i2O Water enables Manila Water to reduce pumping costs and save water

i2O Water’s Advanced Pressure Management saves energy and cuts leakage by 580,000 litres a day

i2O Water’s innovative technology is helping Philippine company Manila Water to cut energy bills and save significant amounts of water through reduced leakage.

To date, i2O Water’s Advanced Pressure Management solutions have enabled Manila Water to save £20,000 (1.3MPhP) a year in energy costs, as well as reducing leakage by 580,000 litres a day (an 18% reduction).

Manila Water serves Metro Manila’s East Zone and provides water and wastewater services to more than 6.2 million people in the Philippine megacity.

Its water network spans regions of high altitude, which means pumps are required to keep the supply to customers constant and at the specified pressure. Pumping water to areas of high elevation demands significant energy usage and with Manila’s power rates the highest in Asia, this accounts for a high portion of the company’s operational expenses.

To improve efficiency, lower energy use, cut non-revenue water and improve customer service, Manila Water worked with i2O Water to conduct a pilot of the i2O Advanced Pressure Management Pump Control system in the N. Domingo Pump Station, one of the company’s newly-rehabilitated pump stations.

The N. Domingo Pump Station serves a sizeable area of the city, with a wide range of domestic and commercial customers, including public service institutions, hotels and schools. This means that there is a very high demand for water, with flows ranging from 40l/s at night and up to 175 l/s during peak demand.

The aim of the i2O Advanced Pressure Management pilot was to automatically manage the pump station’s pressure in a way that would hit the minimum pressure requirement at the critical point, while considerably reducing unnecessary excess pressure.

Geodino Carpio, Group Director for Operations at Manila Water Company Inc, said: “We’re a company keen on innovation, and we constantly look for what’s best out there in order to further improve and become more efficient in how we operate. The i2O pump control system is one of the most advanced off-the-shelf solutions you can easily implement.”

Advanced Pressure Management requires a combination of robust loggers and controllers in the field, and software-based services that continuously track and optimise water network performance. The i2O pump control solution continuously and automatically adjusts the pump manifold pressure in order to give the minimum pressure required in the zone, while providing good customer service. Lower average pressures in the zone lead to lower leakage and less water to be pumped. By pumping at lower pressures and also at lower throughput, the pump uses significantly less energy. In addition, lower pressures and smoother control of the pressures reduces the burst rate in the zone.

Adam Kingdon, CEO of i2O Water, added: “We were eager to demonstrate to Manila Water how our Advanced Pressure Management solutions could help them to reduce their energy costs.

“The results from the pilot are very exciting. We are delighted to be working with Manila Water to demonstrate our new pump control technology for the first time in SE Asia. While enabling Manila Water to push up customer service levels to 96%, we have reduced leakage by 18% and had a significant impact on the utiliity’s energy bills. We estimate savings of around £20,000 or $30,000, giving a fast payback on investment.”