Navigate home logo

When it comes to managing your water, every drop counts, so we're harnessing the power of data through smart meter technology to help customers understand and manage their water use and provide important insights to save our valuable resource.

The Perth smart water meter pilot is an innovative project that will shape Western Australia's water future and help improve our services while we work towards a more sustainable future.

Pilot goal:

The outcomes of the pilot will be used to make a decision about transitioning from standard meters to smart meters in the future.

Status:

In progress

Delivery Date:

2023 - 2025

How will the pilot work?

Over the coming months, around 16,000 smart water meters will be installed on properties across Perth.

The properties that have been selected have features that will enable us to assess the benefits of smart meter technology for our customers and represent the broader Perth population. The data collected will help us optimise our water network and inform customers about their water use.

So far, we have installed close to 5,000 smart meters in West Perth, Darlington, Halls Head and Dawesville.

Installation of the remaining meters should be complete by the end of the year.

Once all the meters have been installed, we will monitor the technology for a period of 12 months to assess how it performs in different conditions across Perth.

We will also seek feedback from customers about new online services such as leak alerts and water insights. These insights will help us understand what the future of smart meters will look like for both our customers and our business.

Why smart meters? 

We have been using smart meters for over 10 years in regional areas where it can be difficult for our meter readers to access properties safely.

With new technology now available, we can use smart meters to improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of meter readings while providing our customers with a better online service.

Smart water meters also have a range of benefits like identifying potential leaks, which can help you save water and money.

Learn more about smart meters.

Where are the smart meters being installed?

The pilot will install 16,000 meters in 14  water zones throughout Perth, to capture multiple insights and measure the benefits for our customers.

Water zones have been selected as they contain properties with mixed ground topography (in the hills and on the coast), a mix of business and residential customers and properties with meters located in boxes or behind fences.

This will help us to assess how the technology performs in different conditions.

Areas & suburbs included in the pilot 

Below is a list of the water zones included in the pilot.
 
Customers included in the water zones will be notified four weeks prior to their planned meter installation. Find out which areas we're currently installing smart meters in as part of the pilot.
District metered area (Water supply zone) Suburbs included in the area
Claremont Booster Claremont
Cottesloe
Peppermint Grove
Darlington Lower High Level Darlington
Greenmount
Swan View
Dawesville South DMA Dawesville
Mandurah
Doubleview Upper High Level Doubleview
Woodlands
East Fremantle High Level Bicton
East Fremantle
Fremantle DMA Beaconsfield
East Fremantle
Fremantle
White Gum Valley
Greenfields South DMA Greenfields
Halls Head North High Level Halls Head
Halls Head South High Level Halls Head
Joondalup High Level Joondalup
Lakelands Booster DMA Lakelands
Maddington North DMA Kenwick
Maddington
Orange Grove
North Fremantle DMA Cottesloe
Fremantle
North Fremantle 
West Perth PRV Perth
Subiaco
West Perth 

If you have more questions, we've got you covered. Please refer to the frequently asked questions below for more information on the pilot.

Specific water zones have been selected for the pilot to enable us to assess the performance of the technology. This includes properties in the hills and on the coast, businesses and households, and properties with meters located in boxes or behind fences.

The properties we’ve selected are also representative of the broader Perth population so we can assess the value of smart meter technology for our customers.


There is no cost to residents receiving a new smart water meter or a smart water meter upgrade. We'll cover the cost of purchase and installation. There will be no change to your bill unless you change your water use. 

No. You will continue to receive bills based on your current billing cycle. For most customers, this is every two months.

We will need to turn the water off at your property for 10-15 minutes during the installation.

If your water is turned off, you may notice a loud bang and your water bubbling as it comes out of the tap when it's turned back on. This is due to the air entering your water pipe during the installation. It should only take a moment for the air to clear and your water supply to return to normal. You can learn more about what to expect when your water is back on.


As part of the pilot, we are installing five different types of smart meters. All devices operate the same way, but we may find some are better suited to certain conditions. You can find pictures and more information about each type of smart meter we’re installing on our ‘How to read your meter’ page.

Once we've installed all the new meters, we'll monitor the technology for a period of time to ensure it’s connected and transferring data to us. We'll continue to manually read your smart meter to track your water use during this time, and you'll receive your water use bills as per the normal bill cycle.

You can still read your new meter and track your water use during this time. Access to your two monthly water use will be available in your online account.  We’ll let you know once your smart meter data is up and running in your online account and when you can register to receive alerts.

Once your new meter is installed, it'll start measuring your water use in hourly intervals and send this data to us wirelessly each day. However, we'll continue to manually read your meter during a transition period.

During the installation phase you won’t have access to your data online, however we are working on new functionality that allows you to view your hourly water use in your online account.  If you haven't already, register for an online account.

We'll also be able to send you alerts if we detect unusual water use, such as a possible leak.

Once everything is working as it should, we'll reach out to you with an opportunity to provide feedback on your experience.

If your standard meter was faulty before the installation of your meter, then your first bill may be larger than usual. We may have also been estimating your water use if we couldn't access your meter. We estimate your water use by taking your average daily water use from the same time last year and multiplying it by the number of days in the current billing period.

So if your standard meter was faulty or we were estimating your water use, your water use may be corrected when your smart meter is installed. If we underestimated your water use, we'll charge the difference in your next bill. If we overestimated your use, we'll provide a credit to your account.

If you suspect you have a leak, visit our step-by-step-guide to help you find out.

Customers do not need to opt in to the pilot.  All properties in the nominated water zones will be required to have a meter upgrade.

In order for us to assess the full benefits of the technology it’s important that all properties within the water zone receive a smart meter. Registering for an online account, or to receive leak and water use alerts, is completely optional.

There are many benefits to having a smart meter, which you can learn more about on our 'Smart meters' page.

If you have any further questions about your involvement, please email us at smartmeters@watercorporation.com.au.

We’ll continue to read your smart water meter every two months, and if we suspect high water use or a possible leak, we will notify you the same way we currently do - via email or a letter to the property owner.

We’ll let you know when you can register to receive alerts if we identify a possible leak or unusual use.

While we strive to do what we can to notify you of suspected leaks, it’s the responsibility of the property owner to find and repair any leaks on their property and pay for any excess water use caused by leaks. We recommend that you check for leaks between bills regularly. Here is an easy step-by-step-guide.

We are not taking applications to be part of the pilot. Properties in the pilot area have been specifically selected to assess the customer and business benefits of a smart water meter network. The outcomes of the pilot will be used to inform whether smart meters become part of our future water networks.

We understand you may have some health concerns about smart meters. All smart water meters that are currently being used by Water Corporation are low-powered radio devices. They are fully compliant with Australian standards and safe to use.

The smart water meters use secure, existing telecommunication infrastructure to send your water usage data to our servers and systems. 

The data doesn’t contain any identifying information about you and we use global standards to ensure the data is secure from end to end. 

No personal information is stored on the device itself. We know privacy is important to you; for more information, please read about how we manage your information following the Privacy Act 1988.

Stay updated with the latest information on our smart water meter pilot in Perth.

Project updates

March 2024

March 2024

The next phase of smart meter installations as part of the Perth Smart Water Meter Pilot will kick off in April, and includes properties in the Halls Heads, Darlington and Dawesville water zones.

All meters are expected to be installed by the end of May 2024.

To find out if your property is included in this next phase, refer to the maps below. 

All customers within the shaded water supply zones will receive a smart meter, and will be notified four weeks prior to their planned meter installation.

Halls Head South water supply zone

A map of Halls Head, a suburb in Perth, shows which areas will receive a smart meter installation. The streets that will receive a smart meter during this phase are shaded with blue.

Darlington Lower High Level water zone

A map of Darlington, a suburb in Perth, shows which areas will receive a smart meter installation. The streets that will receive a smart meter during this phase are shaded with blue.

Dawesville South DMA water supply zone

A map of Dawesville, a suburb in Perth, shows which areas will receive a smart meter installation. The streets that will receive a smart meter during this phase are shaded with blue.

Need more information? Please email us

Contact us

24 hour Faults, Emergencies and Security Line