Smart meter helps Stellenbosch school save water and money
The primary school has cut its water use by two-thirds thanks to a device that tracks consumption and sends warnings if leaks are detected
A primary school has cut its water use by two-thirds with the help of a device developed at Stellenbosch University.Stellenbosch Primary is using 11kl a day‚ down from 35kl before it became one of five schools piloting a smart meter made in the university’s electrical and electronic engineering department.The school’s water bill saving is equivalent to the salaries of two junior teachers.The meter transmits consumption information to an app‚ and notifications of unexpected events are sent by SMS and e-mail."The moment there was a burst pipe at the school during the July holiday‚ an alarm triggered‚ the school was notified immediately and they were able to prevent an estimated loss of around a million litres," said project leader Prof Thinus Booysen. The main advantage of the device was in raising awareness of how much water was being used‚ he said.Stellenbosch Primary deputy principal Jacques Horn said: "We have already saved a lot of water and everyone is more aware of saving water...
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