The problem
Sub-metering allocates usage to individual units but does not identify water lost between the main supply and individual meters, infrastructure leaks within the network, or ongoing discrepancies that accumulate into significant costs. Without reconciliation at the boundary, unaccounted water can go unnoticed for months.
What we did
Layer 1, individual unit monitoring (downstream): each unit meter is monitored 24/7 for abnormal flow conditions, detecting continuous flow and threshold breaches, triggering automated alerts and enabling early intervention before costs escalate. This protects against resident-side leaks and internal plumbing faults. Layer 2, main supply reconciliation (upstream): the new layer continuously compares the main supply meter against aggregated unit consumption, enabling automated variance detection, configurable discrepancy thresholds, real-time tracking of unaccounted water and financial impact visibility via a live dashboard. If discrepancies exceed defined limits, alerts are triggered immediately.
The outcome
The dual-layer system is live at the Onehunga development. The property team now has full upstream and downstream visibility, daily reconciliation of supply against allocated usage, proactive infrastructure monitoring, and real-time insight into financial exposure. Smart Metering is evolving utility infrastructure from passive measurement to active intelligence, giving developments reduced financial risk, early leak detection, improved operational transparency and stronger long-term asset protection.