Hunter Water is expanding its collaboration with US technology company Itron as part of a pilot programme aimed at improving water management and reducing losses across its network in New South Wales, Australia.
The utility, which serves the Lower Hunter region, said it would deploy 2,000 digital water meters from the third quarter of 2026 under its Digital Metering Pilot Program. The rollout will include Itron’s Intelis wSource NB IoT ultrasonic meters, alongside the company’s Temetra data management platform, which Hunter Water already uses.
The programme forms part of the utility’s broader push towards a more data-driven water network, intending to detect leaks earlier, reduce non-revenue water and improve operational decision-making.
The digital meters are designed to provide near real-time information on customer water consumption, allowing the utility to identify leaks more quickly and respond faster to water losses. Hunter Water said the technology would also give customers more detailed information about their water use, helping them make more informed decisions about conservation.
The programme forms part of the utility’s broader push towards a more data-driven water network, intending to detect leaks earlier, reduce non-revenue water and improve operational decision-making
Data from the new digital meters and the utility’s existing mechanical meters will be managed through Temetra, a cloud-based meter data management system. Hunter Water said consolidating data within a single platform would support operational improvements as pressure on water resources increases.
According to the utility, it has reduced water leaks across its network by 33% over the past nine years through a series of initiatives under its water loss reduction programme. The addition of digital metering is intended to build on that progress.
Matt Hingston, Hunter Water’s executive manager for customer services, said digital meters would provide “more timely and detailed insight into water consumption”, helping the utility identify potential leaks sooner and engage more directly with customers about their water use.
Justin Patrick, senior vice president of device solutions at Itron, said the deployment represented “the next step” in Hunter Water’s digital water strategy. He said the Temetra platform gave the utility flexibility to adopt new technologies over time while supporting current operational needs.
