Global warming, pollution, population growth, and other environmental influences have forced us to look at water usage with a critical eye. With heating and cooling of facilities accounting for close to 40% of worldwide energy use - and agricultural water use on the rise, finding ways to reduce the impact on our water shed has fueled trends in smarter, more efficient water management and metering technologies.

Key drivers for smarter water solutions include:

• Changing weather patterns and global warming have brought about longer, more frequent droughts causing water scarcity problems throughout the world

• Aging infrastructure of our irrigation, construction, and utilities and associated technologies demand more cost and maintenance

• Basic drinking water infrastructure and pipes are aging and/or deteriorating

• Stricter water standards and environmental impact regulations, particularly for the waste water treatment industry

Industry analyst such as IDC suggest that in the coming years smart water investments will exceed $3 billion across the globe, due to the unarguable relationship between energy and water. Known all too well by facilities managers and maintenance professionals, this relationship is explained by the energy-water nexus which states"It takes a large amount of energy to extract, treat, store, and transport water, and at the same time, a large amount of water is used in the production of energy, particularly as cooling water for power plants."

So what can be done to meet these requirements and satisfy these emerging requirements for smarter, more efficient water treatment and water management solutions?

Solutions

Successfully meeting market demand for smart water management solutions are being approached in several ways. Trends toward AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) and AMR (automatic meter reading) – rely less on manual processes and reporting and more on the use of integrated technologies for fuller more accurate measurement and reporting. Industry vendors are also responding to these market needs by providing smart water metering technologies, which enable more accurate billing and costing, more efficient water management and conservation, and reduction in carbon footprints. Another method is achieved by combining smarter technologies and products with improved internal business processes, enabling smarter, more efficient water management practices. In addition, newer technologies for detailed and real-time data reading, as well as the use of predictive analytics to improve and promote better water conservation are on the rise.

What role can energy measurement vendors play in this trend? Many flow measurement companies are meeting this demand with the development of more accurate, economical water measurement solutions utilizing cutting-edge ultrasonic technology combined with advanced signal processing technologies for more accurate, energy efficient results.

This post is shared by spiremt.com, which is a leading supplier of ultrasonic flow meters, ultrasonic heat meters,water flow meters and more.