SINGAPORE - Residents and business owners in seven areas will be able to monitor their consumption of water and use it more efficiently from next year, thanks to a new online service.
National water agency PUB will roll out the first phase of its smart water meter programme early next year in Bukit Batok, Hougang, Jurong West, Tampines, Tuas, Tampines North and Tengah.
About 300,000 meters will be installed in homes and commercial and industrial buildings at these locations by 2023, it said on Saturday (Jan 11).
The smart meters are much like fitness trackers that provide individuals with health data in that they will give customers access via a Web portal to near real-time water usage data that is easy to understand, PUB said.
They can get notifications of high usage or leaks, for example.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said on Saturday that the smart meters are a major boost for water conservation efforts.
Mr Masagos, who was speaking at a PUB event on water conservation held at Ngee Ann City, said the agency has diversified sources of water here, citing examples such as Newater and desalinated water.
But he added that increasing demand and economic growth will place greater strain on such resources.
"Climate change is another serious threat. More extreme weather could lead to prolonged dry spells, which in turn will compromise our water supply... That is why we must each consciously find ways to conserve our water and safeguard Singapore's water security."
Each person here consumes an average of 141 litres of water a day, added Mr Masagos, and "there is room to save more".
PUB said the meters will be installed and maintained at no charge to customers. It intends to deploy them across the island progressively after the first phase has been reviewed.
Data from the meters - including usage spikes throughout the day - will also help PUB plan for changes that need to be made to the water system. This would not be possible with the manual meters used now.
Pilot trials carried out in 800 households in Punggol and Yuhua in 2016 and 2018 showed positive results.
Households were found to have water savings of about 5 per cent due to early leak detection and the adoption of water-saving habits.
