Efficient Water Supply through Smart Metering and IoT

01 July, 2024

Experts met at UAS Technikum Wien to discuss innovative technologies for improving water supply, the future of smart metering and IoT networks.

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Efficient Water Supply through Smart Metering and IoT

At the end of April 2024, the Faculty of Electronic Engineering & Entrepreneurship and the IoT and Electronics competence field held an event in the large ceremony hall at UAS Technikum Wien, which highlighted the future of IoT and the benefits of smart metering. Under the title “Meet the Future of IoT: The benefits of smart metering and IoT networks between Vienna and Innsbruck”, the evening focused on practical examples from the water industry, presented by experts from Diehl Metering.

Smart metering in practice

At the beginning of the evening, Stefan Paschek (Head of Competence Field IoT and Electronics) and Harald Winkelhofer (Lecturer and Marketing Coordinator at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering & Entrepreneurship) gave introductory speeches on IoT, smart metering and water supply. Paschek emphasized that the areas of smart metering and IT networks and thus the measurement and distribution of data were the focus of this evening, according to Paschek the core and basis of IoT. He described the experts from Diehl Metering invited to this evening as pioneers in the field of smart metering.

Diehl Metering is active worldwide in the development and manufacture of smart metering solutions. With over 150 years of experience, it supports utilities, municipalities and industry in controlling and managing their infrastructure. The aim is to make the way water and energy are managed more efficient, sustainable and responsible.

Johann Rybak (Authorized Officer, Head of Sales and Marketing at Diehl Metering) spoke about practical applications of smart metering. He emphasized the efficiency gains and cost savings that can be achieved through the use of smart meters. Rybak explained how smart metering increases transparency in water consumption and enables problems such as leaks to be identified and rectified more quickly.

Smart meter water meter in Wolfsberg

He reported on several application examples, including a project with Wolfsberger Stadtwerke (Carinthia). Three areas were covered: digitalization of meter reading, parking space management and measuring the fill level of waste garbage cans. Of the approximately 7,000 water meters in the town of Wolfsberg, around half have now been equipped with smart meter water meters as part of the project. This has resulted in better data monitoring and has also made things much easier for customers, as meter readings no longer have to be taken manually using a pen and paper. Another major advantage of this solution is the overview of major inconsistencies in the water flow of the entire pipeline in Wolfsberg. Water leaks can thus be detected and rectified much more quickly.

Resilience through IoT networks

In the next presentation, Christian Leitner (Head of Project Management at Diehl Metering) explained the resilience of the water supply in Austria through the use of IoT networks. Leitner emphasized how IoT technologies improve the monitoring and control of water supply systems and thus increase the security of supply. He used specific examples to show how IoT networks have already been successfully implemented in various regions of Austria and the positive impact this has had on the water industry.

He also discussed how water management, which tends to be slow and sluggish, can be reconciled with the very rapid and flexible development of IoT. He addressed several areas of application that could pose difficult challenges for water systems. These include long-term tasks such as climate change, changing temperatures, persistent drought, but also the situation of a pandemic, where suddenly from one day to the next a large number of people are at home at the same time and almost every day and the water supply is used differently accordingly.

Lively panel discussion

The two presentations were followed by a lively panel discussion in which the two representatives from Diehl Metering, Andreas Theurer (electrical engineer, energy manager, active in the field of smart energy, smart city and standardization) and a representative from the Rosental allotment garden association spoke to the audience about the challenges and opportunities of smart metering and IoT. The audience asked numerous detailed questions about the two presentations and about use cases in water management. The discussion highlighted the need for close cooperation between technology providers and utilities in order to reap the full benefits of digitalization.

At the end of the event, Diehl Metering hosted a buffet where participants had the opportunity to network and exchange ideas. The networking offered a valuable platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience and was actively used by those present.

Potential in networking through IoT and smart metering

The event impressively demonstrated how innovative technologies can revolutionize the water industry and the potential of networking through IoT and smart metering. The practical examples presented and the lively discussion made it clear that Austria is well on the way to further strengthening the resilience of its water supply through modern technologies.