The Environmental Problem: High Energy Use in Water & Wastewater Treatment
Aeration blowers and UV disinfection are among the most energy-intensive processes in water treatment. Without continuous, real-time water quality data, plants often run these systems longer or harder than
necessary.
This results in:
• Higher electricity consumption
• Increased carbon emissions
• Over-processing of already clean water
• Reduced equipment lifespan
Energy inefficiency is often caused by blind operation rather than poor equipment.
The Solution: Real-Time Monitoring for Intelligent Energy Control
Photonic Measurements’ high-accuracy, low-maintenance optical instruments deliver continuous, real-time
monitoring, giving operators the data needed to run energy-intensive processes based on actual water
conditions, rather than fixed timers or worst-case assumptions.
Relevant Photonic Measurements Products by Category (view products)
Drinking Water (view application)
• UV254 Probes / Online UV254 Monitor — deliver continuous, real-time, high-accuracy readings that show
when water is already clean, reducing unnecessary pumping and filtration, and support UV disinfection
validation.
• UV254 Go! Portable Controllers — support catchment-level assessment by identifying pollution sources
and organic load early.
• MLSS and TSS Probes — confirm solids levels so disinfection and filtration systems aren’t run harder than
the water actually requires.
Wastewater (view application)
• Online Ammonia & Nitrate Probes / UV Nitrate Cleanse, Sample & Monitoring System — optimise
denitrification and reduce aeration energy by controlling to actual ammonia & nitrate levels in
anoxic/aeration zones.
• UV254 Probes (wastewater variants) — help control biological treatment and aeration cycles by tracking
organic load in real time.
• Komet Multi-Parameter Controller / Multi-Channel Scada Controller — support dynamic, data-driven
control of blowers, pumps and mixers.
What Customers Say
We use it weekly to monitor our raw water. It’s been trouble free, and it gives very comparable results to
the $60K Lab Analyzer that our lab counterparts use for organic characterization when we sample at
similar times. We have been happy with our purchase.
— Charles Lacy, Lab Analyst III, City of Akron
How Real-Time Monitoring Improves Energy Efficiency
• Optimised aeration based on actual organic load
• Smarter pump scheduling driven by real water conditions
• Adaptive UV disinfection that reduces power use
• Better biological treatment control with reduced mixing energy
• High-accuracy, low-maintenance instrumentation that delivers continuous, real-time monitoring with
minimal operator intervention
Energy efficiency isn’t about bigger equipment — it’s about better information.