Groundbreaker: Changing water infrastructure ‘By 2050 the UK water deficit is anticipated to be 4017 mega litres per day.’

Since this announcement in January 2022, major water companies have been developing plans to upgrade the UKs water supply and reduce current usage from 150 litres per person per day to 110.  

Groundbreaker will be a major contributor to this new infrastructure.  Surface mounted metering and flow reduction are integral parts of major water companies new plans, and Groundbreaker’s unique products are an essential part of the new style infrastructure.

Smart meters
Smart meters are seen as a significant part of the solution to reducing domestic water usage.  Thames Water have recorded domestic water savings of 12-17% following smart meter installation.1 Now Unitied Utilities have announced their plans for Advanced metering infrastructure, all new connections or meters will replaced with the latest generation of smart meters.  

New meter location policy
Unitied Utilities have recently announced that the most effective method of installing the advanced metering infrastructure is to use Groundbreaker’s water management system.  This locates the meter above ground, providing a better environment for smart technology over tradional underground boundary boxes, extends signal transmission and allows easy meter exchange.

Designing out leak paths
The unique location of the Groundbreaker water management system future proofs the network and minimises the risk of developing future leaks.  The position of the meter allows for an unjointed water supply, hence maintaining the integrity of the supply.  The use of an uninterrupted supply has been recognised as best practice by Water UK and the Home Builders Federation2.

Steve Leigh, Managing Director of Groundbreaker commented, “Portsmouth Water have demanaded surface mounted meter housings as the standard required for all new properties for over 15 years. Working with them we have established the effectivenes and reliablility of Groundbreaker.’  He continued, ‘With the need to maximise the effectiveness of smart metering programmes, I can’t see that there is a vaiable alternative – putting smart technology in a hole in the ground just does not work.”

Water efficient homes
Water efficient homes are essential to reduce consumption further.  In all new properties, developers will be encouraged to design in water conservation measures, including the installation of a flow regulator.  These modulate the flow entering customer premises, so limiting the amount used by the customer.  Without a degradation of service or any behavioural change, there is a ‘natural’ reduction in consumption.  As these products are fitted to the main water supply, and not each individual outlet they remove any risk of consumer interference and ensure that minimum standards of water supply are maintained as specified within the Water Industry Act and Water Fittings Regulations.

Groundbreaker supply two products.  In properties with a meter  Groundbreaker’s NRv2 LoFlo can be installed between the water meter and manifold in any water meter enclosure.  For unmetered properties, the LoFlo InLine is fitted on the main water supply pipe, normally just after the main stoptap.  

In either unit, several flow modulation ranges are available which enable the perfect balance between usage reduction and service provision.  As an added benefit, the Groundbreaker’s LoFlo Check Valve systems have the unique property of providing whole site protection against contamination by back flow (up to fluid category 2) as standard.  Groundbreaker products are compliant with all Regulations and defined criteria and are used extensively across the whole of the UK water supply network – whether that be North of Scotland or the Channel Islands.  

For further details please contact Groundbreaker Systems at www.groundbreaker.co.uk

Images © Groundbreaker