Northumbrian Water has been awarded more than £6m for four innovation projects that are aiming to improve its customer service and help protect the environment.
The funding from the Water Breakthrough Challenge run by water regulator Ofwat will help progress projects on smart metering, protecting the sewer network, sharing data between water companies and improving public understanding of the value of water. Northumbrian Water’s projects - the Water Literacy Programme; the Hydro-powered Smart Meter; the Root Defender, and Stream - are four of 16 solutions that have been awarded a total of £40m.
The Water Literacy Programme will aim to provide the company’s stakeholders with a greater understanding of the value of water, improved awareness of links between water use and the environment, and techniques to help people use less water. The Hydro-powered Smart Meter, meanwhile, is a water meter which will be fitted in customers’ existing meter chambers and use mains water pressure to power it, rather than batteries.
