Oracle Seizes the Moment
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Oracle Seizes the Moment
Not to be outdone in what could become a big market for IT vendors supplying
technology for smart systems, Oracle has released a report on smart water
management and the need for smart metering technologies.
On Jan. 11, Oracle announced the results of its report titled "Testing the
Water: Smart Metering for Water Utilities," which surveyed more than 1,200
water consumers and 300 water utility managers in the United States and Canada
to examine water utility managers' perception of, and future plans for, smart
meter technology, including benefits and potential obstacles, and water
consumers' perception of their water use, motivations for conservation and what
they feel they need from their water utilities.
"Smart grid and smart metering has received a lot of buzz in recent months-with
electric utilities receiving most of the spotlight," said Stephan Scholl,
senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Utilities. "However,
water utilities also face aging infrastructures, sustainability challenges and
customer demand for better service. Oracle's -Testing the Water' report
indicates that while water utilities realize that smart meter technologies can
have a big impact on their business, there is a greater need to focus on
consumer education and communication. Smart meter technologies can produce
the actionable data required to provide consumers with information they can use
to make smarter decisions about water consumption."
According to the Oracle report, 76 percent of consumers said they are
concerned about the need to conserve water in their community, 69 percent
of consumers said they believe they could reduce their personal water use, and
71 percent of consumers said they believe having access to detailed usage data
would encourage them to take steps to lower water use.
As for water utility managers, 73 percent said their utility actively
promotes water conservation. And 68 percent said they believe it is critical
that water utilities adopt smart meter technologies, but only one-third said
they are currently considering or implementing smart meter technologies.
Moreover, when asked to select the top two most significant benefits of
smart meter technology deployment, water utility managers cited enabling early
leak detection as the biggest benefit, followed by supplying customers with
tools to monitor or reduce water use. The managers said the top two roadblocks
to greater implementation of smart metering systems are lack of cost recovery
or measurable return on investment, and upfront utility expenses.
"At Las Vegas Valley Water District, we have learned that providing
consumers with useful information about conservation really does drive behavior
change," said Alisa Mann, customer services manager for the Las Vegas
Valley Water District, in a statement. "The -Testing the Water' report
provides important data on the challenges and benefits associated with
implementing smart meter technologies. Cost is an enormous factor, but many
water utilities fail to see the huge impact smart meter technologies can have
on their bottom line. It's not just about reducing truck rolls-it's about
helping customers make better choices and improving efficiency throughout the
business."
