SMART METER: Dr Helen Edmonds holds one of the smart meters, which will be installed through Penneshaw in the coming months.
Photo: SA Water.
Penneshaw residents might have noticed the presence of around 300 SA Water smart meters installed around the town, appearing in businesses and residences to help them better manage their water use and water bills.
“A data logger to be attached or built into each customers water meter will send water use information to their individual portal every 60 minutes, which can be viewed online at any time,” Dr Edmonds said.
“Once the portals are activated, there will also be an option for people to receive SMS or email notifications on their water use trends or inconsistencies, on either a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
“This interconnected system will help customers identify potential leaks or other faults in their plumbing, which may indicate periods or spikes of unexplained high water use.
It is expected that the instillation process of the smart meters is expected to be done by late September and completed by KI-based plumbers engaged through Fleurieu Civil, with all equipment, including the customer portals, to be operational from October.
Approximately 300 SA Water customers on the eastern end of Kangaroo Island receive their water from the Penneshaw Desalination Plant, which was originally built in 1999 and upgraded last year.
Penneshaw is capable of producing up to 120 million litres a year, and readily meets the area’s current average annual demand of 69 million litres.
It takes Penneshaw around two hours to turn sea water into fresh water for drinking, before it’s distributed through around 15 kilometres of pipes.