For water utilities, improved network management and high efficiency are common goals. Being more efficient means releasing resources for other important tasks.
Verdo, a utility situated in the city of Randers in Denmark, had an interest in getting more pressure data, especially from different points in the distribution network. Therefore, they initiated a project with pressure sensors from AVK Smart Water.
Data from the entire network
Until recently, Verdo only got data from pumping stations and the water works, and they had limited knowledge about the pressure level in the rest of the network. And, like many other utilities, Verdo has experienced consumers reporting low pressure in their homes. In such cases, Verdo should go to the customer to turn off the water, attach a hose and then open for the water again in order to test the pressure level. This is a time-consuming task that happens a couple of times a month.”I would say that in one year we spend about two full working weeks on physically checking the pressure level at the customers. Often it turns out that the problem is not on our part, but lies within the appliances or household installations,”
says Thomas Grønning, Head of Distribution. He adds:
”By monitoring pressure at every zone or residential area, we can check the data directly in our system to see if the pressure level has changed or not. This saves us precious time and energy and we can advise our customers more accurately.”
A solution for future improvements
In search of a future-proof pressure monitoring solution, Verdo decided on AVK Smart Water as their supplier of pressure sensors. 20 pressure sensors have been installed in certain zones of the water distribution network, giving Verdo the possibility to monitor the pressure level in all zones directly. With these sensors and the API solution, data is continuously available and integrated into their own GIS system. This gives Verdo an overview of the actual pressure at the customers, which saves precious time, that Verdo can use for other important tasks.
