Water utilities are under increasing pressure to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and modernize aging infrastructure. In this webinar, experts from Digi International and XiO explore how smart IoT solutions are transforming water operations.
Learn how real-time visibility and advanced analytics can optimize pumping schedules, reduce peak energy consumption, and detect leaks faster. Discover how cloud-native platforms and digital twins enable smarter decision-making, while secure, scalable connectivity ensures reliable monitoring of remote assets.
You’ll also see how Digi’s industrial connectivity solutions and XiO Water’s intelligent water management platform work together to deliver actionable insights, improve operational resilience, and drive measurable savings.
To learn more, visit the Digi Industrial Router product page, check out our industrial solutions page, or review our comprehensive offering of end-to-end connectivity solutions for enterprise, industrial and transportation applications.
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Webinar Q&A: How Water Utilities Can Lower Energy Costs and Water Waste with Smart IoT
Presenters:
- Mauritz Botha, Co-founder and CTO, XiO, Inc.
- Phil De Carlo, Senior Field Applications Engineer, Digi International
Moderator:
- Mitch Sinon, Senior Lead Generation Manager, Digi International
This webinar explored how water utilities can use real-time IoT data, secure connectivity and cloud-based analytics to reduce energy costs and minimize water waste. The following Q&A highlights audience questions and expert responses from the live session.
How does XiO’s platform actually optimize pumping schedules in real time? What data inputs are you using to balance energy, cost, demand and asset health?
Mauritz Botha (XiO):
It is extremely dynamic. The first thing we measure is the actual level of the aquifer, because that is the primary constraint. In many cases, there are regulatory requirements — for example, utilities may be required to maintain at least 24 hours of water on hand, so tank levels cannot drop below a certain point.
We also use external inputs such as weather forecasts through APIs. In regions like wine country, temperature directly impacts irrigation demand, so forecasting helps predict water usage. In addition, we rely on historical usage patterns and statistical models to estimate future demand based on past data, temperature and behavior patterns.
Another key input is flow rate. When water meters are available, we correlate flow rate with the energy consumed by the pump to determine efficiency. This allows us to prioritize the most efficient pumps when scheduling operations.
We also factor in rate structures, including tiered pricing and timing. Increasingly, we incorporate real-time pricing data from utilities to anticipate periods of high or low energy cost.
Finally, there are operational constraints. Pumps should not be rapidly cycled, as that reduces their lifespan. So, we balance all of these inputs in an analytical system to determine optimal pump scheduling while maintaining equipment health.
How does Digi help utilities scale from a pilot to thousands of connected sites without increasing operational complexity or truck rolls?
Phil De Carlo (Digi International):
It comes down to the operating system and the remote management platform. All Digi devices run a common operating system, so once you are familiar with one device, it is easy to work with others. That consistency removes the learning curve as deployments scale.
The remote management platform enables zero-touch provisioning. Whether you are deploying five devices or thousands, you can create a template and have devices automatically configure themselves when they connect.
At scale, monitoring and maintenance become critical. The platform allows you to set alerts for issues like devices going offline or exceeding temperature thresholds, so you can proactively manage the network. It also provides reporting capabilities and API access, making it easier to integrate with existing systems and identify anomalies early — such as unexpected spikes in data usage.
Overall, the combination of a consistent operating system and centralized management makes it possible to scale deployments without significantly increasing operational overhead.
Is IP addressing important for these deployments? Do you need static IP addresses on SIMs?
Phil De Carlo (Digi International):
It depends on how the system is designed. If the deployment is primarily sending data from remote devices to a central system, then static IP addresses are not as critical, because the connections are initiated from the remote side.
However, if you require two-way control and need to initiate connections from a central system to remote devices, then addressing becomes more important. In those cases, static IPs or private APNs are often used. A private APN creates a secure, isolated network where addressing can be managed more easily.
Another common approach is to use VPN tunnels. With VPNs, devices are effectively part of a private network, and you can manage IP addressing internally, regardless of the underlying cellular network.
Mauritz Botha (XiO):
We have used multiple approaches over time. Initially, we used static IP addresses with a preferred cellular provider. Then we moved to private APNs, which provide similar functionality but are restricted to our environment and connect directly into our cloud infrastructure.
In cases where those options are not available, we use VPN solutions within the Digi modem to create our own addressing environment, enabling bidirectional communication and control.
For utilities that already have SCADA systems, how does XiO layer on top to improve leak detection or create digital twins without full rip and replace?
Mauritz Botha (XiO):
We see this scenario often. We use standard industrial protocols — such as OPC UA, Modbus and Profibus — to extract data from existing systems. Rather than replacing SCADA, we act as a data collection and analytics layer.
This allows us to break down data silos and generate insights from existing infrastructure. We can provide recommendations to operators or even feed virtual inputs back into the SCADA system to adjust set points, improving efficiency without requiring a full system replacement.