Thousands of homes and businesses in Suffolk are set to get new water meters as part of bid to reduce consumption across the East of England.
Anglian Water has committed to upgrading and installing 760,000 existing and new water meters across the region to protect water resources.
The water supplier first trialled the scheme in Newmarket three years ago and saw the town’s overall water consumption drop by 8% in 12 months.
Anglian Water’s new meters take regular and remote readings, helping customers keep track of their daily water usage.
Now the company has committed to a £180million deal with Arqiva to roll out the meters to customers in Suffolk and elsewhere in East Anglia.
Engineers will be fitting around 750 meters a day across the region, with Anglian Water saying there will be “very little disruption” to customers as the majority of appliances are found outside of homes.
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Reducing use is key to the company’s Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) - a document that explains how customers’ needs will be met over the next 25 years.
Peter Simpson, chief executive officer of Anglian Water, said: “Our WRMP outlines a twin track approach to tackle these issues.
“The first part is managing demand for water by installing upgraded meters to help customers understand their water usage, as well as helping us to pinpoint property-side leaks which can lose hundreds of litres of water a day.
“The second is to invest in our own supply-side infrastructure by installing up to 500km of interconnecting pipes and pumping equipment, as well as upgrading existing infrastructure to better join up our network.
“Despite the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, we have this week committed to these two major investment programmes to keep our region on track for a more sustainable future.”
Alex Pannell, commercial director at Arqiva, added: “We share with Anglian Water the imperative that water efficiency is one of the most important considerations for water businesses around the world today. “The ‘dry’ nature and expanding households of Anglian Water means a decisive action is needed to preserve this most precious of commodities.”
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