Wrexham County Borough Council has claimed financial savings from its use of moisture sensors in flowerbeds in the city centre as part of its Smart Towns programme.
A report submitted for this week’s meeting of the employment, business and investment scrutiny committee identifies this as one of the positive developments to emerge from a series of pilots on the use of sensors in the borough.
It says the number of sensors – planted in the council’s raised flower beds – has been increased from six to 50 over the past year.
This has provided street operatives with real time data on whether a flower bed needs watering, and has reportedly generated savings of nearly three hours and 1,000 litres of water per day, equating to savings of approximately £32,000 over the seven months of the pilot project.
Sensors have also been deployed in flood risk areas, on litter bins and on roads to monitor noise and air quality.
They have also been installed in council offices to measure temperature, humidity, CO2 levels and footfall.
Efficiency impact
“Pilots within the authority have proven to be successful in making an impact on efficiencies, savings and enlightening the art of the possible,” the report says, adding:
“Since the last update, Wrexham is increasingly seen as the ‘go to’ local authority in Wales showcasing different ‘smart’ case studies. The smart city development officer has been supportive to many local authorities across England and Wales as well as advising on the North Wales Economic Ambition Board.”
Among the other features of the report, is that Wrexham’s LoRaWAN network has expanded from three to 11 active gates with a further 10 awaiting installation, which should significantly increase the capacity of its sensor network, extending it into urban villages and rural communities.
There have also been installations of digital information screens, and trials of mapping technology for mobile phone signal strengths.
The Smart Towns project began in the borough in 2021, funded by the Welsh Government.
