Seoul City Changes Water Meter Reading Method for the First Time in 100 Years... 660,000 Water Connections to Switch to 'Remote Meter Reading' by 2030

30% of 2.22 Million Water Meters in Seoul to Switch to Smart Remote Metering by 2030
From Bimonthly In-Person Meter Reading to Real-Time, Contactless Remote Metering for Detailed Usage Analysis and Utilization
Early Indoor Leak Detection Beyond Billing... New Services Possible Including Future Social Safety Net Integration

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 3rd that from this year until 2030, it will actively convert 660,000 water outlets, equivalent to 30% of the 2.22 million water meters in Seoul, to remote reading meters. Going forward, water usage can be read remotely without meter readers visiting, and real-time usage can be checked hourly, enabling new services such as early indoor leak detection and linkage to social safety nets.

'Smart Remote Meter Reading' is an unmanned automatic reading method that installs digital water meters and remote reading terminals at consumers’ locations and transmits meter readings via the Internet of Things (IoT). This represents a change in the meter reading method for the first time in about 100 years since water meters were first used for household water in Seoul in 1924.

The Seoul city government explained, “With the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, safe meter reading methods are required, and the demand for non-face-to-face meter reading has increased due to lifestyle changes in the post-COVID-19 era,” adding, “Detailed meter reading data can be used for scientific water supply management.”

Currently, out of the 2.22 million water meters in Seoul, 2.09 million (94%) water outlets are read by meter readers visiting homes once every two months. There are 356 meter readers, each performing an average of 3,000 readings per month. The remaining readings are conducted through entrusted readings in apartment complexes (4.1%), self-reading (0.6%), and remote reading (1.9%).

Seoul plans to shift from this existing labor-intensive, bi-monthly visit-based meter reading method to smart remote meter reading using IoT, allowing non-face-to-face, continuous monitoring of water usage. The frequency of meter reading data will increase from 6 times a year to 8,760 times a year, enabling detailed data collection and allowing readings anytime regardless of weather, consumer circumstances, or other unexpected situations.

This shift responds to the demand for non-face-to-face meter reading due to changes in living environments and can prevent safety accidents during meter reading such as falls, dog bites, or suffocation in manholes. Additionally, real-time water usage data can be used to develop social safety net services that detect crisis signs in vulnerable groups. Early detection of indoor leak signs will reduce user charges caused by leaks and minimize water waste. Comparing supply volume at water purification centers with real-time usage will also enable scientific supply management.

The smart remote meter reading transition will be implemented in three phases by 2030. First, in 2024, as phase 1, a budget of 1.1 billion KRW will be invested to pilot replace 7,600 meters with remote reading meters in two mid-block areas, one each in Jung-gu and Seongbuk-gu. In phase 2, by 2026, the entire jurisdiction of the Central Waterworks Office, including Jongno-gu, Jung-gu, Seongbuk-gu, and Yongsan-gu, will be converted to remote reading. By 2030, phase 3 will sequentially convert parts of the Southern (Gwanak, Geumcheon, Dongjak, Yeongdeungpo-gu) and Gangseo (Guro, Yangcheon, Gangseo-gu) Waterworks Office jurisdictions. Directions after 2031 will be decided based on comprehensive evaluation of existing project outcomes.

With the full expansion of remote meter reading, the operation system that analyzes and utilizes meter reading data will be completely redeveloped by the end of this year. Once advanced, the system is expected to provide user-specific water usage, usage patterns, and suspected indoor leak information through real-time monitoring and data analysis.

Gu Ami, head of the Seoul Waterworks Headquarters, said, “Until now, water meters were merely devices for billing, but through the transition to remote reading meters, we expect to provide new services such as early indoor leak detection and social safety net linkage,” adding, “As this is a long-term plan, we will proceed without disruption by preparing for various variables.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.