Installing metering solutions and managing utility infrastructure at Ringway Residential Development
During the early construction phase, WilSon Energy was contracted by the developer to install metering and manage the utility infrastructure for this project for both electricity and water. Supplies were required for each of the individual apartments and landlord’s areas. In this instance, the electricity network and water infrastructure were created as a private network.
Merely a stone’s throw from the River Tyne, the Ringway is located on the gateway of Newcastle’s city centre and is within walking distance of many popular attractions, bars and restaurants.
The building is a familiar part of the city’s skyline by the Swan House Roundabout, initially familiar to locals as a state-of-the-art office complex. It is being sympathetically restored for 21st-century living and repurposed to house 146 one bed and seven two-bedroom, ultra-modern luxury apartments, offering a safe and energy-efficient way of living.
Installing Water and Electricity Infrastructure
During the early construction phase, WilSon Energy was contracted by the developer to install metering and manage the utility infrastructure for this project for both electricity and water. Supplies were required for each of the individual apartments and landlord’s areas. In this instance, the electricity network and water infrastructure were created as a private network.
We carried out all the associated mechanical and electrical works, working alongside the main contractor.
Overcoming metering challenges
The project was not without its problems, as a previous appointed contractor had already started the process of installing water meters with a pulsed output communication, which is not a reliable method of collecting data for billing purposes.
Following a survey carried out by WilSon Energy’s specialist engineers, we also identified that the meters were oversized and were a mix of mechanical single and multi-jet meters. There were also no isolation valves installed, meaning any ongoing meter issues would be problematic. Our installation team removed the meters and made the necessary pipe-work modifications to facilitate our meter install
Managing utility metering and billing, giving options for residents
The installation of WilSon’s electricity and water sub-metering network (using billing standard MID & WRAS approved meters) allows residents to be charged based on their actual consumption, providing accurate billing.
On behalf of the property management company WilSon Energy will now carry out the billing service, collecting funds and managing accounts directly with residents. The metering system means that a range of payment methods are available to residents using WilSon’s on-line portal, by mobile phone, at any Payzone shop or via their bureau team.
Making life easier for property managers
Each of the electricity meters commissioned and installed by WilSon Energy is hardwired to a central point. State-of-the-art ultrasonic in-line water meters communicate wirelessly to a central data concentrator installed in the building, which is connected to WilSon’s back-office system.
The property management company (PMCO) will be responsible for the commercial meter for the main incoming electricity and water supplies covering the whole building. Using WilSon’s sub-metering system with billing and bureau support, residents will be accurately billed directly for usage in individual dwellings, ensuring all payments are recovered for the PMCO and residents have multiple options for payment and energy management.
For more information about WilSon Energy’s utility metering and billing and bureau services, visit: https://wilsonenergy.co.uk/ or contact enquiries@wilsonenergy.co.uk.
