German water supplier ThüWa ThüringenWasser has worked with Diehl Metering to install new water meters and harness Diehl Metering’s LPWAN mioty® Technology. ThüWa will now benefit from secure data, accurate metering practices, and digitalized processes that boost efficiency and are cost-effective.
ThüWa ThüringenWasser is one of the largest service providers in the water sector in the German state of Thuringia. With more than 247,000 customers, ThüWa’s network covers almost 600 km² in the city of Erfurt and surrounding area.
Previously, around 39,000 mechanical water meters were installed across the network to support billing. These meters needed to be read manually, which was costly and time-consuming. Many meters were also difficult to access, while customers could not be billed on a specific date.
In order to make enhancements to its customer service and address digitalization and sustainability, ThüWa ThüringenWasser engaged with Diehl Metering.
The project started with a workshop as part of Diehl Metering’s IoT Network Planning Service. Here, Diehl Metering’s Internet of Things (IoT) experts helped ThüWa’s team define requirements and use cases for the water network. This informed decision-making around the best technology to utilize, and helped outline a detailed network overview covering all required antenna locations.
The decision was made to replace the mechanical water meters across ThüWa’s network with Diehl Metering HYDRUS 2.0 Ultrasonic water meter. These contain an integrated radio module, meaning drive-by or fully automatic readout via fixed network can be realized immediately.
After considering the IoT technologies available, the performance and cost-effectiveness on offer led ThüWa to select LPWAN mioty® technology from Diehl Metering. With low-power usage and wide area coverage, this network protocol delivers a high level of performance and a strong anticipated return on investment.
Extreme radio ranges allow for meters in hard-to-reach locations to be read perfectly, while mioty® telegram splitting means the transmission of meter data is completely reliable.
Fewer antenna sites are now required and billing processes are now smooth and stable, with paperless statements able to be generated at any time. Costs around creating annual statements for ThüWa are a thing of the past, and because data can now be more readily acquired, there is an opportunity to identify potential network leaks. Additionally, the meters themselves are not susceptible to damage from water deposits.
ThüWa will be taking advantage of Diehl Metering’s IoT Network Implementation service to install the mioty® network over the course of the next 2-3 years, with a first site already established. This technology will connect the metering network with the world of IoT and the vast possibilities it brings.