THE MAGAZINE FOR THE DRAINAGE, WATER & WASTEWATER INDUSTRIES
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tend to be property-centric, so we needed to bring into Kraken the ability to have both a property-centric and customer- centric view. In partnering Portsmouth, we also learned how to do social tariffs, which do not exist in energy. That is a capability that we have developed.
Given that all water companies have their networks to manage, we have developed quite a bit of capability around that too – such as connecting to the network and managing outages.
What are the benefits of implementing Kraken at Portsmouth Water?
Taylor: Once Kraken is fully implemented, we envision using it as a tool to stimulate behavioural change.
We think of platforms like this primarily as communication tools, providing information to tell customers things they would not otherwise know - how they use water and how to use it more efficiently. That is the basis of both smart metering and Kraken, and it helps in so many areas.
For example, we can easily identify whether customers have leaks on their own pipes within homes and premises. We
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can analyse meter readings more frequently - not just twice a year, but every 30 minutes, making it is possible to identify even low-level leaks.
There are also opportunities for cross- sector billing, putting energy and water billing together for example, or energy, water and wastewater. We need to try and sell the concept of smart metering to our customers around savings through wastewater and energy charges too. The less water you use, the lower your energy and wastewater bills.
Kraken is known for creating engaging customer interactions by making data more accessible. How are you going about this in terms of water consumption and customer service?
Taylor: In 2023 Portsmouth Water and Kraken launched The Water Lab, which is a unique opportunity to find new ways to improve the way we deliver water and energy services.
Ravindran: It is early days, but we have built out the interactive channels for web and app and brought our learnings from energy, where this is more advanced.
The Water Lab aims to learn from that and experiment and accelerate the experimentation and trials. That includes gamification and loyalty ledgers, and with that comes visualisation tools so customers can see the impact.
The first thing The Water Lab has tried is using implied data to show customers that if they reduce their water consumption, they will have a reasonable impact on their energy bill. Even showing the estimated impact has led to customers reducing consumption by five percent.
Was there a risk for Portsmouth Water in being the first water company to trial this solution?
Taylor: It was a manageable risk because we are working with a company that has a strong track record and has completed the best part of 30 implementations previously, all successful. The water sector may have a reputation for slow adoption of innovation, but that is changing. For example we are the first water company to be building a reservoir for 40 years. As a relatively small player we were willing to take on a challenge like that, and the key is to understand and manage the risks
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