Perth smart water meter 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 meters for our customers.

There is no additional cost to customers participating in the Perth smart water meter pilot or any customer with a smart water meter. We cover the cost of purchase and installation.

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

We may need to turn the water supply off at your property for 10-15 minutes during the installation. If your water supply is turned off, you may notice 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're testing a number of different 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 testing on our ‘How to read your meter’ page.

Once your smart meter is installed, it'll start recording your water use and send this data to us wirelessly once a 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 smart meter data, 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 your smart meter detects unusual water use, such as a leak.

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

Once we've installed all the smart 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 also read your smart meter to track your water use during this time and access your two monthly water use 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. We expect this to be available by the end of the year.

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.

Properties have been selected for the pilot because they're located in specific water zones. This is so we can assess the benefits of better data to optimise our water networks. For this reason, it's important that all properties within the water zone receive a smart meter. Registering 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 your smart meter identifies 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.

At this stage, 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. 

The smart water meters use secure, existing telecommunication infrastructure to send your usage data to our servers and systems. The data doesn’t contain any identifying information about you and uses global standards to ensure the data is secure from end to end. No personal information is stored on the smart water metering 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.

Smart meters communicate data via telecommunication networks, similar to how mobile phones send data. All smart water meters currently being used and/or trialled by Water Corporation are low-powered radio devices fully compliant with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM).

Smart meters are battery-powered. To make the batteries last their expected life, the radio is only turned on once daily to upload the daily water flow data. The electromagnetic energy emissions from a smart meter are considerably lower than the general exposure health limits set by the standard published by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).

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 water supply zone

Darlington water supply zone

Dawesville water supply zone