If we’re rolling out digital meters in your area, we’ll cover the cost of purchase and installation. There’ll be no change to your bill unless you change your water use.
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Digital meters
New technology that reads your meter automatically
Digital water meters represent new technology that can provide more detailed information about how Greater Sydney uses water. They work like traditional water meters, with one key difference: they send us hourly meter readings, automatically. We've been installing digital meters around Liverpool and the Nepean, and will soon be rolling out in other areas.
Why we're installing digital meters
Digital meters offer significant advances in cost and performance over traditional water meters. The data they provide helps us to:
- provide more frequent water-use data to help you optimise your water use
- notify you sooner if we think you have a hidden leak, saving you both water and money
- better understand water-use patterns, which will help us manage our water networks
- make faster decisions, automate our responses and predict future events.
From trials to rollout
Our initial trials in Liverpool, Warwick Farm and Lurnea demonstrated positive results on the accuracy and reliability of digital meters and the benefits they provide for customers and our operations. This has been invaluable in helping us plan for the future by using digital meters in other areas.
We’re now ready to roll out digital meters throughout Greater Sydney. However, installing over 1.6 million water meters will take time. By around August 2022, digital meters will have been installed across the rest of Liverpool, Lurnea and Warwick Farm. We’ll also be rolling out digital meters in Beecroft, Bellevue Hill and Dural.
Plans are underway for further digital meter rollouts in the second half of 2022 and into 2023. We’ll announce them as they’re finalised.
When you get your new meter
- We'll write to you before we install your digital meter. Then we'll leave a card in your mailbox to let you know your old water meter has been replaced.
- Your new meter will be one of the models shown below. You won't be charged for purchase or installation.
- There’ll be no change to the regular water usage information on your quarterly bill.
- We’ll continue to read your meter in person until digital meters pass our stringent testing.
- Digital meters transmit water consumption to us every hour. We’ll let you know when you can access this hourly data, too.
Please help us install your digital meter easily
- Make sure there's 150mm clearance under the meter and 300mm around the meter.
- Clear away dirt and vegetation so we can access the meter easily.
- Keep pets restrained or indoors.
- Ensure your current meter is working. Turn the water off using the stop tap – there should be no water flow and the meter dials should stop turning.
- Report damage to pipework or your current meter before we install the digital meter.
- If your meter is behind a locked gate or we need security access, let us know. Let us know via email at customerservice@sydneywater.com.au with the subject line ‘Access for digital meter exchange’.
Remotely read meters versus digital meters
Remotely read meters
Remotely read meters work like traditional water meters, but they have a wireless communication device attached so no one has to enter the property to read them. They send your reading to a handheld device when our meter reader is near your property. This works well if your meter is in a location that's difficult to access or you'd prefer that we didn't enter your property. Eventually, digital meters will replace remotely read meters.
Digital meters
Like remotely read meters, digital meters have a wireless communication device. But instead of sending your reading to a meter reader's handheld device, they send it directly to us – hourly. This is more frequent than our usual quarterly meter-reading cycle.
If you have a larger meter
Commercial and industrial properties with high water use usually have water meters larger than our residential 20mm water meters. For these, we install 2 different types of digital meter: one that looks like other digital meters, and another with an external cable and a Sydney Water transmitter. To connect your own private data logging device, you must contact us first. Find out what you need to know from our Water meter installation guide.
How to read a digital meter
Like traditional meters, all digital meters have a display that allows you to read your water usage in kilolitres (kL). One kL equals 1,000 litres, or one cubic metre (C3). Some digital meters also display other information, such as flow rates. When we calculate your bill, the charge is per kL.
Find out how to read traditional water meters and see other models at Meter readings.
Answers to a few FAQs
As with a traditional water meter, we're responsible for your digital meter. You can read more about this in our Water meter policy (138KB). You're responsible for all the other pipes and fittings that connect to our water network. You can learn more about how to maintain your meter in our Water meter maintenance guide (496KB).
Digital meters meet the Australian regulatory standards and their low energy transmissions are safe. Further information is provided by the Australian Government. Meters are also generally located at the very edge of your property. We take safety, privacy and security very seriously. Your water usage data is digitised and the data is encrypted (coded) before it's transmitted to us. We’ll continue to review the technology to ensure our meters remain safe and your data is secure. You can read more about how we protect your privacy.