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Smart meters
Accurate, hourly readings to help you save
Smart meters (digital meters) provide accurate, real-time data automatically and help identify costly hidden leaks early. That means cost savings for you and smarter water management for us. Over the next few years, smart water meters will replace 1.6 million mechanical meters across Greater Sydney.
How smart meters work
Smart meters measure water use to help us calculate quarterly water bills, just like mechanical meters. But there's one big difference: smart meters have a wireless communication device that provides readings every hour instead of once every 3 months. This helps us understand your water use in real time. We can tell almost immediately if it's not following a typical usage pattern – for example, if it looks like a tap is running all night. If we spot a potential leak, we can let you know.
You don't need to be concerned about health or data with our smart meters. They meet the Australian regulatory standards for smart meters and health, as they have low, safe energy transmissions. Your privacy is safe, too. Water usage data is digitised and encrypted before it's transmitted to us.
You're welcome to email us at smartmeters@sydneywater.com.au if you have questions. Meanwhile, find out more about your meter. Compare what different meters look like and what they do.
Free installation, no ongoing charge
There's nothing to pay up front and there's no ongoing charge. We're installing smart meters free for homes, businesses, and even commercial or industrial properties.
When you'll get your smart meter
Your new smart meter will be installed when we upgrade the mechanical meters in your area. You'll be notified ahead of time about when we're coming to your area, and how to get ready.
Before we install your smart meter
- Make sure your water meter isn't overgrown or buried. Try to provide 150 mm clear space above, below and around it.
- If your current meter isn't working, contact us immediately.
- If your current meter is behind a locked gate or hard to access, contact us to arrange a convenient time.
The day your meter is replaced
- You don't need to be at home if we can access the meter.
- Make sure dogs are locked away or kept indoors to keep our contractors safe.
- Water will be turned off for up to 30 minutes.
- You'll get a card in your mailbox when the job's done.
Bonus: free automatic leak alerts
Free leak alerts are only possible with smart meters. When you're registered with My Account, we can notify you immediately by SMS, email or even phone if your overnight water use looks too high. You can stop potential costly leaks early. We'll help you with leak detection and suggest possible solutions.
Smart meters and future planning
By providing instant access to data, smart meters provide valuable insights into how Greater Sydney consumes water every day. They help us improve the ways we manage our water systems and become more water efficient. They allow us to make faster decisions, automate our responses, and be prepared for population growth and climatic events.