Digital meter expansion gets rolling through 11 suburbs this month
Unitywater has announced the Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast suburbs set to receive digital water meters in April, prioritising older areas where customers are more likely to experience leaks.

The expansion will upgrade existing meters with modern digital technology that securely sends daily water use data to Unitywater – providing faster leak identification, earlier customer notifications, clearer billing and a more complete picture of water use across the network. 

From this month, digital devices are being installed in Alexandra Headland, Buderim, Burnside, Highworth, Image Flat, Kallangur, Kuluin, Mango Hill, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Nambour, with additional suburbs in Noosa to receive them in the coming six months of the program’s expansion. 

Unitywater Executive Manager Customer Experience, Katherine Gee, said the digital devices would be installed in ‘network blocks’, which are defined by the water supply infrastructure layout, rather than street-by-street – an approach that would allow the utility to more accurately pinpoint potential leaks in the network beyond the household level. 

“This means residents may see their neighbours’ meters being upgraded but not theirs yet and this is an intentional operational approach,” Ms Gee said.

“Our data tells us which areas should receive this digital technology first to help customers identify concealed leaks early and notify them that there could be an issue on their property,” she said.

“With traditional mechanical meters being read every three months, our customers may not realise they have a leak until they receive their bill from us,” she said. 

Ms Gee said Unitywater conducted a digital metering pilot program that demonstrated the real value and benefits for customers when they had a digital water meter. 

“Our pilot program installed digital technology in 10,000 properties and has delivered more than 800 million litres of water savings, more than $5 million in customer savings, and early leak identification support for more than 3,000 households,” Ms Gee said. 

Ms Gee said customers who would receive a digital meter in the next six months would receive a letter from Unitywater followed by a notice approximately five to 10 days before their installation window. 

“Customers do not need to be home for the upgrade, and once we let you know we are coming to upgrade your meter there is no additional fee for this service,” Ms Gee said. 

“The upgrade will take between five minutes to one hour and if we need to turn off your water we will notify you beforehand,” she said. 

As the program expands, Unitywater will be opening an option for customers to opt-in early. For more information or to register your interest visit www.unitywater.com/digital-meters.