Source article published in September 2019 

By using smart water meters, schools cut down on water waste and saved millions of rands.

What is the problem?

Cape Town is a water-stressed city, prone to severe droughts. Old and poorly maintained infrastructure caused hidden leaks, pushing water bills up and placing unnecessary strain on already scarce water resources. 

How are they fixing it?

During a severe drought in 2018, researchers from Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town’s Environmental Policy Research Unit (EPRU) led the Smart Water Challenge, aimed at encouraging 345 schools to reduce their water usage. Through the use of smart water meters, schools were given detailed, hourly information on their water use. Knowing exactly how much water they were using encouraged schools to fix leaks and find creative ways to use less water. The use of smart water meters has saved over 480 megalitres of water. 

What makes it work?

• Round-the-clock monitoring. With the use of real-time data on water usage, schools gained the information they needed to learn of hidden leaks. For example, if a school's water usage remained high even outside of school hours, it is an indication that there are problems with wasting water.  

• Supporting schools to make repairs. Through a public-private partnership between the Western Cape Departments of the Premier and Education and business sponsors, schools were given the funding and expertise they needed to make plumbing repairs to stop wasting water. 

• Inter-school competitions. The researchers leading the Smart Water Challenge found that they could encourage schools to reduce water use by setting up a water-saving competition between schools. Every week, schools were publicly ranked by their water usage. Along with sharing useful information on reducing water use with school staff, these competitions played an important role in getting schools to cut down on water use.  

• Saving money by saving water. Demonstrating to schools that they could save money by cutting down on their water usage was an important incentive for helping them take action. The researchers estimated that the Smart Water Challenge collectively enabled participating schools and municipalities to save R39 million.

Smart meters have the potential to help improve municipal water delivery across the board, not just in schools. For more information on the #SmartWaterMeterChallenge, read more at SchoolsWater.co.za here.

Acknowledgements:

Original article written by: Environment for Development (EfD)

Photograph:PavitraKBRao Wikimedia Commons 

Source

Saving water at Cape Town schools by using smart metering and behavioral change - ScienceDirect