Eureka! Thames Water invention to help cut leakage by a quarter and reduce customers' bills
Jan 02, 2008
Boffins at Thames Water have come up with up a new invention to reduce the millions of litres of water lost through leaking pipes by up to a quarter.
When attached to a water meter overnight on a property, the Leakfrog will show if any water is being lost, and therefore allow customers to get the leaks fixed and reduce their water bills.
John Halsall, Thames Water's Director of Water Services, said:
"We are making great progress on tackling leakage, but it's still our biggest priority. While huge savings are being made through our Victorian mains replacement programme across London, up to a quarter of all leakage - around 170 million litres a day - is actually from pipe work belonging to customers. Until now, this water loss has been extremely difficult to pinpoint and account for."
"Now, with Leakfrog we can get a better idea of how much water is leaking from the customer's side. Leaks are not only an unnecessary waste of water, but left undetected can add hundreds of pounds to bills and cause damage to the property. Often customers are unaware if they have leaking pipes. Leakfrog will help identify them, but we would also advise any customers who have seen bills rise by unusually high amounts to contact our customer centre or a qualified plumber. We don't want anyone to be paying over the odds."
Nic Clay-Michael, Special Projects Manager at Thames Water, and one of Leakfrog's inventors, said:
"The current leakage detection device we use is bulky, much more difficult to attach to a water meter and complicated to use. Practically, it can only be fitted to around 15 per cent of water meters on our mains replacement sites, whereas Leakfrog can be used on all meters at less than a tenth of the cost."
Thames Water registered Leakfrog with the Patent Office in August 2006. The device was then developed for production in partnership with Qonnectis, the AIM-listed energy and water conservation technology services provider.
Michael Tapia, Chief Executive of Qonnectis, said:
"Customer side leakage is a major issue for the UK water industry and the installation of Leakfrog detection units will help to spot and reduce leakage significantly."
"Thames Water is being extremely proactive with leakage reduction and our partnership with them represents a milestone not just for Qonnectis, but for the UK water industry in cost-effectively attacking customer side leakage for the first time."
Thames Water is responsible for the majority of the water mains network, however, the supply pipe is the customer's responsibility. This pipe runs from the edge of the public highway and ends at the customer's inside stop valve. Leaks on the underground supply pipe are difficult to identify and can often go unnoticed as the escaping water may drain away naturally.
The average water loss per property, that Thames Water has identified to date is the equivalent of:
- 95 toilet flushes per day;
- 19 baths a day;
- 23 showers a day; or
- 600 kettles of water a day.
Further information:
Rebecca Johnson
Press Officer
Thames Water
Vastern Road
Reading RG1 8DB
Tel: +44 (0)118 373 8920
Email: Rebecca.Johnson@thameswater.co.uk
Web: www.thameswater.co.uk
More News and Articles
Apr 19, 2024
News
WATCH: Overnight with SAERTEX-LINER H20 in São Paulo
Available through Pipe Core, high-quality liner SAERTEX-LINER H20 performed under pressure in São Paulo, Brazil.
Apr 17, 2024
News
Immersive media provides wastewater experience in Denmark
An immersive media experience (IMX) may not be what most people want when they think about industrial wastewater, but that is exactly what visitors can expect when they visit a new installation in the city of Kalundborg, Denmark.
Apr 15, 2024
News
Spotlight on gender diversity at Pipe Core
Since founding in 2008, Pipe Core’s team has grown across all areas of the business and is now in a position where there are more females than males across the organisation. Research published in Harvard Business Review found that “countries …
Apr 12, 2024
News
New Wave of Startups Scale Innovation to Solve Global Water Challenges
Innovators from Around the World Join Xylem’s 2024 Accelerator Program to Deploy Breakthrough Innovations for Utilities and Industrial Users of Water
Apr 08, 2024
News
Integrated sustainable electricity and clean drinking water systems
Altitude Water and New Use Energy Solutions have partnered to create integrated, mobile solar-plus-water generation systems that produce sustainable electricity and clean drinking water anytime, anywhere.
Apr 05, 2024
News
How to Evaluate Hydraulic Fracture Risk in HDD Design
The design of horizontal directional drill (HDD) installations often requires an evaluation of the potential for hydraulic fracture of the soil layers through which an HDD passes. Evaluating this risk during the design process is an important planning tool to …
Apr 02, 2024
News
Historic Project Linking Rome and Vatican City Uses Advanced Technology and Local Knowledge to Keep Water Flowing
Relocation of Major Sewer Infrastructure Enables Construction of Pedestrian Link for 35 Million Visitors to the 2025 Jubilee
Mar 27, 2024
News
USU Study Looks at Water Main Break Rates in the U.S. and Canada
Report Highlights Correlation Between Material and Diameter
Mar 26, 2024
News
Update BE-21: New Material in Course and Modules on Trenchless Pipe Installation
Online training on the topic of pipeline installation in civil engineering: Trenchless technology for underground drainage construction can be a resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, time-saving, and cost-effective alternative to open cut methods. The UNITRACC e-learning course "Utility Tunnelling" has been enhanced …
Mar 25, 2024
Article
Bacteria as a new weapon in wastewater treatment
In early November, San Diego based startup Aquacycl officially opened its first European office and test center at the Water Campus in Leeuwarden. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM) …
Mar 22, 2024
News
A superior HDD offering
Building on its relationships with leading horizontal directional drilling companies, TRACTO Australia has delivered three new rigs to operator Superior HDD.
Mar 20, 2024
News
New portable water filtration technology could improve access to clean drinking water worldwide
The University of Texas at Austin has developed an injectable water filtration system with the aim to aid the over two billion people worldwide who are without clean drinking water.