Smart meter enabled disaggregation of urban peak water demand: precursor to effective urban water planning

Abstract

The implementation of a smart water metering system in Hervey Bay in 2006–2007 allowed the local water utility to record the hourly water consumption of all its customers. This data availability has enabled a large scale research project to proceed with the aim to disaggregate peak hour, peak day and peak month demand in the water distribution network into primary indoor usage (e.g. shower, washing machine, etc.) and irrigation components. Such information can guide the development of alternative tariff structures and other demand management initiatives aimed at reducing peak demand. This paper details results of the analyis of average hour, peak hour, peak day and peak month consumption data of 2884 residential customers selected from four District Metered Areas (DMAs) located in the city of Hervey Bay in Queensland, Australia.

Keywords:

• hourly consumption profile
• peak demand
• consumption disaggregation
• water demand management
• water tariffs
• irrigation

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the National Water Commission for providing the funding and support to make this research possible, and Wide Bay Water Corporation for providing the raw data which allowed this research to take place.