Smart buildings and digital water

Leading research in emerging digital technologies that target end-uses to create improvements in both sustainability outcomes and user experiences.

With more recent advancements in sensor technologies, digital technologies have moved from the water meter and into fittings, fixtures and appliances within buildings. There are new opportunities in understanding and managing water usage with new smart plumbing devices and preexisting smart meters, allowing a detailed insight and control at the level of the individual fixtures.

The key challenge of effectively utilizing smart technologies in sustainable water management lies in ambidextrous expertise in both water management and data science. Both are required to effectively translate the complex capabilities and outputs of smart water tech into meaningful insights and applications in water conservation. 

With in-house data science and water experts with combined decades of experience, ISF’s Water Team works with water utilities, device manufacturers and local governments to leverage these technologies in meeting the complex sustainability goals of today. 

Our latest works include:

• Schools Water Efficiency Program Evaluation (Client: Yarra Valley Water, 2020): Provide data analysis and reporting on water consumption and electricity data collected by SWEP to determine the usage and losses of each school and other customers, including volume water saved and associated financial savings.
• Smart Devices and Intelligent Buildings Research Program (Client: Sydney Water and Caroma, 2020-2023): A multi-stage program that trialled the smart bathroom technology in a commercial building, mapping out the challenges, opportunities and considerations that may be raised in implementation of these technologies at household, building and precinct scales.