How does South Africa measure up in terms of water meters installed and technology suited to end use compared to the rest of Africa and other developing nations?
LB South Africa is the leader in both meter installation and the use of suited technology in Africa. We have more constant and cleaner water supplies than many African countries. In most African countries, water supplies are interrupted when water reservoirs run dry during some parts of the day, which causes tremendous damage to meters and the rest of the reticulation system.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing this industry today?
Major challenges include optimised distribution of water resources, together with educating all consumers on water conservation and the impact of leaks on our water resources. Also, the ability to accurately measure these resources is challenging, especially the control of quality revenueenhancement products and solutions against cheap imports that are not suited for African conditions. Finally, Gauteng’s acid mine water is a ticking time bomb but we are confident that sufficient action is being taken to resolve this crisis.

How do water meters help to conserve water, especially in a water-stressed country such as South Africa?
To measure is to know. The water engineer must have accurate information on his system in order to control leaks. System maintenance is crucial and it is very important to get consumers to trust readings in order to pay for their usage.

Please give me a breakdown of your product and how it fits into the development of a working and up-to-date water infrastructure plan in Southern and South Africa
Elster’s brass PSM meter has been around for more than 50 years. The Polymer KSM meter is also the first polymerproduced water meter in South Africa; both these meters have often been copied, but never perfected. Elster has the only locally designed and produced prepaid meter that has seven projects running longer than 11 years and 154 projects in total. These projects are installed in South Africa and across borders as far as the Caribbean. Our new H5000 Woltmann-type hybrid bulk meter with its extra-wide measuring range is unchallenged in the market. The H5000 is the only bulk meter on the market that has the measuring range capable of replacing a combination meter and is the world’s most accurate commercial turbine meter, providing the widest measuring range for a singleelement technology. The electronic register pre-equipped for AMR/AMI with pulse, encoder, Aquabus, M-Bus, L-Bus outputs and a 15-year battery life put this meter at the top of bulk metering, globally.

Does Elster Kent have a unique technology that sets it apart from its competitors?
Elster spends $100 million annually on research and development, which is evident in our various world-leading solutions, including our hybrid and smart metering solutions. Our local R&D division then optimises these solutions for South African and African conditions.

A typical world-leading product is the Elster H5000 Hybrid Woltmann Meter, the next generation of Woltmann (turbine) bulk water meters. With a range of important features, H5000 represents the very highest performance in bulk-flow water metering, making it ideally suited to both billing (improved revenue) and water distribution applications (conservation). Available in five sizes from DN 40 to DN 150 for flow rates between 40ℓ/h and 200 m3/h, the H5000 operates at a maximum working pressure of 16 bar.

The Elster Q200 SmartMeter with full electronics is the only smart meter that is available with a replaceable battery.

Any special projects or products you would like to mention?
We had a bulk meter replacement project in Ekurhuleni municipality that utilised the H5000 meters extensively. The project has a payback of less than one year. Elster believes in changing the goalpost all the time and therefore has some exciting new products that will be launched shortly.

What are the standards set for water meters in South Africa and are there non-compliant ones being installed?
Domestic water meters must comply with SANS 1529-1:2006 and must be approved in terms of Section 18 of the Trade Metrology Act of 1973 and Regulation 80 of Part II of the Trade Metrology Regulations to Class B/C/D specification. All water meters offered must be tested and sealed by an authorised official in a SANAS (SANS 10378:2005) accredited laboratory. Elster also has one of the few local accredited test facilities that can accommodate bulk meters up to 300 mm. Yes, there are occasionally chancers in the industry and Elster has, on numerous occasions, brought illegal meter installations under the authorities’ attention.

Any further thoughts that you might want to share with our readers?
Yes, our business mission statement is to offer a broad range of high-quality, leading-technology water management solutions to customers in all key markets, with an optimised internal structure and highly effective supplier, logistics and distribution business partners for the benefit of all stakeholders.