Key Solution Areas Enabling Better Resilience Planning, Smarter Delivery And Stronger Action

Over the research process, we held more than 40 structured conversations and agenda-testing discussions with utilities, wholesalers, retailers, market participants, smart metering specialists and major water users.

Alongside the agenda questions, we consistently tested one practical point:

Where do utilities, retailers and customers actually need help over the next 12 months — and which solution categories are most relevant to resilience planning, smarter use of NHH meter data, customer engagement and measurable demand reduction?

The answer was not simply “more meters” or “better dashboards”.

The strongest demand is for solution providers who can help the market move from fragmented visibility to coordinated action: better forecasting, better prioritisation, better retailer-customer workflows and connectivity, better customer engagement & segmentation, and clearer proof that interventions are reducing avoidable non-household consumption.

1. Strategic Resilience, Forecasting & Demand Intelligence

One of the biggest solution areas is helping utilities and wholesalers improve the way they understand future non-household demand.

The research repeatedly highlighted pressure around forecasting complexity, commercial visibility gaps, industrial concentration risk, drought resilience, AI forecasting maturity and investment prioritisation. Some utilities are evaluating predictive forecasting, AI-enabled analytics, resilience intelligence systems and commercial visibility tools — but they want credible use cases that can handle real-world scenarios and complexity. 

Relevant solutions include:

• Commercial demand forecasting platforms
• AI-enabled forecasting and predictive analytics
• Scenario planning tools
• Digital twins for demand and resilience modelling
• Commercial visibility systems
• Resilience intelligence platforms
• Industrial growth and high-user demand modelling
• Drought-risk and local water-stress mapping
• Investment prioritisation tools

2. Smart Meter Data Operationalisation & Data-To-Action Platforms

The second major category is operationalising non-household smart meter data.

The research was very clear: smart metering should not be treated as one single topic. It breaks down into infrastructure deployment, data management, operational workflows and outcome measurement. The difficult bit is turning meter reads, alerts and dashboards into action that can be prioritised, escalated, followed up and measured.

Relevant solutions include:

• Smart meter data platforms
• Read management systems
• Data validation tools
• Interoperability and integration platforms
• Exception handling systems
• Operational analytics dashboards
• Alert prioritisation engines
• Escalation and case-management workflows
• API/data-sharing infrastructure
• Operational integration with utility and retailer systems

3. Commercial Leakage, Continuous Flow & Anomaly Detection

Commercial leakage and continuous flow remain among the clearest early use cases for NHH smart metering, but the research also showed that the market wants to move beyond simple detection.

Attendees want to understand continuous-flow methodologies, false-positive reduction, escalation models, prioritisation approaches, customer response effectiveness and ROI evidence. 

Detection without action has limited value.

Relevant solutions include:

• Commercial leakage analytics
• Continuous-flow detection tools
• Anomaly detection platforms
• False-positive reduction models
• Leakage prioritisation engines
• Automated alert triage
• Customer response tracking
• Repair follow-up and savings verification
• Predictive leakage analytics
• Operational ROI measurement

4. Retailer-Wholesaler Coordination, Customer Workflows & Market Delivery

The research consistently showed that retailer-wholesaler coordination cannot be left as a vague collaboration theme.

The market wants practical models covering governance structures, accountability, escalation handling, shared operational KPIs and customer communication ownership. 

Different systems, incentives and maturity levels still complicate delivery.

Relevant solutions include:

• Shared workflow platforms
• Retailer-wholesaler case management
• Customer communication ownership tools
• Escalation and task-management systems
• Shared KPI dashboards
• Customer issue tracking
• Data-sharing and consent frameworks
• Retailer smart-data service models
• Market coordination platforms
• Operational governance support

5. Customer Engagement, Behaviour Change & Large-User Advisory Tools

Smart meter data only matters if customers understand it and act on it.

The research showed that retailers and customers want support around customer segmentation, usage reports, alerts, benchmarking, advisory support, water efficiency plans, intervention tracking and savings reporting. Large users want to know whether data will make their water service better, clearer, faster or more useful.

Relevant solutions include:

• Customer engagement platforms
• Customer portals and usage dashboards
• Behavioural analytics
• Message templates and nudge tools
• Water efficiency advisory platforms
• Large-customer account insight tools
• Sector-specific customer reporting
• Water audit and recommendation tools
• Customer segmentation engines
• Engagement tracking and response analytics

5. Complex-Site Benchmarking, Sub-Metering & Proof Of Impact

The research strongly warns against treating all non-household users the same.

Large users want benchmarking and practical interpretation by user type: data centres, hospitals, food production, manufacturing, campuses, retail portfolios, public estates and complex commercial properties. The research specifically recommends building sessions around user archetypes rather than generic “large users”.

Relevant solutions include:

• Sub-metering systems
• Site water balance tools
• Manufacturing process-water analytics
• Healthcare estate water management tools
• Campus and public estate benchmarking
• Multi-site portfolio analytics
• CAFM, BMS and CMMS integration
• Savings verification tools
• ROI and performance measurement platforms
• Water footprint and resilience reporting tools