Northumbrian Water is working with one of the North East’s best known companies to help cut utility bills after a trial identified savings of more than £10,000 a year on water alone.
Esh Group will install Northumbrian Water’s Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system, developed using market-leading technology, into five main areas of its head office site, near Durham.
AMR gives organisations information to allow better control over their utility spending. Using wireless technology, a small, compact data logger installed at the utility meter allows remote communication with a secure online portal in real time.
The system helps to identify efficiencies, both during and outside of normal operating hours.
The trial of the system was carried out at the company’s Esh House head office, focussing only on water, and has already identified enough savings to cover the full installation cost for five years.
The company has chosen to have AMR installed on the water, gas and electricity meters at Esh House, along with four of their other offices within its Bowburn headquarters. As well as the traditional utilities, it will help to assess the company’s use of solar panels.
By identifying irregularities in the utilities usage, the system will identify avenues for exploring opportunities to reduce waste.
Simon Park, Esh Group’s Energy and Environmental Advisor, said: “Northumbrian Water’s AMR system has already identified two leaks in our water system that equate to a combined loss of just over £10,000 a year, so it has paid for itself for five years even before it has been fully installed.
“By applying AMR to water, gas and electricity, there is a real potential for us to save even more on our utilities bills and change behaviours in a way that is good for the environment, as well as our finances.”
Andrew Sinclair, Business Development Manager at Northumbrian Water Group’s Total Water Solutions division, said: “It is great that we are able to support businesses in this way.
“AMR is a great opportunity to do that, helping companies to identify ways to reduce their bills and reducing the unnecessary use of water and other utilities.”