Hidroconta joins Hydralians (France) to digitalise water networks with IRIS
The strategy of Hidroconta – a Spanish company specialised in water management and control, manufacturers of water meters, hydraulic valves and intelligent remote control and remote reading equipment – focuses on quality and innovation in the digital water space, promoting a culture of cooperation and developing partnerships.
The company is involved in the research, design and manufacture of the best hydraulic technology for water resources control, with the guarantee of being "Made in Spain / Made in Europe". Hidroconta has one of the largest certified water meter test benches in Europe and has a department dedicated exclusively to the development of smart metering systems.
Internationalisation is one of Hidroconta’s objectives for the 2030 horizon. Currently, 70% of its turnover and 50% of its projects come from international markets. France is one of the countries where the company's efforts are showing optimum results.
As an example, we collaborate with Hydralians, one of Hidroconta's French partners.
Hydralians is a large company with 71 points of sale in France and more than 12,000 references in its catalogue; it also offers full support services for projects, from assistance in drafting them, to support during the final installation in the field.
Hidroconta researches, designs and manufactures hydraulic technology with the guarantee of being "Made in Spain / Made in Europe"
Arnaud Leblanc is the commercial director of IoT for Hydralians; we talked with him about the digitalisation of the water sector and the collaboration with Hidroconta: "working with a European partner facilitates communication and interaction between the different actors, manufacturers, distributors and customers". On the other hand, from his experience working with Hidroconta, he highlights the knowledge of water management in Spain, taking into account the water situation in the country, and stresses how essential water management is to preserve crops and ensure suitable yields.
France is going through a difficult drought situation and is aware, as Leblanc says, that such episodes will happen again in the future: "the information, knowledge and products manufactured by Hidroconta offer us the solution for our customers to preserve water resources".
“With the digitalisation of assets, you can achieve up to 60% savings in water consumption” – Arnaud Leblanc, Hydralians
The digitalisation of the water sector is key in the fight against climate change. The brand is tackling digital transformation in France by offering IoT assets to its customers. Hydralians has been offering connected solutions to its customers, farmers, landscapers, pool specialists and local authorities for years.
According to Arnaud Leblanc, on average, "we obtain 20 to 30% water savings with connected water meter installations. This level of savings is mainly due to the fact that the water meter is easily within reach, from our smartphone or our computer. Moreover, it can be easily doubled if we use the advanced functions of the platforms, setting up rules or automated alerts."
"We have deployed the equipment in a landscaped park where we have achieved 60% water savings by controlling flow rates and adapting irrigation to weather conditions. The connectivity between the equipment and a web platform has enabled these savings."
Hidroconta has one of the largest certified water meter test benches in Europe and a department devoted to smart meter development
To implement digitalisation projects and choose the different communication technologies, they take into account the products’ reliability and usability. They mainly work with LoRa, Wifi, 3G and Sigfox protocols. The cost of communications and the type of installation where the project is going to be carried out, residential areas or large areas, are other aspects to take into account.
Hidroconta works with Hydralians supplying IRIS equipment with Sigfox communications because of its wide coverage in the French market, which manages to cover all the needs of its customers. "IRIS is economical and easy to implement," adds Leblanc.
As Leblanc says, Hidroconta's IRIS device is a communications module that is simple to install and connect to the cloud. An APP has been specially developed to facilitate the installer's task. Through NFC technology, the device is linked in seconds with the data management and visualisation platform. This NFC connectivity allows us to interact at any time with the device locally, being able to access all recorded data easily.
Another benefit of the digitalisation of water networks is it enables studying consumption, which is essential to save water. Data visualisation platforms allows us to quickly see consumption at a site. It is clearly a tool that allows quick response, taking action to address over- or under-consumption.
Hydralians is currently digitalising CACG's raw water network. CACG is a key player in water management in southwest France; its mission is to secure water resources, reconcile economic and environmental issues, innovate, optimise water use and respond to new challenges: droughts, floods, and water stress.
Hidroconta works with Hydralians supplying IRIS equipment with Sigfox communications because of its wide coverage in the French market
One of the actions to improve the network entails the installation of Hidroconta's IRIS communications modules; with them, it is possible to monitor water consumption recorded by the installed water meters.
The versatility of IRIS in terms of data transmission technologies is key. The installation of the IRIS module involves testing the signal quality at the site where the water meters will be located and selecting the best communication technology: LoRaWan, Sigfox, NB-IoT, LTE, GRPS.
Once the communications validation work is done, end users can install and activate the IRIS module on their own through the Hidroconta Installer APP and immediately obtain monitoring data on their Smartphone or web platform.