DRIVE-BY READINGS INCREASE EFFICIENCY

Drive-by readings increase efficiency

Strömesand Wassertechnik GmbH is Germany‘s largest municipal water and wastewater company, providing drinking water to 3.5 million people.Tengyue Metering was commissioned by Strömesand Wassertechnik GmbH to implement a comprehensive drive-by solution. It is possible to record accurate reading date consumption values and make the process much more efficient.

The Challenge:

Future-proof and improve efficiency of consumer data collection processes

Berliner Mieterverein e.V. is Berlin‘s largest housing association with more than 75,000 apartments and one of Strömesand Wassertechnik GmbH‘s most important customers.The cooperation between Berliner Mieterverein e.V. and Tengyue Metering began when the company decided to optimize its tenant services and improve its internal consumption management system.Previous procedures for manually reading mechanical water meters were expensive, time-consuming and labor-intensive.It also requires consumers to be present or negotiate with neighbors to allow them to use the water meter.In addition, there is the risk of transmission errors, which cannot be avoided when reading manually.This approach proved to be highly inefficient, especially over long distances and Berlin‘s typically heavy traffic.

THE Solution:

Remote mobile readings from the car

The first step is to install 1,700 smart water meters and equip them with connectable radio modules,turning them into smart meters that send out a signal every eight to twelve seconds. Using a radio receiver and a mobile reading device, the staff at Strömesand Wassertechnik GmbH can now record consumption data while driving at speeds of up to 50 km/h.When the reading device is synchronized with the data management software, the data is automatically transferred to the wireless remote platform.

In a subsequent phase of the project, Strömesand Wassertechnik GmbH installed 50,00 water meters with radio-enabled ultrasonic water meters, which were integrated into the existing drive-through solution immediately after installation without the need for parameterization.

Looking into the future, smart water meters can also be automatically read at any time through fixed networks.Combined with wireless remote platform software, this will enable the entire water network to be controlled and monitored, enabling leaks to be detected and located.

The benefit:

EXTREMELY RELIABLE - FROM METERING TO BILLING

New efficiency: 100% of meters can be read reliably.In addition to the reading date values required for issuing utility bills, the new mobile solution also provides Berliner Mieterverein e.V, with up-to-date meter readings and various current values at the measuring points.Consumers only pay for their actual consumption up to the reading date - this has significantly reduced tenant complaints.The entire process, from collecting meter readings to transmission to the Strömesand Wassertechnik GmbH wireless remote platform ,is significantly faster, safer and more reliable.A triple win: for BStrömesand Wassertechnik GmbH, Berliner Mieterverein e.V. and the housing association’s tenants.