Noosa resorts are saving water and money with a new smart water monitor system, developed in Noosa Shire.
The application, called FLOWD Sustainable Water Management, helps to monitor water use and to detect water leaks.
The application works by connecting a smart water monitor system device to existing water meters. This communicates water use data via the internet, which is then reported to customers via the web-based application, on any device.
Customers can easily monitor water usage and receive automatic alerts if there is a water leak, or excess water use issue.
Noosa Cove Resort Operations Manager, Todd Millar, said that with El Nino drought conditions ahead, and a recent 5.9% water price increase, every saving is important.
“Within a couple of days of the smart water meter being installed and connected to the app, we stopped leaks that would have cost over $14,000 per year.
“At our Little Cove Court Resort, we had an alarm that discovered a significant, hidden water leak of 200 litres per hour in our irrigation system. Discovering this leak alone will save over $9,000 per year,” he said.
Another hidden water leak was also detected at The Cove Noosa Resort, managed by the same company.
This leak was due to a faulty pool top-up sensor that had an undetected continual flow of 100 litres per hour. Using FLOWD, $4,555 in annual water charges was saved. “Although both issues were easy to fix once identified, we would not have known they even existed, without FLOWD,” said Mr. Millar.
FLOWD CEO David Langdon, said the background to FLOWD was in property management and continual frustration due to the issues caused by hidden leaks.
“FLOWD is all about empowering property owners and managers to conserve water and manage costs.” he said.
“We developed a product to protect our owners from bill shock for excess water use and their assets from potential property damage.
“Hidden leaks can be the worst because they can be hard to detect visually, and overtime can cause the most damage.
“Studies show that digital water metering can save up to 8% on the use and cost of water, just by being more water conscious.
“What a lot of people don’t recognise is that most insurers won’t cover damage from hidden leaks. This is because it is a property owner’s responsibility to make sure pipes and plumbing are in good working order.
“A digital metering solution is cost-effective when you consider the expense of water these days, and the benefit of protection for potential property damage,” says Mr. Langdon.
Costs for a FLOWD Sustainable Water Management start from $770 as a one-off installation of a digital water meter. Subscription costs for the FLOWD app start from $96 annually.
