Smart Water Metering in Japan

Japan Water Research CenterMay 20161

Table of Contents• Overview of Smart Water Metering in Japan• Necessity & Potential Benefits of Smarter Metering• Current Status of Metering Efficiency (AMR & AMI)
• Issues & Concerns of Smarter Metering• Smart Water Meter Study Group (Smart Water MeteringCommittee)
AMR : Automated Meter Reading
AMI : Advanced Metering Infrastructure2

Overview of Smart Water Metering in Japan
Water supply• Population decline impacting supply demand and utility revenues• 97% water supply coverage = 97% meter penetration• Meters reads normally done manually every 2 months• AMR adopted in heavy snow areas and by some progressive utilities• 1,400 large water supplies (serving > 5,000 people) = difficult to have one
standard system• Limited number of utilities engaged in AMI field tests

1970s

1990s
48,000 wired-AMR
operated in Tokyo(1976-98)

2010s
several millions ofmobile-AMR
operated in snow areas

2015
AMI field test start by Kobe etc.

Electricity & Gas start nationwide smart meter3
deployment to be complete by 2025

Necessity & Potential Benefits of Smarter MeteringPopulation

140,000

Estimated population

120,000

Thousand of people

Necessity
Population decline:difficult to project“reduction in demand”
 Important tounderstand individual
water use accurately andmore frequently

100,000
80,00060,00040,00020,000
01860

1910

1960
Year

2010

2060

Population trend and projection in JapanBenefits••••(Source: National Institute of Population and Social Security Research )Better planning of system downsizing and infrastructure renewal
Better demand forecast per distribution block and time of the day
Effective pressure control
Prompt leakage detection on service and distribution mains4

Current Status of Metering Efficiency – AMR (1)Automated meter reading adoption very limited. Why?
• With 97% of properties already metered, newinstallation would involve large initial cost
• Manual reading is so common (70% of total) that its
outsourcing is affordable.
• Bimonthly reading being a long-standing practice, few
utilities are motivated for more frequent data collection(reading for billing, not for management planning!)

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A. Period
B. No. of properties
C. Objective
D. Remarks

Current Status of Metering
Efficiency – AMR (2)Hokkaido SapporoA. Since 1998
B. 56,000 properties
C. Heavy snow area; Improved reading efficiency
D. Meter reading by mobile device

Nagano Tateshina

Wakayama Koya

A. Since 1996
B. 2,600 Properties
C. Improved reading efficiency
D. For water and gas using cablebroadcasting

A. Since 2000
B. 1,700 properties
C. Improved reading efficiency
D. Automatic remote reading via cableTokyo

Source: Made by JWRC

A. Since 2010
B. 57,000 properties
C. Mitigate reading difficulty, Improved efficiency
D. Meter reading by mobile device6Current Status of Metering Efficiency – AMI (1)Tokyo
Waterworks Bureau

Yokosuka
Yokohama
Waterworks Bureau Waterworks Bureau

Period

Sep 2014 – Jan 2016

Apr 2016 – Mar 2019

Apr 2015 – Mar 2016

What todo

1. Visualization of water
use at property
through in-house
device and Internet
2. Email alarm tocustomers about
unusual water
consumption

Smart meter installed
at 200 properties
using wirelesscommunication(u-bus air); assess
technology and dataprocessing

Smart meter and electric
meter installed atapartment buildings;
connect both to the sametransmitter and compare
efficiency and reliability
between property-visit
reading and of wirelessautomated readingPartner• NTTPC Communications • Daiichi-Kankyo• OKI (Oki Denki Kogyo)
Corporation

Source: JWRC’s 1st smart water metering committee• Tokyo Gas• Hitachi

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Current Status of Metering Efficiency – AMI (2)[Example] AMI field test by Kobe Waterworks Bureau[Remote data collection of water flow] (Once wireless station approved - Mar 2017)
Smart meter installed at 9 points; 280MHz wireless network

Evaluate displayed data type &customer notification method

280MHzNetworkData

9 points
MDMS

Develop and assess
MDMSWirelessStationSmart meter

NTT West

How to install smart meter
Source: Website of Kobe waterworks Bureau (published July 2015)8Issues & Concerns of Smarter Metering (1)Q. What would drive smart water meter use?
(96 respondents; mostly water utility staff)
52% costrelated

19%
19%
14%
11%
10%
10%
8%
8%
1%

Lower cost driven by technology development
Cooperation with elec. & gas industry
Reliable financial & cost-benefit assessment
Safe & optimized data transmission system
More examples of actual installation and use
Mitigation of security risks
Standardization of related meter specifications
Longer statutory meter use period
Human resource development

Source: Questionnaire responses from attendees of JWRC’s 5th smart water meter study group9Issues & Concerns of Smarter Metering (2)Water utilities concerned about cost-benefit aspect:
Electric industry expects positive impacts
Cost-benefit analysis by Kyushu Electric Power Co.
・ Improved metering efficiency starts generating benefits 10 years after installation begins
・ In 2035, accumulated balance reaches 64.5 billion yen surplus (= 79.6 million AUD)
(Accumulated(Cost & benefit in hundred million yen)

costbenefit

All property smart-metered(‘25) benefit in hun.
million yen)balanceAccumulatedbalance: 64.5
billion yen
2010 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16 ‘17 ‘18 ‘19 ‘20 ‘21 ‘22 ’23 ’24 ‘25 ‘26 ‘27 ‘28 ‘29 ’30 ’31 ‘32 ’33 ’34 ‘35
Single year balance: surplus
Source: Agency for Natural Energy and Resources (Partially modified by JWRC)
Accumulatedbalance: surplus

10Smart Water Meter Study Group
Activity
JWRC organized a smart water meter study group for 3 years until March
2015, inviting speakers from national government, utilities and corporations(6 times, 100 attendees each).
http://www.jwrc-net.or.jp/kenshuu-koushuu/handout/smartmater.html

Objective• Understand current situation and related technology• Provide opportunities for public and private entities to share and discuss
related information• Have a better idea of how smarter metering for water supply could beachieved in Japan

Discussion topics
1. Current metering practice

2. ICT Technology

3. Benefits of smart metering

4. Challenges for smart metering
11Smart Water Metering Committee
In November 2015, JWRC set up a smart water meteringcommittee with water utilities conducting AMI/AMR field tests toshare progress and discuss potential standardization.
Issues and concerns

Innovation& ICT

Communication& Controls

SmartMetering

Optimize
Water NetworkAssetManagement

Water LossOperations
Lesson Learned
AMI

AMR

EnergyReduction

Water
Quality

Collaborate withelectricity & gas
Customer ServiceBilling

Adapting to
Demand decline

BIG Data
IoTAI

New Technologies
Cloud
Computing

Cyber Security
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Conclusion• Government plans a nationwide roll-out of smart meters toelectricity customers by 2025
• AMI field tests for Smart Water Metering are going to start• There are concerns about roll-out benefits of smart water
meters as most properties are already metered and new
installation would involve large initial cost
• Water Metering Committee looks into case study projects,
reporting on how smarter system could benefit utilities in termsof system downsizing, demand forecasting, effective pressure
control and prompt leakage detection
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