- Enprotech España successfully completes the first installation of 110 units in Itero de la Vega (Palencia), manufactured by the Moldavian Add Grup.
January 26th 2023 – A utility company in the Palencia town of Itero de La Vega has been the recipient of a batch of 110 ultrasonic smart meters, installed by Enprotech Spain and produced by the Moldavian company Add Grup.
«This fruitful case of installing 110 telemetering meters in Palencia is one of the successful examples of the great challenges Spain has in the project for the digitization of smart water meters in Spanish households. Our metering solution can truly be considered a water management and metering system, unlike any other. The novel technology uses ultrasonic meters that communicate over ‘LoRaWan’ with the trend indicating that this technology ‘is the future,» said Enprotech’s Chief Operating Officer, Matias Maffioli.
Matias emphasized that Enprotech meters «make a big difference: the possibility of including a shut-off valve with remote management makes it possible to manage the supply in the event of leaks and losses. This is a great advantage, especially nowadays, in view of the scarcity of the most important resource for our lives: water».
According to Enprotech, the funds from the strategic projects for economic recovery and transformation (Perte) will «accelerate the transformation» of the sector and companies «have to be prepared to meet the market and the challenge ahead”
However, the greatest benefit of monitoring water flow readings is, as the Enprotech executive explained, that measurement information is available with time saving efficiency created between readings than is the case with on-site readings. This means having valuable information both for the supply network operator and for end users in real time. However, he also listed the following advantages:
- For society in general:
- Care for the environment. The drought is causing Spanish reservoirs to empty and there are areas where water is already a very scarce commodity. We must take care of it and manage it well using all the technologies at our disposal.
- For network operating companies:
- Allows support for troubleshooting incidents in the distribution network.
- Control of water supply: improved efficiency in the management of supply networks and more guarantee of supply being available.
- Fraud reduction: means to remotely cut off or limit water supply for various reasons, such as non-payment or excessive consumption.
- Reduces errors in the manual reading of consumption and, therefore reducing customer complaints.
- It adds to the the digital transformation and green transition project of the European Union’s Recovery Plan.
- For consumers:
- More and better information: it allows downloading detailed consumption profiles from the meters to the smartphone application and therefore, using this information for better consumption management, such as knowing immediately what their water consumption is.
- Register an explosion or water leak in case of an accident and give the order directly to the valve instantly. This avoids not only water losses, but also prevents damage to the residence and those of the neighbours.
According to Maffioli, the water sector has historically been forgotten by the public administration despite the fact that it is an area that supports the green transition and that Spain has been fined in the past for deficiencies in its green transition infrastructures. «It is currently the priority, just as telecommunications and electricity supply were at one time. Today the focus is on water,» the executive asserted.
«This step taken by Enprotech in Itero de La Vega moves us forward in the development of the smart water meters remote reading sector and advances Spain to reach its desired goals in the installation of ultrasonic meters, modernizing the communication between utilities and household customers», concluded Enprotech’s Executive Director of Operations.
The Spanish fleet of ‘drinking water meters’ is approximately 21.5 million, according to data from 2020 Spanish Association of Supply and Sanitation (AEAS), of which 16.4% are managed with remote reading. This figure reaches 19% in some metropolitan areas.
A Ministerial Order published in February 2020 established a maximum useful life of twelve years for meters for residential, commercial or light industrial use. This includes those for the management of the public water domain, irrigation or any other uses. It requires their renewal after this period. According to Enprotech, based on consultations with manufacturers and the Spanish Association of Drinking Water Meter Manufacturers (ANFAGUA), between 23 and 46 million smart water meters could be built and equipped by 2026.