Carine Knapen
Between now and 2030, all Flemish people will reportedly get a new water meter. Your old analogue meter will be replaced by a new digital water meter. All water companies are working together for this, under the banner and logo: Digital Water Meter.
The replacement of your water meter will be carried out together with the replacement of your meter for electricity and/or natural gas ( if not already replaced by a digital version ). Fluvius is pulling this project and the contractors (Unit T, 3DM or Teaplus) will arrange the effective roll-out of the works. This explains why letters and other communications from the Water Group do not show its usual contact details, but the contact details of Fluvius and contractors Unit T, 3DM or Teaplus.
There are currently 2 types of digital water meters in circulation : SAGEMCOM and Integra.
What do customers see on the digital water meter ?
1. Water consumption in m3
2. The state of the water meter's battery
3. The water meter is connected to your electricity meter ( ?? )
4. One of the following messages is active:
A. No water is flowing through your water meter.
B. Water from your indoor installation is flowing back.
C. The check valve may not be working or may be malfunctioning.
5.Water is flowing through your water meter.
6.The water meter measures according to legal guidelines.
What information do water companies, including The Water Group, receive from your digital water meter ?
1. Your meter position
2. Your water consumption
3. The status of your water meter (active / non-active and therefore also at home or on holiday )
4. In the future, also notifications in case of problems with the water meter or your indoor installation, e.g. a suspected water leak at your home.
In short, the water companies will know everything about our water consumption. Not only how much water we consume but also when we do and when we don't, at which peak times we consume the most, whereby it is not unthinkable that in the near future, during periods of a heat wave ( which applies as soon as a temperature of +25° is measured for at least 5 days ), the digital water meters will be literally turned off the tap for a number of hours a day or even completely.
The Water Group claims that customers' data are completely safe with it, they are never passed on to third parties and it strictly follows the legislation on the use of personal information, which at the base is already a pertinent lie since the digital water meter is connected to the digital electricity meter, which means that both bodies can see each other's information and possibly act accordingly.
How will the information from the digital water meter be forwarded to the water company ?
As already the case with the digital electricity meter, this will undoubtedly be done via Wi-Fi and 5G. So you can expect the street lanterns in your radius to be hung full of 5G transmitters. 5G can carry an awful lot of information due to its high short waves but the range is very short. A transmitter must be placed every 50 to 100 meters. Opponents of 5G warn of dire health consequences.
Know that you can demand wired versions for both digital electricity meters and digital water meters. In order to do so, the companies will have to pull utility lines which will be at their expense. The section from the public road to your meter is at your expense. However, do not let this deter you. Your health comes before the few euros you will have to pay. Don't be frightened either by the high charges the water or electricity company will announce if you demand a cabled version. They may only charge for the running meters of cable from the public road to the meter in your home.
According to their own statements, the water companies have been in the process of replacing analogue meters to digital water meters since January 2022. It would reportedly in this stage only be a pilot project.
According to water company Pidpa, 54,000 digital water meters have already been installed. The pilot project will continue until May 2023. They hope to reach the 70,000-meter mark by then."
By 2025, they want to equip half a million Flemish people with digital meters. They count on everyone in Flanders having one by 2030"
NOTE : This statement is dated 10.04.2023. It is totally unrealistic to expect that 16,000 more digital water meters would be installed within a time frame of barely 7 weeks when in 15 months they have only been able to install 54,000 digital water meters. Over 6 million people live in Flanders. It doesn't seem realistic either to expect the installation of a digital water meter in every Flemish home by 2030.
Moreover, there is not yet any legislation on digital water meters that imposes a mandatory installation.
According to Water-Link, customers cannot refuse the water meter because the water meter is owned by Water-Link and it therefore decides which technology is used.
However, this position is highly debatable. It is unthinkable that a service provider could unilaterally determine what is placed in a home without any involvement from the residents of that home.
Water companies will have to demonstrate that the technology they want to implement is safe and not harmful to health. They bear a crushing responsibility herein about which the last word has not yet been said.
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