Building the Eco-System for Smart Metering, Advanced Data Logging & Supporting Infrastructure in the
Historically, UK and European water utilities have prioritised the household smart metering segment, leaving non-household significantly underdeveloped. That is now changing. With mounting regulatory pressure, growing sustainability obligations, and demand from retailers and high-use customers for better service and insight, utilities must rapidly scale up deployment in the non-household space.
This segment represents a rare, time-bound growth opportunity for the entire smart water metering and IoT value chain. It is under-discussed, technically complex, and commercially urgent. Vendors who step in now will shape the operational models, data standards, and integration frameworks of the next five years.
What Utilities Are Really Looking For
During the research consultation phase, we asked utilities across the UK and Europe: Who are you actively looking to meet? The answer was unambiguous:
- Smart metering manufacturers
- Data logging specialists who can add intelligence to legacy infrastructure
- Providers of middleware, edge devices, leak detection systems, and pressure monitoring
- Scaleable communications infrastructure that is cyber secure
- Companies that can help with compliance, project management and installations and "to help bring everything together"
Utilities are also evaluating cloud-based platforms, AI and analytics providers, and modular retrofit kits that enable smarter data use without disruptive infrastructure overhauls. AMR/AMI network specialists, LPWAN, LoRaWAN, and NB-IoT providers were also high on the list, particularly for complex, large-footprint industrial sites.
Positioning in the Vendor Ecosystem
The diagram above illustrates the comprehensive innovative water metering ecosystem that utilities want to engage with. Vendors that position themselves as system integrators—not just hardware providers—will play a central role in enabling cross-functional digital transformation.
Utilities are seeking partners who can seamlessly integrate into this ecosystem, bridging the gap from legacy mechanical meters to cutting-edge data analytics.
A New Growth Opportunity for the Smart Metering Market
Sites often contain multiple meter types, sub-metering arrangements, legacy mechanical units without smart outputs, and unique layouts. From food manufacturing and hygiene production to shopping centres and process-heavy industrial plants, this is a world where interoperability, retrofitting, and real-time performance all matter.
If your solutions can help utilities modernise existing metering stock without full replacement—while contributing to delivering granular, reliable data for better leakage detection, billing, and customer engagement—and navigate operational complexities from mains to sub-meters, then you should absolutely be part of this event.
Let’s talk.
📞 Contact us today to schedule a strategic conversation about your involvement—whether that’s through speaking, showcasing a solution, or co-creating a focused session with your utility clients.
Email info@strategy-engineering-research.com
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