122 litres per person per day by 2038, and to 110 litres by 2050. At the same time, regulators are tightening expectations on leakage performance with each successive price review, narrowing the tolerance for underperformance. For Thames Water, the implications are profound. Internal modelling shows that reaching 110 litres per person per day would require household consumption to fall by more than 300 megalitres per day between 2025 and 2050 — more than twice the levels of reductions assumed in earlier plans. This is a step change in how water is used across millions of homes. At the same time, leakage remains high. Current levels sit at around 575 megalitres per day on a dry-year equivalent basis, above forecast expectations. Historically, Thames Water have reported that as much as 28% of total leakage can be attributed to customer-side losses, water escaping from supply pipes and plumbing within domestic and commercial properties rather than from the company’s own mains. Achieving future supply–demand balance will depend not only on mains renewal and operational improvements, but also on tackling losses beyond the utility’s direct network control. Even with continued investment in network repair and renewal, the scale of customer-side leakage highlights how finely balanced — and system-wide — the challenge has become. In this environment, broad-brush awareness campaigns and incremental nudges cannot deliver the transformation required. Reducing demand and tackling wastage at this scale demands granular, property-level insight — the ability to see how water is being used, where it is being lost, and how patterns shift over time. It is within this tightening policy and performance landscape that smart metering moved from being an efficiency initiative to becoming a strategic necessity. A decade of operational learning Over the past ten years, Thames Water, in partnership with Arqiva, has installed more than 1.2 million smart meters, creating one of the most extensive advanced metering infrastructures in the UK if not the world. The rollout, delivered borough by borough across London, combined meter installation with the communications backbone required to capture hourly consumption data, and for many larger meters, data at fifteen-minute intervals. Supported by Arqiva’s 119 radio masts and a dedicated FlexNet network architecture, with meters provided by Sensus, the programme has enabled consistent, granular visibility of demand. This visibility has fundamentally changed how the company understands its network. With accurate household usage data, Thames Water can calculate area-level supply volumes, subtract verified consumption and identify leakage with far greater precision. What was once estimated at an aggregate level can now be isolated to street or property level. “I’m proud of the measurable impact we’ve had on water efficiency and customer satisfaction.” Mark Cooper Head of Smart Metering and Demand Reduction at Thames Water The measurable impact is clear. Smart meters have helped identify more than 84,000 customer-side leaks and are contributing to savings of around 120 megalitres of water per day. Beyond these headline figures, the programme has generated deep operational experience and valuable behavioural insight. Results Smart meter data has transformed Thames Water’s understanding of how water is used — and lost — at the property level. Analysis during AMP7 showed that between 8% and 10% of homes exhibited continuous flow, typically indicating hidden leaks, while around 5% of properties were estimated to have constantly leaking toilets. These are losses that, without smart water meters, could have remained invisible. The shift from unmeasured to smart-metered supply has delivered measurable demand reduction. During AMP6 and AMP7, Thames Water reported that customers reduced their consumption by an average of 13% once smart metered. As smart meter penetration increased, per capita consumption across the region fell materially, with measured household consumption typically around 15–20 litres per person per day lower than unmeasured consumption. Leakage reduction has also accelerated over successive regulatory periods. In AMP6, Thames Water reduced leakage by approximately 90-100 Ml/d from its early-period baseline. In AMP7, despite drought and operational pressures, reported leakage levels fell to their lowest ever recorded levels by 2023–24, representing a reduction of approximately 10% against the PR19 baseline. 84,000+ Customer-side leaks identified 13.2% Leakage down since 2020 1.2m+ Smart meters installed 98.5% Connectivity realibility 13% consumption reduction by customer once smart metered 100% Evidence‑backed reporting ‍ Leakage is at its lowest ever level on the network, down 13.2% since 2020. Smart metering has been central to this trajectory, enabling faster identification of supply-pipe leaks, improving night-flow analytics, and allowing targeted customer contact where continuous flow is detected. The system-level insight is equally important. Peak demand in several planning zones is strongly influenced by summer weather and dry-year conditions. In response, Thames Water is increasingly using smart meter data to identify high-usage and continuous-flow households, targeting these properties through enhanced water-efficiency initiatives. Without granular, near real-time data, transmitted across Arqiva’s network with consistently high reliability and connectivity of around 98.5%, unusual spikes in property-level water use would be absorbed into aggregate demand figures, detectable only in retrospect. With smart water visibility and granularity, Thames Water can isolate emerging pressure points, model peak risk with far greater precision, and anticipate strain before it escalates. Intervention becomes targeted rather than reactive, focused where it will deliver the greatest operational and customer impact. Always-on visibility enables earlier leak detection, faster intervention and more informed customer engagement. For a network operating under structural pressure, that intelligence is fundamental to resilience. Scaling ambition for AMP8 Smart metering now sits at the centre of Thames Water’s AMP8 plans. The company intends to reach one million additional homes with smart meters by 2030 and three million by 2035. Ofwat’s PR24 Final Determination reflects regulatory support for this approach, allowing £281 million for smart metering investment between 2025 and 2030. As Thames Water expands its rollout into Thames Valley, introducing NB-IoT cellular connectivity alongside the established FlexNet radio infrastructure, Arqiva’s Water Data Platform provides the foundation for real-time network visibility, proactive maintenance insight and robust regulatory reporting. Crucially, it integrates data from multiple network communication into a single, coherent environment, creating a comprehensive view of performance and emerging risk. Looking ahead, that same data architecture opens the door to richer digital engagement with consumers, smarter predictive maintenance insights that adapt to environmental change, and unified sensor data that delivers actionable operational insights. Partnership as a foundation for resilience The longevity of the programme has been central to its success. More than a decade of deployment has allowed Thames Water to mature its operational capabilities and embed data-driven decision-making into everyday processes. Arqiva’s role within that journey reflects more than technology provision. As a fellow critical national infrastructure operator, Arqiva understands the regulatory, operational and resilience challenges that water companies face. Maximum read accuracy and reliability are not abstract performance metrics; they are foundational to building a granular, trustworthy view of demand, leakage and system stress. Arqiva’s reliability has been underpinned by private spectrum FlexNet radio connectivity designed to operate across complex urban environments and at challenging underground meter depths. The ability to maintain robust performance in dense cityscapes, suburban environments and buried installations is essential to sustaining the integrity of the data estate at scale. Strong collaboration across suppliers, technology partners and internal teams has ensured the programme has delivered not only installation scale but long-term operability and resilience. As Mark Cooper reflects: “Strong partnerships are vital to the successful rollout and long-term operation of smart meters. Collaboration across suppliers, technology providers, and internal teams ensures resilience and efficiency throughout the programme.” Mark Cooper Head of Smart Metering and Demand Reduction at Thames Water Maintaining meter operability and network performance will be essential as new performance commitments take effect during AMP8. For Thames Water — and increasingly for other companies operating in water-stressed regions — resilient data infrastructure is becoming as critical as physical asset resilience. From measurement to structural transformation The projected 326 megalitre daily deficit, and the economic exposure attached to it, made the investment case for smart metering unavoidable. For Thames Water, smart meters are no longer a billing enhancement or a contained pilot initiative. They are a core system management tool: distinguishing genuine consumption from leakage, identifying continuous flow that may signal hidden customer-side leaks, and enabling intervention at property level before losses compound. Through AMP7, Thames Water has expanded its use of smart meter data to trigger Smarter Home Visits, provide digital consumption feedback, and to notify customers promptly when persistent flow suggests leakage or wastage. This data-led targeting will continue into AMP8, with smart meter analytics guiding engagement with excessive users and shaping more focused demand-reduction campaigns. Rather than broad awareness messaging alone, interventions are increasingly directed where the data indicates the greatest potential impact. Arqiva has been part of that transformation from the outset. For more than a decade, the partnership has evolved from early deployment to large-scale rollout, building the communications and data foundations that now underpin Thames Water’s demand strategy. And as the programme progresses toward 2030, that role continues, supporting expansion, performance optimisation and the long-term resilience of the platform. Across the UK water sector, similar pressures are intensifying. Climate variability, regulatory tightening and population growth are reshaping the supply–demand balance. The lesson is becoming clear: in a water-stressed future, visibility is not optional. It is the foundation on which resilience is built. Smart Water Metering Find out how the UK’s leading smart water meter provider can help you improve operations, conservation and the customer experience in one seamless, fully-managed solution. Read more Read more Find out More Find out More

7 questions you should ask your suppliers With AMP8 procurement discussions intensifying, making the right supplier decisions is crucial. How can you be certain your smart water metering partnerships will pay off in the future? Here are some critical questions to ask your potential suppliers in your procurement processes. Get the whitepaper Get the whitepaper What’s the cost-per-successful read? Upfront costs can be an unhelpful measure for smart water metering provider comparison. That’s because lower upfront costs can lead to higher in-life costs, either from remedial actions to source the meter reads or shorter than anticipated battery lives. Whole-life cost is a better measure for comparison – but sometimes it also presents challenges. In some cases, suppliers’ whole-life costs are estimates based on test conditions, rather than lived experience in a real-world setting. Both upfront costs and whole-life costs can overlook an important factor – meter read success rate. While Solution A could be half the price of Solution B, if it only captures half the readings, then it’s not a bargain. The best way to compare providers on cost? Cost-per-successful read. This comparison tells you exactly what you’ll be paying for the true value of your asset – accurate, reliable data. It also provides strong insight into the quality of the supplier’s connectivity infrastructure and data transmissions. Some suppliers are now open to contracting on a cost-per-successful read basis, so make sure to ask them about their guarantees. ‍ What data accuracy can you guarantee? The latest research from Frontier Economics and Artesia Consulting confirms that the lower your data accuracy, the lower the returns you can expect from your smart water metering investments. Water companies with high meter coverage (95%), getting hourly reads shared every day with a 90% read accuracy can generate benefits of £4,137 million over a 30-year period. These benefits include: More efficient leakage delivery Lower consumption costs Avoided capacity costs Lower carbon emissions Reduced meter reading costs Improved infrastructure management Improved forecasting data By contrast, water companies with low meter coverage (30%), with daily reads shared every month at a low read accuracy (50%) can generate benefits of just £2,058 million over the same period. This is because reliable, timely, accurate data is essential for effective customer engagement. Without rich data, you can’t segment communications to curb water use or tackle leaks. You also limit your options for future network applications and innovations. Ask your suppliers for their data accuracy statistics. ‍ How can you guarantee the longevity of your infrastructure? To prolong the lifespan of your metering devices, your network needs to perform at its best for the long haul. This means your network needs to be built to stand the test of time. For example, check with your supplier about connecting your devices to public buildings or utilities like lamp posts. If they plan to use this approach, ask if they have any guarantees from local councils that these public assets won’t be moved or changed over the coming years. Any alterations will impact your communications infrastructure – and your investments. Find out from your suppliers what safeguards they have in place to protect your infrastructure. How resilient is your supply chain? According to the experts at Baringa, the number of smart water meter installations in the UK will jump from 2.5 million over five years (AMP7) to 2.5 million every year in AMP9. To cope with the surge in demand, it’s important to work with suppliers who have strong global supply chain relationships. They should have strong partnerships with all the main meter manufacturers – and they should be collaborating to optimise processes and guarantee asset delivery. Your suppliers should also have access to a skilled installer workforce with a proven track record of large-scale delivery. They need ample UK experience – and a solid understanding of the different installation challenges in urban and rural locations. ‍ What connectivity technologies do you support? Smart water metering technology is evolving and maturing. With the technological landscape in flux, UK water companies are, understandably, worried about selecting the right solution. Water companies are all striving towards a future where consumers can easily monitor their water usage and make changes to reduce their consumption. However, the paths to achieving this goal technologically will vary from company to company. The solution you choose during this buying cycle might need adapting in the future to match your evolving smart metering requirements. In AMP8, it’s key to select a provider who can support you for the long haul, adjusting your solution as your needs change. When will our smart water metering investments pay back? Installing smart meters is resource-intensive and costly. With this in mind, water companies should think about the ‘lifetime’ of their network, and what guarantees suppliers can make to ensure its longevity. For example, investing in a higher upfront priced meter with a 15-year battery life can save money in the long run compared to a meter requiring earlier installation due to its shorter battery lifespan. To make sure you’re making the best decisions for your business, ask your suppliers about the long-term viability of their technology and the benefits it can bring you over the next 15-20 years. We also recommend double checking the details of suppliers’ maintenance guarantees to protect your investments. Exclusions related to network quality, installation temperatures and water immersion can prevent water companies from fully benefiting from the meter before the warranty expires. While total cost of ownership is important, we understand that water companies also want to maximise their investments and see immediate results once the meters are deployed. Talk to your suppliers and find out if their technology allows you to start reaping the benefits right away. For example, can they help you speed up the value you can get from your assets? Ready-made services or solutions like advanced analytics support or customer engagement apps can help you accelerate behavioural change. Finally, we recognise that not all water companies have the same opportunities to install meters easily. Some companies can swiftly roll out meters in entire areas and reap the benefits quickly. For those relying on replacing existing meters and encouraging opt-ins, the story is different. Metering in these cases is less about driving high penetration and more about modern meter replacement. In these circumstances, it’s tempting to opt for lower-priced options. However, mandatory metering will eventually cover all customers in the UK. The meters you install now will have a large role to play in a mass metering future, so it’s best to make sure those meters deliver you maximum value, without needing replacements or remedial action soon. What financing plans are on offer? Many water companies are facing tough budgeting decisions – balancing major infrastructure spending with reasonable customer tariffs. Under these conditions, lots of UK water companies see their AMP8 smart water metering investments as a forced choice between low upfront costs and low whole-life costs. But this isn’t the case. Flexible financing is available, helping you spread the cost of your smart water metering investments over the lifetime of your assets. That means that you can benefit from a higher-quality solution for longer, without crippling CAPEX costs or unwelcome bill increases. The best suppliers should demonstrate commitment to your business by crafting a financing plan tailored to your specific goals and constraints. They should be working with trusted partners, designing innovative, sustainable funding methods that will deliver for your business over AMP8 and beyond. Ask your suppliers for a customised financing solution that matches your business needs. Such solutions can be set-up on a ‘per read’ basis, which we consider the most accurate method for comparison. This approach also lets you focus on your metering benefits, rather than the rollout management. The right partner is the first step to success. Selecting the right partner for your smart water metering projects is an essential step towards success. The best choice is a supplier that promises great value over the lifespan of your assets, guarantees quality and data accuracy, has a proven track record in large-scale installations, and offers maximum flexibility in technology and financing. Ask your suppliers the right questions to unlock the real benefits of smart water metering. Mike Smith is the Executive Director of Smart Utilities at Arqiva. With 20 years’ experience in B2B telecoms, Mike leads Arqiva’s efforts in unlocking the benefits of digitalisation – for UK utility companies and all UK citizens. Mike Smith Executive Director, Utilities, Arqiva

Discover the roadmap to smart water metering readiness As the UK water industry gears up for its largest investment programme yet, readiness for smart water metering is critical. Your approach to AMI will shape key decisions, from supplier selection to technology adoption and strategic spending. Get the report Get the report While every water company’s smart water metering journey is unique, as an industry we’re all striving for the same goal: leveraging real-time data to revolutionise water usage, boost operational efficiency, and enhance customer satisfaction. Our latest whitepaper invites you to chart your progress today and your path into the future. Discover your position on the smart water metering readiness roadmap and learn how to excel at every journey stage. Download the whitepaper to discover how to: Deliver at scale Optimise rollout efficiency to hit ODI targets within budget. Maximise visibility Improve network reliability and prioritise data accuracy. Accelerate change Capitalise on AMI investments to drive new use cases and operational transformation. Turn data into action Use near real-time insights to detect leaks faster, optimise network performance, and enable proactive decision-making.

Open monitoring for water: peril and possibility Public trust in water companies is at a historic low, driven by environmental concerns, rising bills, and increased scrutiny.At the same time, regulators and government are pushing for a fundamental shift toward open monitoring, a new model of near real-time, publicly accessible environmental and operational data.This exclusive report explores what that transformation really means for the water sector. Get the report Get the report Based on research conducted between January and May 2026, this report combines: ​ Contributions from 40+ senior water sector stakeholders ​ Quantitative and qualitative analysis of current capabilities and challenges ​ Interviews with utilities, regulators and industry experts What's inside the report Why open monitoring is becoming essential The regulatory, environmental and public pressures reshaping the sector. What’s next after operator self-monitoring Why legacy approaches are no longer enough, and what comes next. How open monitoring can be successfully implemented From sensor networks and data infrastructure to governance and standards. How open monitoring can be successfully implemented From sensor networks and data infrastructure to governance and standards. What success looks like How transparency, done right, can rebuild trust and improve environmental outcomes. Some snapshots from the report 35% of customers are satisfied with environmental protection efforts 1 in 5 water companies have full network visibility 7 in 10 water companies see monitoring reform as key to rebuilding trust About this report This report is produced by Utility Week Intelligence, in partnership with Arqiva, and is based on independent research across the UK water sector.

From targets to trust: A digital confidence blueprint for UK water utilities Download the report to see how trusted digital data cuts operational costs, from fewer site visits to reduced manual workflows. Get the report Get the report What's inside the report The new regulatory reality Why AMP8 is a proof economy, continuous monitoring, auditability, and defensible data tied to ODIs/PCDs; sharper scrutiny on leakage and storm overflows. Beyond the meter Smart metering becomes transformational when combined with pressure, sewer level, and water quality sensing on a single backbone. The digital confidence model Move from trusted data to actionable insights, to assured outcomes for customers, regulators, and the public. The Anglian Water story How Anglian Water benefits from 150 million+ validated data reads per day that can support faster leak detection, enabling earlier targeting and reducing costly site investigations. “Now we’re working with actual data rather than estimates. We can more clearly understand where and why figures diverge from our original assumptions.” Doug Spencer Head of Smart Metering, Anglian Water Anglian Water Outcomes 1.5m Smart water meters 150m+ validated data reads per day 577k+ customer‑side continuous flows 700k+ customer leaks detected 23megalitres of water per day reduction in distribution output 100% Evidence‑backed reporting ‍