Utility Innovation Firm Copper Labs Introduces Scalable Water-Leak Detection Capabilities

American homeowners lose 900 billion gallons of water a year in leaks

Copper Labs, a utility technology and solutions provider that supports water, gas, and electric utilities with real-time actionable meter data and insights, has launched an innovative new water leak-detection feature. Copper’s expanded offering helps homeowners identify leaks around the home—from dripping faucets to broken irrigation systems—immediately, rather than waiting until a monthly (or bi-monthly) high bill arrives to realize they have a problem. At scale, this kind of approach could further utilities’ conservation efforts and help increase overall resiliency.

“Leak detection is incredibly valuable to water utilities, but budgetary and technical limitations often make it difficult for them to broadly deploy technologies that could help,” says Dan Forman, CEO of Copper Labs. “Because Copper’s wireless solution works with a wide range of existing meter types—not just smart meters—we can immediately enable granular leak detection at lower cost and without hardware retrofits. That capability can help water utilities better manage limited resources while also supporting their customers with lower bills and a better experience.”

Water scarcity has become an increasing concern across the country in recent years, largely due to chronic overuse in many areas exacerbated by the growing impacts of climate change. While water challenges are complex and multifaceted, part of any solution should be to reduce water waste. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that American household leaks alone waste nearly 900 billion gallons of water annually, representing some 12% of total domestic water consumed. What’s more, EPA data suggests that a relatively small proportion of homes are responsible for the bulk of water waste, with roughly 10% of U.S. homes leaking more than 90 gallons each day. Proactively identifying those leaks can save affected homeowners hundreds of dollars in water bills each month and help water utilities better conserve critical water resources.

Copper Labs’ patented hardware is uniquely able to remotely collect real-time data from existing water meters without hardware retrofits and at a fraction of the time and expense of new smart meter deployments. In comparison with other options—such as meter replacements or add-on flow sensors—this approach can enable water utilities to more quickly and cost-effectively implement residential leak detection at scale. Additionally, consumers can benefit from features like mid-cycle high bill alerts while utilities can gain much-improved visibility into water usage and new communication channels that can directly support conservation and engagement efforts.

About Copper Labs
Copper Labs’ patented technology remotely collects near-real-time data from existing utility meters without extensive infrastructure overhauls and at a fraction of the time and expense of smart meter deployments. With the high-resolution meter data Copper unlocks, we empower electric, gas, and water utilities to better support an informed transition to a low-carbon economy, increase resilience in the face of a changing climate, improve equity, manage demand, and deliver an excellent customer experience. For more information, visit CopperLabs.com.