Watercare - Smart water meter

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eluSiveNZ

188 posts

Master Geek

#312351 9-Apr-2024 10:47

Just wondering if any Auckland based GZers have had Watercare replace their water meter wih the new "smart" meter.

If you have, can you share your experience with billing and recorded water usage. If you use the app, how have you found the daily usage data being recorded?

I have had a smart meter for around a year now and facing wildy excessive use some months and random low use from other months.

The app reporting usage is all over the show, with some days reporting 80L/per hour for hours on end and some days showing correct use (shower mornings/evenings spikes)

So keen to see what others experiences are.

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#3216208 9-Apr-2024 14:37

I'm also interested in the experience please. Our estimated usage is annoyingly off.

Also, seems like https://www.watercare.co.nz/Water-and-wastewater/Water-meters/Water-meter-replacement/Smart-meters has very little info about the planned rollout of these.

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

JuiceNZ

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#3216240 9-Apr-2024 15:31

We had our water meter upgraded to one of the green smart meters mid last year. Our four nearest neighbors still have analogue meters, I have no idea why ours was changed.

For the remainder of the year the monthly bills seemed to alternate between zero and double usage. The zero usage bills showed readings which matched the previous month, sometimes flagged estimate and sometimes actual. I tried the app, when the readings were working it looked accurate. I continued paying them about $100 a month and it all averaged out.

No more alternating for 2024, all bills this year have showed zero usage. I stopped paying them and started contacting them in Jan, the web chat is a waste of time, they can't help you other than asking you to read the meter yourself and update them. I started calling them in Feb, I've declined to provide them with an actual reading, suggesting they fix their 'smart' problem instead. All they can do is pass it on to the smart meter team and they don't issue ticket/job numbers to follow up... Same story in March.

Called them again last week after another zero usage bill, the meter team put a note on my account that they've added our meter to the manual read rotation so should be read this month. Yahoo, $400 bill incoming I expect.

Randomly last week, an elderly family friend mentioned their tenants in Otahuhu have received zero usage bills since Jan. Smart meter again but he's not sure if it's a blue or green one.

Coincidence? Or have Watercare rolled out dud technology?

wellygary

8313 posts

Uber Geek

#3216247 9-Apr-2024 15:53

I'm not sure that sticking a mobile transmitter in a hole in the ground with a lid on was the best way to ensure good connectivity...

By comparison, our smart power meter has a stonking 10cm black aerial rod sticking out from the top of the meter box.

eluSiveNZ

188 posts

Master Geek

#3216278 9-Apr-2024 16:37

ANglEAUT:

I'm also interested in the experience please. Our estimated usage is annoyingly off.

Also, seems like https://www.watercare.co.nz/Water-and-wastewater/Water-meters/Water-meter-replacement/Smart-meters has very little info about the planned rollout of these.

There was a glitch 17,000 households and businesses overcharged by defective 'smart' water meters (newsroom.co.nz) so they postponed the rollout, I havent actually heard if they have started the rollout again.

Doesnt exactly instill confidence in what they are doing.

eluSiveNZ

188 posts

Master Geek

#3216284 9-Apr-2024 16:45

JuiceNZ:

We had our water meter upgraded to one of the green smart meters mid last year. Our four nearest neighbors still have analogue meters, I have no idea why ours was changed.

For the remainder of the year the monthly bills seemed to alternate between zero and double usage. The zero usage bills showed readings which matched the previous month, sometimes flagged estimate and sometimes actual. I tried the app, when the readings were working it looked accurate. I continued paying them about $100 a month and it all averaged out.

No more alternating for 2024, all bills this year have showed zero usage. I stopped paying them and started contacting them in Jan, the web chat is a waste of time, they can't help you other than asking you to read the meter yourself and update them. I started calling them in Feb, I've declined to provide them with an actual reading, suggesting they fix their 'smart' problem instead. All they can do is pass it on to the smart meter team and they don't issue ticket/job numbers to follow up... Same story in March.

Called them again last week after another zero usage bill, the meter team put a note on my account that they've added our meter to the manual read rotation so should be read this month. Yahoo, $400 bill incoming I expect.

Randomly last week, an elderly family friend mentioned their tenants in Otahuhu have received zero usage bills since Jan. Smart meter again but he's not sure if it's a blue or green one.

Coincidence? Or have Watercare rolled out dud technology?

I have the blue Landis+Gyr meter, but it is always reporting data, but as I said, widly varies.

But my experience dealing with Watercare is the exact same - web chat/phone state they'll pass onto the "smart meter team" and nothing gets done and there's no reference.

smarterwater

1 post

Wannabe Geek

#3217695 13-Apr-2024 13:18

Some of those 'wild reads' are catch-up reads in the metrology boards in the meter i.e. no connectivity with the cellular connection for a while may look like an increase in water usage, but it's often the metrology board closing the loop on itself, and does iron itself out over time.

neb

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#3217697 13-Apr-2024 13:40

eluSiveNZ:
There was a glitch 17,000 households and businesses overcharged by defective 'smart' water meters (newsroom.co.nz) so they postponed the rollout, I havent actually heard if they have started the rollout again.

Doesnt exactly instill confidence in what they are doing.

You've gotta wonder how they can screw up something so simple, so badly. I've got a pulse-count meter (non-Watercare) that feeds a counter which reports its count value every five minutes. It's been running for > 10 years without any problems...

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neb

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#3217700 13-Apr-2024 13:57

From the linked story they're using Landis&Gyr W350s which are ultrasonic water meters, but they're not clamp-on which defeats the whole point of ultrasonic meters since you need to cut the pipe to install them, same as traditional impeller-based meters. What's more, the latter can run off close to zero power since all it needs to do is drive an interrupt that increments a counter which you can do for close to the leakage current of the battery driving the system, while running ultrasonic transducers is going to cause a significant battery drain.

Does anyone know why they went with those, apart from the Landis&Gyr name?

Jase2985

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#3217703 13-Apr-2024 14:07

i didn't have an actual read for 6 months, then ended up with a $220 bill. so something isnt right at watercare

eracode

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#3217858 13-Apr-2024 20:42

Jase2985:

i didn't have an actual read for 6 months, then ended up with a $220 bill. so something isnt right at watercare

A Watercare bill of $37/month doesn’t sound too bad to me.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Isabelino

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#3217949 13-Apr-2024 23:52

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working on a research project for my school paper focusing on the Watercare smart meter rollout. I'm interested in gathering information about consumption patterns before and after the transition to smart meters. If anyone has any insights or data they'd be willing to share, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers!

cddt

1551 posts

Uber Geek

#3217992 14-Apr-2024 08:52

Isabelino:

I'm currently working on a research project for my school paper focusing on the Watercare smart meter rollout. I'm interested in gathering information about consumption patterns before and after the transition to smart meters. If anyone has any insights or data they'd be willing to share, I'd greatly appreciate it!

I'm not on a smart meter yet, but a couple of things to mention if the motivation is to change the consumer's consumption pattern:

the data reported has to be accurate (see other replies)
the data should be timely (less helpful to see data from a week ago when you've forgotten what you were doing)
the data visualisation has to be relevant and interpretable (there are many, many examples poorly done or useless visualisations, and very few good examples)

My referral links: BigPipe | Mercury

Jase2985

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#3217993 14-Apr-2024 08:54

eracode:

Jase2985:

i didn't have an actual read for 6 months, then ended up with a $220 bill. so something isnt right at watercare

A Watercare bill of $37/month doesn’t sound too bad to me.

until you get one for $250

cddt

1551 posts

Uber Geek

#3217996 14-Apr-2024 09:12

Jase2985:

i didn't have an actual read for 6 months, then ended up with a $220 bill. so something isnt right at watercare

I had the same problem, no read for 6 months then a $450 bill.

My referral links: BigPipe | Mercury

Isabelino

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#3218462 14-Apr-2024 23:39

cddt:

Isabelino:

I'm currently working on a research project for my school paper focusing on the Watercare smart meter rollout. I'm interested in gathering information about consumption patterns before and after the transition to smart meters. If anyone has any insights or data they'd be willing to share, I'd greatly appreciate it!

I'm not on a smart meter yet, but a couple of things to mention if the motivation is to change the consumer's consumption pattern:

the data reported has to be accurate (see other replies)
the data should be timely (less helpful to see data from a week ago when you've forgotten what you were doing)
the data visualisation has to be relevant and interpretable (there are many, many examples poorly done or useless visualisations, and very few good examples)

Thank you for taking the time to respond. Your insights on the topic are greatly appreciated.

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