South Korea to Pilot Integrated Remote Meter Reading for Electricity and Water

South Korea is launching a pilot program to integrate remote meter reading for electricity and water services, a move aimed at enhancing efficiency and user convenience. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced the initiative, which will see an official agreement signed with Korea Electric Power Corp., Korea Water Resources Corp., and Paju City.

This integrated system is a key project selected from the 'Water-Energy Convergence Forum' held in February. The consolidation of responsibilities, previously split between the Ministry of Environment for water and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for electricity, under the new Ministry of Climate, is expected to streamline operations.

The pilot will involve 1,000 households in Paju City, providing participants with a smartphone application for real-time, unified tracking of electricity and water consumption. Future updates will include alerts for unusual usage patterns. This initiative seeks to accelerate the adoption of remote water meter technology, which currently lags behind electricity with only a 24% penetration rate compared to electricity's 91%. By integrating modems during electricity meter replacements, the project aims to boost water meter coverage and reduce costs by approximately 25%.