Smart Meters

Integrated Smart Water Meter

1. Locate your smart water meter – it will be at the front boundary of your property.
2. Lift the lid on top open – you will see the digital display
3. The smart meter’s digital display shows the total amount of water used on your property since the installation date.
4. Please note: the screen will display 52 seconds of water consumption reading followed by 8 seconds of diagnostic readings (4 diagnostics x 2 seconds each).
5. The top line displays billable units, this number is in kilolitres. The bottom line is your water consumption in hundreds of litres.
   For example, the meter reading below shows the top line as 2 kilolitres and the bottom line as 582.33 litres.
6. Close the lid after reading your meter to help keep the screen free from dust and dirt.

How to read your smart water meter (video).

Standard Water Meter with AMR

1. Locate your smart meter – it will be at the front boundary of your property.
2. You have an MRC-1 transmitter, so your meter reading is found on your mechanical water meter.
3. Lift the lid on top open to view the dials.
4. The meter reading is the total amount of water used on your property since the date your mechanical water meter was installed.
5. The white dials indicate consumption in kilolitres and are the billable units. The red dials show water consumption in hundreds of litres. For example, the meter reading shown below is 700.030 kilolitres or 700,030 litres.
6. Close the lid after reading your meter to help keep the dials free from dust and dirt.

What is a smart meter and how does it work?

A smart water meter is an integrated meter with smart technology that automatically records water used on your property as water flows through the meter. The smart water meter can either be built into the meter or attached to the meter with an Automatic Meter Read (AMR or ‘tag’) device.  Unlike standard water meters, the smart water meter can send water consumption reads to a secure online portal every hour.

Smart water meters are powered by a battery that lasts for 15 years, so data transmission can continue in the event of a power outage.

There are approximately 50 Council and Water utilities across Australia that have installed smart meters (with another 10 in various stages of rollouts). Mackay Regional Council have had smart meters for 10 years.

What does the smart meter look like?

Most customers in our smart water meter network will receive one of the devices shown below:

• An integrated smart water meter (V200HT) that replaces the existing standard water meter and has a digital display and radio transmitter that collects hourly consumption data.
• An AMR (Automatic Meter Reader) device that attaches to the standard meter and transmits the consumption data from the meter. These are used on meters that are not due for replacement and larger water meters used for businesses, schools and sporting fields.

These different types of smart meters all transmit the same type of water usage information and offer the same benefits.

What are the benefits of having a smart meter?

The smart water meter captures your water use on an hourly basis and transmits this data to Townsville City Council daily. This data is accessible to property owners via the MiWater portal and gives you a more detailed understanding of your water usage patterns and help you identify any changes to your water use.

By using a smart water meter, residents can:

• detect potential leaks early by registering in the online portal and setting up leak alerts
• develop strategies to reduce their water usage
• check their water consumption hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly.

Smart water meters enable Council to:

• respond more effectively to water consumption enquiries
• identify peak and off-peak water usage times and assist with managing pumping and infrastructure to reduce costs when less water is required.

Who is responsible for maintenance of the smart meter?

If you notice that your smart meter is damaged or the meter itself is leaking, please contact the Customer Experience Team on 13 48 10 or via email at enquiries@townsville.qld.gov.au.

How is my personal data collected?

A secure log-in and password is created for property owners when they register for the online MiWater portal, allowing access to the water consumption data for their property. Taggle Systems closely monitors the security of the system.

Please note: tenants have the option to register in the portal, provided the property owner is already registered. Registration approval for tenants is at the discretion of the property owner.

How is the water usage data transmitted from the smart meter? Is it safe and secure?

The data from the smart water meter is transmitted as an encrypted radio signal. The radio signal transmitted from smart meters is very small; it is 30 times weaker than the signal transmitted by your mobile phone.

Will Townsville City Council use this data to notify me if I have a leak on my property?

Townsville City Council does not monitor water consumption of individual residents, except for conducting meter reads for billing purposes. Leak detection within a private property boundary is the responsibility of the property owner.

All homeowners with a smart meter installed are strongly encouraged to register in the online portal and set up leak notifications to ensure they receive early alerts to any potential leaks on their property. To register, please go to the MiWater portal.

How does the smart water meter know there is a potential leak on my property?

The smart meter recognises that there is a potential water leak when there has been a continuous flow of water through the meter over a 48-hour period. This means that at no point during that timeframe has the consumption level dropped to 0. This would indicate there is a potential leak somewhere within the property.

The smart meter is unable to locate where the leak is on the property or whether the leak is one leak or multiple. The meter simply detects that there is a continuous flow of water through the meter and cannot identify if the leak is a dripping tap or concealed leak.

We recommend contacting a licenced plumber who can assist in locating the potential leak on your property.