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Toowoomba Regional Council Advanced Metering Infrastructure Feasibility Study

Discovering potential smart metering benefits for The Garden City of Australia

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Toowoomba - green garden with lake

Looking to explore the use of automated meter reading to support its operations and improve customer service, the Water and Sewer Department of the Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) commissioned Jacobs to lead a study to review its current meter reading operations and to assess the benefits and feasibility of implementing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).

Focused on the helping TRC move to quarterly billing, improve registration with ultrasonic meters, conserve through improved customer engagement, reduce leaks through timely notification and reduce high-bill / leak remissions, we’re helping prepare one of Australia’s most populated inland cities to take the next step to AMI implementation.

  • 60

    customers

  • 2 nd

    most populous inland city in the country

Preparing Toowoomba to try out the excitement of smart water

TRC retained us to perform an assessment of TRC’s functional objectives and to perform a cost benefit analysis of both AMR (drive-by) and AMI (fixed network) solutions.  During this process, we conducted interviews with staff and compiled data and documentation on TRC’s customer base, existing processes, current utility rates, staffing levels, and meter infrastructure. This information has helped to provide an in-depth understanding of the TRC’s current operations and expectations concerning AMR/AMI and has been used to determine the corresponding financial and non-financial impacts.

Jacobs developed an Excel based business case model to support the cost-benefit analysis, calculating the range of Net Present Value (NPV) outcomes, and performing sensitivity analyses. The analysis produced an expected value and included a range of minimum and maximum potential values. The initial capital costs as well as cash flows for both benefits and costs were modelled over a 15-year lifecycle.

We then evaluated several different scenarios and performed sensitivity analysis on each of them.  Scenarios were based on the selection of three factors: (1) AMR versus AMI, (2) replace versus retrofit, (3) static versus mechanical meters, and (4) TRC owned network versus a 3rd party network. 

We found that significant benefits for TRC and its customers could be realized through the implementation of AMI, especially as an enabler of a broader demand side management program.

One of the scenario that Jacobs included, assumed that TRC would replace all 20 mm meters with NB IoT enabled ultrasonic meters throughout both Toowoomba City and the outlying areas in partnership with Telstra.  Since the technology was still in development, we recommended that TRC may want to consider a trial to gain confidence in the technology prior to full deployment.