Schools get smart with water-saving meters

FOUR Western Cape schools have embarked on a water-saving mission after the City of Cape Town announced Level 5 water restrictions earlier this week.

The schools – Hector Peterson Secondary in Wallacedene, and AF Louw Primary, Eikestad primary and Stellenbosch primary, all in Stellenbosch – have saved thousands of litres of water by installing a smart water meter with the help of Stellenbosch University’s Professor Thinus Booysen.

Through the use of smart-metering technology, the university has enabled schools, households and other institutions to limit water use and minimise expenses.

Since the intervention in the past week, AF Louw is now consuming 8kl a day, down from an average of 12kl a week ago. In addition to saving the water, they are also saving about R7 000 a month.

This project could not have come at a better time as last Sunday Mayor Patricia de Lille announced that with immediate effect the city would introduce Level 5 restrictions and take new action to drive down water consumption.

She said the city had made considerable strides in lowering water pressure over the past three months, which had contributed to reducing overall consumption of potable water.

But there was room for further measures including spot fines and warnings.

Booysen said the four schools had put the new technology to the test by the end of the last month. Since the cost of water for bulk users had increased since July, he hoped more schools would follow suit.

The meter is attached to a municipal water meter and then reports to a web server via cellular networks. Information on consumption is then made available on an app and through daily emailed reports.

“Shortly after the pilot project started at Stellenbosch primary, their water consumption dropped from 35kl a day to 11kl a day. In fact, the savings a month are equal to the salaries of two junior teachers,” said Booysen.

The school’s deputy principal, Jacques Horn, said: “The meter really works well. We have already saved a lot of water and everyone is more aware of saving water. We have even adjusted the water supply to the bathrooms.”

Despite this system and other efforts made by Capetonians to save water since the drastic drop in dam levels, a lot more seems to be needed.

Since July 1, the city’s goal had been to reduce consumption to 500 million litres a day. As of last week, consumption stood at 599 million litres per day.

De Lille said: “With the winter rainfall season likely to end in the next three to four weeks, we simply have to get used to using less water as we enter the summer season.”

The mayor said all users, domestic or commercial had to remain vigilant with regard to water use.

“The usage in September will determine what actions delinquent users will face thereafter.”

These could include admission-of-guilt fines, or the installation of a water management device which they would have to pay for.

To follow the schools’ water saving progress, go to www. schoolswater.co.za. If you know of a school that would be interested, or if you want to sponsor a school, email schools@bridgiot.co.za.

In light of the Level 5 restrictions in the Western Cape, new meters have been introduced as water-saving tools at four primary schools in Stellenbosch.