The UK’s AMP8 programme represents the biggest smart water meter rollout ever undertaken. It’s a key lever in delivering on leakage targets, demand reduction, and long-term water resilience. It’s the environmentally progress in the water industry that we’ve all been calling on for years.
On paper, the benefits are compelling: granular usage data, early leak detection, and system-wide efficiency gains. But there’s a critical catch: smart meters alone don’t save water.
They generate data. That’s all.
How will the data be used? How will it be stored to notice trends? How will it be used to created true sustainable water-saving change throughout the nation?
Without meaningful customer engagement, all smart water data remains untapped. It’s simply a stream of numbers buried in billing statements, rarely understood, and easily ignored. And this is where the nationwide smart metering initiative that’s ‘destined to save our water supply issues’ falls short.
Water efficiency isn’t a technical problem. It’s a behavioural one. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned from in recent years, it’s that behaviours aren’t easily changed by installing technology or putting up a couple of community posts on social media.
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Turning Smart Data into Smart Action
If AMP8 is to deliver on its ambitious goals, water companies must go beyond infrastructure and focus on the human side of consumption. Data doesn’t drive change – people do.
We know that simply showing someone their usage doesn’t shift habits. Most customers don’t intuitively understand what 140 litres per day means, or whether that’s good, bad, or typical. Without context or motivation, these insights fail to translate into meaningful action.
What’s needed is a bridge between the data and the behaviour it’s supposed to influence.
What That Looks Like in Practice
- Move from insight to impact
Smart meters provide the ‘what’. But customers need to understand the ‘why’ and ‘how’. Turning data into relatable, everyday stories (supported by tailored tips and nudges) helps people make sense of their usage and see a clear path to improvement. - Make saving water social, visible, and rewarding
Behaviour change works best when it feels achievable and part of something bigger. Campaigns that involve local communities, create friendly competition, or offer meaningful rewards give customers a reason to care and more importantly a reason to keep going. - Shift the role of the customer from recipient to partner
Engagement isn’t about pushing information; it’s about inviting participation. When customers feel empowered and recognised for their efforts, water-saving stops being a compliance message and becomes a shared goal. - Design for inclusion
Many households feel excluded from traditional communications. AMP8 success depends on reaching beyond the ‘already engaged’. That means using multiple channels, simple language, and interactive formats that meet people where they are and not where we assume they’ll be.
At Greenredeem, we specialise in unlocking the behavioural potential of smart meter data. Our platform transforms abstract usage figures into fun, accessible campaigns that motivate real, measurable reductions in water use (often 10–15% per household).
Whether it’s gamified challenges, tailored messaging, or neighbourhood rewards, we help water companies build the emotional and practical connection customers need to make change stick.
Smart metering is a powerful tool but only if it’s part of a broader engagement strategy. Infrastructure alone won’t deliver AMP8’s ambition. That takes people. Are yours engaged enough for the challenge?
