Smart Water Meters Trial

Smart water meters were installed at Glenorchy properties in 2021, expanding into Luggate in April 2022. We’re now inspecting water connections in Hāwea for the installation of smart water meters there in late 2024.

And as of August 2024, we’ve launched the second phase of the trial in Luggate and Glenorchy – which gives households the ability to log into an online dashboard to see how much water they’re using and when they’re using it.

Our second phase of the trial involves providing interested households with access to an online dashboard to see how much water they’re using and when they’re using it.

This programme is entirely voluntary and there is no requirement for residents to participate. Phase two of the trial is an additional service for households who wish to understand and learn more about their household water usage.

Households in Luggate and Glenorchy with a smart water installed by Council can access information about their water usage using an online dashboard.

This programme is entirely voluntary and there is no requirement for residents to participate. Phase two of the trial is an additional service for households who wish to understand and learn more about their household water usage.

Currently, in the event a property expresses its interest in seeing its water usage statistics, we then send an email to the owner of the property granting them access to the online dashboard. If the property is being rented, the owner can either provide access to their tenants, or the tenant can request access from the property owner.

Yes you can. If you rent a property and register for water usage statistics, your landlord will receive the initial registration email. They’ll be able to share access to the dashboard with you – if you don’t hear from them, please contact them and request access.

If you own a property either you or a tenant living in it has registered for water usage statistics, you will receive an email to register to access the online dashboard. If a tenant lives at this property, you can share access with them by logging in, then clicking your name in the top right corner of your dashboard, then selecting manage users.

If you’ve registered for water usage statistics with us, the owner of the property will be sent a registration email. All you have to do is click the link in the email to access and update your online account. You’ll need to enter an email address and password, and use the account number provided in the email you receive.

Your water usage data is collected by the smart water meter installed on your water toby.

Water usage data is sent securely from each meter over the cellular network to online servers, where it is then tagged to a property ID. The data is then processed and passed on to various systems that analyse it for potential problems like leaks or meter issues.

QLDC uses water usage data as part of its smart water meter trial to help find and fix leaks faster.

We can also share the water usage data of a property with people living in that household, provided they’re interested in seeing how much water they’re using. This data is provided in an online dashboard that someone living in a household can register for and log into.

There are a few reasons why this may be the case, and the first is that if you’ve just registered to access your online dashboard, the data will take a few days to appear.

If a week has passed and you still can’t see any data, it may be there are connectivity issues between your smart water meter and our database. Please make sure there are no vehicles or trailers parked over your property’s water toby box to ensure your smart water meter can send through water usage data every day.

Finally, if your dashboard still won’t show any water usage details, this may be because your smart water meter is broken, or due to another connectivity issue that our team will need to resolve for you. Please check inside your water toby box for any potentially broken parts (e.g., check the antenna, water meter itself, etc), then give us a call on 03 441 0499 or email watermeters@qldc.govt.nz.

We’re only providing water usage data from the date of the trial starting in early August 2024. This is to make sure we’re not sharing water usage data from six months ago, that may have been water used by a previous tenant or property owner at your household.

The information collected from our trial does not include your personal information. It tells us about the amount of water consumed at a household and when that water is being consumed.

For households taking part in the second phase of the trial, you’re invited to register by sharing your name, contact details and the address at which you live so we can provide you with your very own online dashboard to see your water usage.

In the event any data collected from this trial constitutes personal information, QLDC will adhere to our Privacy Policy which sets out how and why QLDC collects and stores personal information, what we will use it for and with whom we can share it.

Find out more about our Privacy Policy here: https://www.qldc.govt.nz/your-council/council-documents/policies/privacy-policy/. 

If the pilot is successful, smart meters could be rolled out more widely across the district. However, any decision to roll out smart water meters across the district will require a wider conversation with the community. The lessons from the trial will provide a basis of these conversations.

QLDC is not currently looking to review how water services are charged.

The purpose of this pilot is to collect information around typical water usage in our district, to educate those using the water around their usage, identify leaks, and better understand the technology on offer. QLDC can use this information to inform our future consultations on water charges.

If you no longer want to be a part of the trial, you can cancel your involvement by contacting QLDC by email at watermeters@qldc.govt.nz

Or give us a call on 03 441 0499.

Pressure and acoustic sensors are installed in the water infrastructure and connected to an alert system which has data analysis integrations for the smart water meters. For example, if a property has a stable water flow during some period of time that could indicate that there’s a potential water leak and the system will send an alarm. This helps our maintenance and operations team to track down a potential water leak in the system.