A boil water is in place for businesses and properties across Queenstown following a number of confirmed local cases of illness caused by the protozoa, cryptosporidium. This affects all properties serviced by the Council’s Queenstown supply including Frankton, Quail Rise and Tucker Beach Rd, Kelvin Heights and Hanley’s Farm. Read more here.

Smart Water Meters Trial

We are running a smart water meters pilot project in Glenorchy and Luggate.

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About this project

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What's the latest

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FAQs

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Contact us

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About this project

The smart water meter project is a trial being run in Glenorchy and Luggate to support more sustainable water use now and into the future. 

For the most part, it is currently not possible to measure water usage across the district at a household level, and where it can be, it is a manual task only completed occasionally. Smart water meters are a way to measure water usage automatically and continuously.

Trialling a smart water meter solution allows us to measure in almost real time the amount of water used and allow us to find and fix leaks faster, optimising the ongoing management of the network.

If the trial is successful, smart water meters could be rolled out more widely across the district.

What's the latest

We have completed installation of all the smart water meters. Shortly, will be sending out a letter inviting owner-occupied properties to sign up to a website which will provide access to information about their household’s water use. This is similar to websites and apps which track household electricity usage.

As part of the trial, this will only be available to owner-occupied properties, based on our rates database. This is an opt-in process and households do not have to participate if they don’t want to.

All owner-occupied households will receive monthly letters about their water use as well as water saving tips. Households will be able to choose to opt-out of this process.

The website access and monthly letters are part of the trial to see if households modify their water use when provided with information and advice about water consumption.   

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Smart water meters were installed at  Glenorchy properties in 2021, expanding into Luggate in April 2022.

    Now that the smart water meters have been installed, we will be continuously collecting data from the water meters for an initial period of approximately 12 months.  We'll keep affected properties updated on the timings for the trial.  

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  • QLDC will be able to measure water usage using a web-based software, helping its operations and maintenance contractor to proactively identify any leaks, reduce water loss, and improve the overall management of the network.

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  • The information collected from our trial does not include your personal information. It tells us about the amount of water consumed and when. We can also compare this to your neighbours’ usage but we do not identify which household you are compared to. Privacy is important to the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC). In the event any data collected from this trial constitutes personal information, QLDC will adhere to our Privacy Policy which sets out how and why QLDC collects and stores personal information, what we will use it for and with whom we can share it.

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  • Yes. Owner-occupied properties which are part of the trial will be able to access information about water consumption using a website, similar to those which track household electricity usage. 

    This enables property owners to understand how much water is being consumed, when it’s consumed and if there are any unusual consumption patterns, for example, excessive usage at night when demand should be close to zero.

    More information about the app will be provided directly to households as part of the trial.

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  • If the pilot is successful, smart meters could be rolled out more widely across the district. However, any decision to roll out smart water meters across the district will require a wider conversation with the community. The lessons from the trial will provide a basis of these conversations.

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  • QLDC is not currently looking to review how water services are charged.

    The purpose of this pilot is to collect information around typical water usage in our district, to educate those using the water around their usage, identify leaks, and better understand the technology on offer. QLDC can use this information to inform our future consultations on water charges.

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Contact us

If you have any questions or feedback, please contact QLDC Customer Services on 03 441 0499 or email: services@qldc.govt.nz