The government plans to leverage the nationwide electricity remote metering infrastructure for water supply metering. While the adoption rate of intelligent remote metering infrastructure (AMI) in the electricity sector exceeds 90%, the water sector lags behind at around 20%. The initiative aims to reduce costs and expand the deployment of water remote metering by utilizing existing electricity infrastructure.
On July 10, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will sign a memorandum of understanding with Paju City, Korea Electric Power Corporation, and Korea Water Resources Corporation at the KEPCO Southern Seoul Headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, to integrate electricity and water AMI.
AMI is a system that digitally collects and transmits data on electricity or water usage remotely. This technology allows for automatic monitoring of usage without the need for meter readers to visit homes, enabling users to access real-time consumption information.
Currently, the national adoption rate of electricity AMI is approximately 91%, indicating that deployment is nearing completion. In contrast, the adoption rate for water AMI stands at only 24%. The costs associated with replacing existing non-electronic water meters have posed a barrier to expanding deployment.
In response, the government will promote the joint use of existing electricity AMI. It plans to install integrated remote metering modems on electricity AMI that have reached the end of their usable life or need replacement, linking both electricity and water metering information. The Ministry estimates that this approach could reduce installation costs by about 25% compared to establishing a separate water remote metering infrastructure.
Paju City will serve as the first pilot area. The government intends to conduct a pilot project integrating electricity and water AMI for 1,000 households in Paju City and plans to expand the initiative to other local governments based on the results.
Additionally, services that residents can easily access will be introduced. A smartphone application will allow users to view both electricity and water usage simultaneously and receive billing notifications. Future plans include a service that alerts users to any unusual consumption patterns.
Kim Ho-eun, Director of Water Use Policy at the Ministry, stated, "Electricity and water are essential services that support the daily lives and industries of the public. We expect this to be a model case that enhances operational efficiency by linking the infrastructure and information of both sectors."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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