Water Corporation installed more than 14,000 digital meters across Perth in FY 2025-26, and the customers who received them found and repaired leaks nearly 15 times faster than average. The pilot has not yet led to a decision on a wider rollout.
What the pilot found
Two new digital products built during the pilot identified 320 leaks in FY 2025-26, saving customers over A$200,000, or about A$644 per leak. Since leak alerts began in November 2025, the program has identified 587 leaks and saved about 181 million liters, according to Water Corporation's program page in November 2026. Pilot customers can see their daily use online the next day and receive SMS or email alerts.
Small against the network
Water Corporation had 1,232,522 properties on its water supply in FY 2025-26. At 14,000 to 14,500 meters, the pilot covers about 1.1% to 1.2% of them. The program page lists a delivery window of 2023 to 2027 and says smart meters "may become part of our future water network," depending on results.
The data gap behind the meters
Asset data is the larger gap. In March 2026 the Economic Regulation Authority found that asset condition data sits across multiple legacy systems with no single, complete source. Water Corporation plans a consolidated Asset Data Model for 2028, the same year as the regulator's next review. In FY 2024-25 the Perth system reported 39,203.92 ML of non-revenue water, about 11.8% of water supplied.
Questions the report answers
Whether Water Corporation can scale customer metering while it builds the A$2.8 billion Alkimos desalination plant, how its digital and asset data programs compare with its capital priorities, and what the regulator's 2028 review will test are covered in the full report. The full report, Water Utility of the Future: Water Corporation, is available for USD 499. For a free overview, read the Water Corporation Utility Snapshot.