Enhancing Water Efficiency in an Advanced Metered Pilot Community through Data- Driven Community Engagement and Flow Value Trials
Water conservation is critical not only for protecting the environment, but also for supporting Ireland’s growing need for new housing. In many areas, limited water supply capacity is a barrier to delivering additional homes. By reducing water consumption, we can conserve valuable resources, and create “headroom” within the existing water supply network, enabling more houses to be built and connected without the need for major infrastructure upgrades.
This project targets a pilot community in the Midlands where advanced water meters are being installed. We will work with residents to encourage water-saving behaviours through community engagement activities such as pledges, competitions, and real-time feedback. In parallel, residents will have the option to opt into a trial of flow valves, simple devices that manage water flow rates at sustainable levels without significantly affecting everyday water use.
By combining digital/technical solutions with community-driven actions, the project will provide clear, measurable evidence of how household water savings can be achieved at scale. The outcomes will directly support Uisce Éireann’s goals of enhancing network resilience, supporting housing delivery, and promoting sustainable water use. The model developed will be ready to roll out across similar developments nationwide, offering immediate and lasting benefits.
Collaborators:
Partner 1: Uisce Éireann
Partner 2: Irish Green Building Council
Collaborators
Principal Investigator

Dr. Edelle Doherty
Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Galway
Edelle is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Galway. She is the overall project manager, health and safety-related issues in the project, site agreements and logistics issues, data management, oversight, reporting, and communications. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Certified Energy Manager. She has previously worked in the industry as a wastewater specialist designing WWTPs (400 PE to 60,000 PE). Edelle has a background in Energy Efficient Design projects both in the wastewater and hospital sectors. She worked as an Energy Manager for the HSE and project-managed projects worth over €1.2 m (co-funded by the SEAI).