UNITYWATER
Digital technology is at the forefront of change , so we have embarked on a programme to make our website and online tools as simple as possible for our customers .”
Efficient – and green The technology transformation delivered a reduction in staff numbers from around 835 in 2010 to 708 today . Over the last six years A $ 133 million of operating cost has been taken out of the organisation , and in the same period capital expenditure has come down by more than A $ 150 million each year compared to when the organisation was formed . Energy is a big part of the cost of running a utility company , he points out , and in a programme to optimise the largest of Unitywater ’ s 17 sewage treatment plants ( STPs ), and the hundreds of pump stations he notes that in the last year alone A $ 1.2 million was saved on electricity cost .
Solar panels have been installed on the roof of one of the main administration buildings , saving 25 percent of its electricity use , he says . “ At the same time we have looked at challenging the institutionalised operating arrangements in our network of water supply and sewerage assets , which has led to reconfiguring processes within the sewerage treatment plants , and taken a critical review of the way water and sewerage is transported through the network .” Over the long term , there are opportunities to make even greater savings at the STPs and within the network .
One major investment currently being considered is a wasteto-energy facility at