Water Monitoring & AMR Installation at RHS Hyde Hall

leak detection

RHS Hyde Hall improves water monitoring and reporting with AMR-enabled sub-metering

Background to the project

Royal Horticultural Society operates a number of flagship gardens across the UK, including RHS Garden Hyde Hall. As part of its wider sustainability and water reduction objectives, the organisation wanted to gain greater visibility and control over water usage across the Hyde Hall site.

The project was initiated by Janet Manning, Water Reduction Officer at RHS, and later managed by Joanne Smith, Project Manager (South).

The challenge

The RHS team needed more accurate and detailed data around water consumption across the site. Existing monitoring arrangements did not provide enough granularity to clearly understand usage patterns between different areas and water sources.

The objective was to improve visibility of both potable and irrigation water consumption by introducing sub-metering and automated meter reading (AMR) technology. This would allow the RHS team to monitor usage more effectively, improve reporting accuracy and support future water reduction initiatives.

The project also presented practical installation challenges. Some of the required meter locations were underground and involved excavation works within environmentally sensitive areas.

During the initial phase of the project, Ecoprod engineer Jamie discovered a Great Crested Newt habitat while preparing to install one of the underground meter chambers. Work was immediately paused and reported to the onsite project team to ensure environmental protections were maintained.

The solution

Ecoprod designed and delivered a water monitoring solution incorporating sub-metering and AMR technology across the Hyde Hall site.

The completed installation included:

Three sub-meters installed on individual water supplies
Monitoring of both potable water supplies serving the Plant Centre and reservoir-fed irrigation supplies
AMR technology added to the new sub-meters
AMR integration added to the site’s main revenue meter

This now provides the RHS team with accurate, real-time correlation between overall site consumption and individual usage areas, helping to support reporting, analysis and future efficiency planning.

Throughout the project, Ecoprod worked closely with RHS and other stakeholders to ensure the installation was completed responsibly and in line with environmental requirements. Before work resumed in sensitive areas, an ecologist appointed by RHS attended site and a full toolbox talk was carried out with all parties to ensure the necessary protections for Great Crested Newts were in place.

The project was completed successfully during March 2026.

The benefits

The installation has provided RHS Hyde Hall with:

Improved visibility of water usage across the site
More accurate reporting and consumption data
Better understanding of potable versus irrigation water consumption
A platform for future water reduction initiatives
Automated monitoring through AMR technology
Greater ability to identify unusual consumption patterns or potential wastage

The project also demonstrated the importance of responsible site practices during infrastructure works, particularly within environmentally sensitive locations.

Looking ahead

The Hyde Hall project is expected to form part of a wider AMR and sub-metering rollout across additional RHS sites during 2026, helping the organisation strengthen its long-term approach to water management and sustainability.

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