Company promotes digital water billing

With the advancement of the green technology and advent of 4IR, Government and parastatals have been advised to move away from conventional metering solutions to Digital Water Billing.

Managing Director at Leeroy Systems, Thebe Roy Johannes says that they continue to engage the Utility, Parastals and Government sectors to align to the ideals of the Botswana Reset Agenda and utilize digital water billing. He shares that over the years, they have developed a meter specifically tailored to eliminate the headache for both the Utility, Government and users on Water Billing, Water usage Monitoring and Water conservation awareness. “We successfully maintain a fully regulated Meter by Botswana Bureau of Standards ( BOBS) and Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority ( BOCRA), certified to conduct both Real- time Water Billing and Monitoring through computer or smart phone. The Meter is battery powered and operated though Internet for Network with a battery life of 10 years. However, this does not limit the user to access their daily bills as the idea is to grow the digital space locally.

“Whilst the Meter requires Smart Infrastructure, the user does not need internet or power to use the device. It transfers and receives credit directly without the need for human intervention,” Johannes explains. “At the moment, our meters are used as secondary to the existing utility meter,” he adds. He emphasizes that, compared to the normal Water Meter, the 4IR innovation allows their customers to budget for Water, receive realtime underground water leaks and pipe burst and immediately call a plumber or technician, separate the water bills per house and buy water pre- use. For property management companies and institutions, the devices give real- time data for strategic planning, and fair distribution of water, premise water balance and dispute resolution solution, he says. “We have advanced and introduced a new feature to allow our customers to open and close Water through the palm of their hand using a smart phone or laptop computer, and this new development allows them to have full control of their water usage and close the Meter anytime from anywhere when water loss is detected,” Johannes says. Some community members concur that this is what they have always needed as the public has been battling ridiculous water bills from Water Utilities for a long time now.

Johannes tells BG Business that, they have successfully deployed their technology at Government, private Businesses and individual household for both Bill separation, usage control and bill query management. “Having a device approved for international market gives us the edge to look outside the borders to regional and global market,” says Johannes.