Perth smart water meter pilot

Specific water zones have been selected for the pilot to enable us to assess the performance of the technology. This includes properties in the hills and on the coast, businesses and households, and properties with meters located in boxes or behind fences.

The properties we’ve selected are also representative of the broader Perth population so we can assess the value of smart meter technology for our customers.

We will need to turn the water off at your property for 10-15 minutes during the installation.

If your water is turned off, you may notice a loud bang and your water bubbling as it comes out of the tap when it's turned back on. This is due to the air entering your water pipe during the installation. It should only take a moment for the air to clear and your water supply to return to normal. You can learn more about what to expect when your water is back on.

Once we've installed all the new meters, we'll monitor the technology for a period of time to ensure it’s connected and transferring data to us. We'll continue to manually read your smart meter to track your water use during this time, and you'll receive your water use bills as per the normal bill cycle.

You can still read your new meter and track your water use during this time. Access to your two monthly water use will be available in your online account.  We’ll let you know once your smart meter data is up and running in your online account and when you can register to receive alerts.

Once your new meter is installed, it'll start measuring your water use in hourly intervals and send this data to us wirelessly each day. However, we'll continue to manually read your meter during a transition period.

During the installation phase you won’t have access to your data online, however we are working on new functionality that allows you to view your hourly water use in your online account.  If you haven't already, register for an online account.

We'll also be able to send you alerts if we detect unusual water use, such as a possible leak.

Once everything is working as it should, we'll reach out to you with an opportunity to provide feedback on your experience.

If your standard meter was faulty before the installation of your meter, then your first bill may be larger than usual. We may have also been estimating your water use if we couldn't access your meter. We estimate your water use by taking your average daily water use from the same time last year and multiplying it by the number of days in the current billing period.

So if your standard meter was faulty or we were estimating your water use, your water use may be corrected when your smart meter is installed. If we underestimated your water use, we'll charge the difference in your next bill. If we overestimated your use, we'll provide a credit to your account.

If you suspect you have a leak, visit our step-by-step-guide to help you find out.

Customers do not need to opt in to the pilot.  All properties in the nominated water zones will be required to have a meter upgrade.

In order for us to assess the full benefits of the technology it’s important that all properties within the water zone receive a smart meter. Registering for an online account, or to receive leak and water use alerts, is completely optional.

There are many benefits to having a smart meter, which you can learn more about on our 'Smart meters' page.

If you have any further questions about your involvement, please email us at smartmeters@watercorporation.com.au.

We’ll continue to read your smart water meter every two months, and if we suspect high water use or a possible leak, we will notify you the same way we currently do - via email or a letter to the property owner.

We’ll let you know when you can register to receive alerts if we identify a possible leak or unusual use.

While we strive to do what we can to notify you of suspected leaks, it’s the responsibility of the property owner to find and repair any leaks on their property and pay for any excess water use caused by leaks. We recommend that you check for leaks between bills regularly. Here is an easy step-by-step-guide.

The smart water meters use secure, existing telecommunication infrastructure to send your water usage data to our servers and systems. 

The data doesn’t contain any identifying information about you and we use global standards to ensure the data is secure from end to end. 

No personal information is stored on the device itself. We know privacy is important to you; for more information, please read about how we manage your information following the Privacy Act 1988.

The next phase of smart meter installations as part of the Perth Smart Water Meter Pilot will kick off in April, and includes properties in the Halls Heads, Darlington and Dawesville water zones.

All meters are expected to be installed by the end of May 2024.

To find out if your property is included in this next phase, refer to the maps below. 

All customers within the shaded water supply zones will receive a smart meter, and will be notified four weeks prior to their planned meter installation.

Halls Head South water supply zone

Darlington Lower High Level water zone

Dawesville South DMA water supply zone