Apparent losses due to domestic water meter under-registration in South Africa

Abstract

This study investigated the extent of apparent losses due to water meter under-registration in South Africa. This was done by first estimating the under-registration of new meters due to on-site leakage, and then the  additional under-registration due to meter aging. The extent and flow distributions of on-site leakage were  determined through field studies in Cape Town, Mangaung and Johannesburg, by measuring the flow through  new water meters when no legitimate consumption occurred on the property. The results were used in  combination with the accuracy curves of new meters to estimate meter underregistration. The eThekwini meter replacement database was used to estimate the effect of meter age on meter accuracy. By combining these results with the average age of meters in South Africa, estimated from the National Water Demand Archive, it was possible to estimate the average meter under-registration due to meter aging. The study  concluded that apparent losses due to water meter under-registration are around 5% of consumption for  domestic consumers.