Avnet recently renewed its Master Distribution Agreement (MDA) with Huizhong, to distribute smart water meters in Australia and New Zealand. The agreement, first signed in 2022 for a 2-year period, renewed the appointment of Avnet as sole distributor of its smart water meters in Australia and New Zealand for a further two years. It also expanded the geographical scope of Avnet?s distribution rights to include the key market of Singapore, with a view to progressively include other markets around the world.

While smart water meters have been on the market for some time, Avnet Design Services will be collaborating with Huizhong to develop data loggers with internet connectivity for water meters with pipe sizes greater than 50mm. Unlike analogue water meters that must be physically read by workers at regular intervals, smart water meters can be read remotely, thus reducing legwork and reducing operating costs. They are also able to report leaks and burst pipes in real time, including details of their exact cause and location.

Once alerted, the utility provider can intervene and repair the problem immediately, mitigating the financial loss of wasted water, the environmental impact of leakage and seepage, and the risk of structural damage to property and associated safety hazards. In addition to saving utility providers millions of dollars in water wastage, householders are able to access data that monitors their daily water usage in real time, via a customer app. With this knowledge, they are subsequently able to adjust their habits to conserve water and save money on their water bills.

In addition, smart water meters are able to discreetly monitor the water usage patterns of elderly citizens living alone, and send alerts to next-of-kin when usage suddenly changes or abruptly discontinues. It?s a win-win-win situation ? for water utility providers, users, and the environment.