Reframing the Smart Metering Conversation
The water sector is filled with many smart metering sales pitches.
For decades, we’ve discussed AMR, AMI, and digital transformation. While some utilities have made impressive progress, too often the conversation focuses more on technology than on outcomes.
What we need to hear more about is what utilities are actually trying to solve like keeping infrastructure running with limited staff and aging assets, or reducing high bill complaints to restore public trust.
Technology that doesn’t solve a real-world problem is just overhead.
This is the shift that the SWAN Smart Metering Group is working to support. Our focus is not on metering in isolation, but on building smart water networks that link data, systems, and people in ways that drive measurable progress.
We are reframing smart metering as a tool for transformation, not the transformation itself.
The Untapped Potential of Mid-Sized Utilities
Large utilities often dominate industry headlines. Their scale attracts attention, and their projects seem to define success, but many of the most important lessons are coming from utilities that serve between 20,000-200,000 customers.
These are the organisations where innovation is often more practical, nimble, and impactful.
Large utilities tend to move slowly. Procurement cycles are long, governance is layered, and risk tolerance is low. In contrast, small and mid-sized utilities are close to their communities, able to make decisions faster, and capable of piloting new approaches with minimal bureaucracy.
The evolved Smart Metering Group will seek to bring in case studies and agile approaches from utilities of all sizes.
Smart Metering at Human Scale
For many small-to-mid size utilities, AMI is not about deploying the latest technology for the sake of modernisation. It is about addressing daily operational challenges.
These utilities are using interval data to detect customer-side leaks, respond to pressure issues, and optimise route management. They are building stronger relationships with customers by catching hidden issues before they become major problems.
Because they are closer to the work, their feedback loops are shorter. A single pilot can generate immediate value. That value builds internal momentum and often unlocks further investment.
Mid-sized utilities are proving that smart metering success is not about size. It is about focus, alignment, and follow-through.
Telling the Right Stories
A utility with 50,000 accounts that solves a high bill complaint issue using hourly data is just as important to the industry as a mega-city rolling out a billion-dollar network.
By sharing these stories, we can create a more inclusive vision for what digital success looks like.
SWAN is committed to lifting up examples from across the spectrum, especially from utilities that are often overlooked. These stories help others see what is possible.
The Role of Technology Providers
Technology vendors must also evolve. Starting with a demo or feature list is no longer enough. The most successful vendors lead by listening.
By asking utilities what they are trying to accomplish, vendors can understand their true operational challenges, and connect those needs to their solution.
Solve first. Sell later.
What Comes Next
As we prepare for the next phase of the industry, we must recognise that innovation is not limited to large-scale programs. Some of the most important breakthroughs will come from smaller utilities that take smart, calculated steps forward.
SWAN’s Smart Metering Group believes in a future built on collaboration, shared knowledge, and real-world results. We are here to support all utilities as they lead the next wave of practical digital transformation.
The future of smart metering is not about features. It is about fixing problems that matter.
That is how we actually transform water.
