Eddy Solutions: Delivering Intelligent Water Management tools

Water has long been called the “new fire” in insurance, causing billions in damages, displacing families and businesses, and exposing people to displacement and environmental risks such as mould. Today, much of the damage in buildings and homes is due to issues that are related to water leaks from within, such as appliance failures and burst pipes. This is what Eddy Solutions—an innovative North American manufacturer of smart water metering products and related technologies—solves and provides peace of mind for building owners, property managers, tenants/residents, and insurers. Eddy Solutions’ comprehensive system includes a full suite of protection for the home and multiple elements within a multi-rise building that covers risers, common areas, suites, boiler rooms, and the water main, to significantly reduce the risk of water damage. “Our primary focus is on leveraging IoT technology and real-time data to protect against and control water environments,” begins Travis Allan, President & CEO.

Eddy’s comprehensive suite of products empowers property/building management with the necessary tools and data to both mitigate acute water damage risks, prevent future events from occurring, and identify potential water-saving opportunities. Its IQ is an ultrasonic water meter with leading resolution and includes a built-in full port ball valve that provides automatic and remote shut-off features. While the wireless H2O sensors track humidity, temperature, and the presence of water, the Link interfaces with existing meters to track consumption and can be coupled with a shutoff valve for large pipe sizes. To connect Eddy’s solution, the team employs a Long Range Wide Area Network—a low power, extremely low bandwidth radio network technology, ideal for high interference environments such as those inside a commercial or multi-unit residential building.

The backbone of their solution is a behavioral learning system that understands the normal uses of water within an environment to identify leaks and anomalies, along with their 3 in 1 H2O sensors to monitor the presence of water, as well as fluctuations in temperature and humidity. When an anomaly is detected by the system, an email/text alert is sent to the client. The client can choose to investigate an alert and trigger a shut-off remotely if needed, and the system also includes an automatic shutoff. In commercial and multi-family buildings, Eddy works with management to establish business rules providing a dashboard, which offers the ability to isolate shutoffs according to the water zones. “We support our customers by initiating a shut-off from our monitoring center when needed to ensure a property is protected,” adds Allan.

Eddy’s is one of the only systems available today that protects all water elements—be it pipes in the riser stacks, the irrigation system, or the building’s hydronic system. “We were one of the earliest to market with such an innovative solution (launched in 2015), and our work in the construction and insurance industry has given a substantial edge on competitors,” says Allan. An instance that highlights the company’s value proposition is when in a recent deployment, less than a month after installation of their full system, a major leakage issue was identified by the system. Due to a pressure relief valve failure shortly after installation, water began leaking into the mechanical penthouse at a rate of 80 liters/minute. Eddy’s H2O sensors immediately alerted and within 30 seconds and water makeup for the heating system was closed off.

Another interesting fact about the company is their name. Eddy literally means a circular movement of water, counter to the main current, disrupting the regular flow of water into a small whirlpool. Today, Eddy’s team of experts is revolutionizing risk management in buildings and homes. “We continue to focus on innovation and data to extend our protection. Recently, we partnered with some huge global companies, including PCL Construction, AIG, AXA XL, and Rogers. We are now preparing for the next step, which is to take the company public, as we’re prepping for a listing on the TSX Venture Exchange,” concludes Allan.