AI-Powered Leak Detection Launches in the U.S.

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Using artificial intelligence, WINT (Water Intelligence) is a solution that detects water leaks and helps conserve water, which can improve a hotelier’s bottomline.

WINT’s Chief Product and Strategy Officer Yaron Dycian explains that while water leaks are a common problem for all buildings, it is especially pronounced in hotels.

“Hotels seem to be suffering from water issues disproportionately,” said Dycian. “There are numerous stories of water leaking and pipes breaking and so, you really want to prevent these potential issues early so it doesn’t disrupt guests or require the hotel to be shut down. You will not find a facility manager that hasn’t had this problem at some point. When water leaks, nobody sees it, but the damage can be just as big. We’ve had clients suffer damage of up to $110 million.”

Water conservation is another focus of the company, whose services recently became available in the U.S. “While water isn’t an expensive resource, hotels do use it a lot,” he said. “Whether its guests taking long showers or cooling towers keeping large facilities cool in warm areas and pools and water fountains, mechanical issues in these systems can result in unseen leaks of water in large quantities that isn’t visible to anyone.”

Here’s how AI-powered water detection works:

“It starts with a flow meter installed on a pipe in vital areas of the facility,” said Dycian. “There might be one meter or several on one floor near critical equipment that use a lot of water such as cooling towers, pools and water fountains. The flow meter measures the flow of water going through the pipes for a few weeks to understand what is normal for that location and this is where machine learnings comes into play. It learns and understands the changes in water flow and detects patterns, and then it looks for anomalies.”

Once established, the AI detection can do a few things which vary by policy system. “The policy can apply to specific times of day and systems,” he said.. “In the case of an anomaly, it can shut off the water and/or alert the administrator.”

A newcomer to the U.S. market, but already available in Europe, WINT is looking to grow its American client base. The company is currently working with Atlantis Resort & Spa in Nevada and The Monarch in Colorado.

In terms of savings, the numbers can vary. WINT estimates a hotel can save 25% in water consumption.

“Water damage and water waste are issues everybody potentially sees,” he said. “The savings we provide is about the same as the cost of the system. It is charged on a recurring basis and not very costly. It’s a zero-sum game. You get water savings and free protection. Many hotels and businesses care about sustainability and not impacting environment more than needed and are saving 25% consumption.”