News

Severn Trent’s £20m smart water metering project for Coventry and Warwickshire is now well underway, as the first meter was successfully installed this week.

The project, that forms part of Severn Trent’s ambitious Green Recovery programme, will see over 150,000 Itron smart water meters installed in a trial to turn Coventry and Warwickshire into a smart water data region.

Severn Trent say the project will help the company understand water usage better than ever before, find and fix leaks faster and deliver water saving benefits for communities and the environment. 

Not only that, but it will help provide valuable insights and learnings on water usage so the industry can look to ways to save water, protecting it for the future.

Anthony Hickinbottom, Green Recovery Project Lead says: “This is such a massive moment for us, as the first smart meter going in really means this project is about to kick off, and this will be game changing not only for us, but for our communities too. 

“By creating a smart data region, we’ll be really able to understand the network, and where water is being used better than ever before and help provide water saving benefits to our customers, and environment.

“The main difference with a smart meter is that we'll be able to monitor the water flow in the area so we can identify any potential leaks much faster. And because they're smart, once they’re fitted, we’ll be able to see exactly how much water is being used and give our customers greater control on their water usage while providing better insights and knowledge of the network."

Severn Trent will first be installing the smart water meters on the new supply pipes the company has installed as part of the lead pipe replacement scheme.

In Coventry, also as part of the Green Recovery programme, the company is also aiming to replace 25,000 customer lead supply pipes in a £78m investment to help prevent leaks on old supply pipes, and to remove any risks associated to lead.

“The people of Coventry really are benefitting from our Green Recovery programme,” adds Anthony. “Not only are we turning their region in a smart water region, but we’re replacing old lead supply pipes for free. The massive investment we’re making through both projects means Coventry is set to have an up to date and savvy water network, that will bring with it so many amazing benefits now, and into the future.”

Severn Trent working partners, Network Plus will be installing the meters on behalf of the company, and will be aiming to have over 150,000 installations complete by 2025.

“We all know that we don’t have an everlasting supply of water, so by being able to react quickly, help save water and find and fix leaks quicker with the help of these clever smart meters we can ensure we’re saving water where possible doing what we can to look after it.”

Severn Trent is investing £566m between now and 2025 on projects aimed to support the UK’s green economic bounce back following the pandemic.  

The projects include creating bathing-quality stretches of river, improving 500km of river five years earlier than planned, increasing water supplies, alleviating flooding using nature-based solutions and supporting customers by replacing old lead pipes and installing smart meters to save water and customers money. 

For more info, please visit : www.stwater.co.uk/wonderful-on-tap/green-recovery/