CASE STUDY

Optimising meter reading with intelligent routing

How route optimisation with location data improves operations, efficiency, and reduces carbon emissions

Morrison Data Services (MDS) is the largest independent multi-utility metering services company operating in the UK. It supports critical energy and water providers including British Gas, EDF, Thames Water, and Southern Water. With over 50 million energy and 9 million water meter readings made annually, MDS needed a smarter way to manage its vast field operations.

|3 MIN READ

Challenge

MDS provides meter-reading services, supporting energy and water providers, covering an extensive client base. With nearly 30 years of experience, MDS has become a key player in the utilities sector.

In 2018, MDS updated its systems but still faced challenging inefficiencies. Meter readers were navigating disordered address lists, often with inaccurate location data. The data provided by energy and water companies also lacked precision, further complicating operations. This led to wasted time, increased physical strain, and higher fuel costs as readers tried to reach the right place.

MDS had a clear set of objectives: to improve its address data accuracy, which in turn would enhance the productivity and wellbeing of meter readers, and reduce carbon emissions and operational costs. Part of this objective involved combining energy and water reads into unified, optimised, and therefore more efficient routes.

To achieve this, MDS turned to Integrated Skills Ltd (ISL), a Partner with Ordnance Survey (OS), to implement a robust, scalable routing solution.

Solution

ISL is the UK partner of RouteSmart Technologies, the creator of Routing-as-a-Service (RaaS) – a cloud-based platform designed for complex, large-scale routing challenges. ISL introduced RaaS, tailored to MDS’s needs, and integrated it seamlessly with existing systems.

By working with a trusted OS Partner and using OS product AddressBase, MDS gained access to accurate, authoritative location and addressing data. This foundation was critical to the success of the routing solution, and the broader transformation of its day-to-day operations.

Address validation and geocoding using AddressBase enabled MDS to deliver safe, efficient, and user-friendly routes, significantly improving operational performance. MDS could then optimise its walking and driving routes, factoring in road rules, safety, and ferry schedules, and daily synchronisation with MDS systems meant delivering ready-to-use routes to the readers’ handheld devices.

"The project has far exceeded our expectations. We’ve reduced fuel costs, increased productivity, and gained industry recognition. This is just the beginning."

Darren Cousins, Head of DC North (Interim) at MDS

Result

The partnership with ISL delivered advanced route optimisation, improving meter-reading operations, with significant gains in efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.

The potential of intelligent routing solutions helped MDS to achieve:

  • Operational efficiency – more meters read per hour, reduced travel times
  • Cost savings – lower fuel consumption and reduced vehicle wear
  • Environmental impact – reduced fuel also contributed to MDS winning the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice
  • Employee satisfaction

MDS will continue to work with ISL on further enhancements, such as generating routes up to 30 days in advance, and AI integration, exploring predictive analytics to optimise visit timing.

MDS is also preparing for the Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) mandate, which will require energy consumption data to be recorded every 30 minutes by 2026. The groundwork laid by RaaS positions MDS to meet this challenge with confidence.

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  • Integrated Skills Limited (ISL)

    A provider of route optimisation software & services, in-cab service verification & navigation systems and jobs management software as well as Ordnance Survey data sets such as Highways, Addressbase and Code-Point.

  • AddressBase

    AddressBase matches 29 million Royal Mail postal address to unique property reference numbers, bringing a new dimension to the matched records.

  • OS MasterMap Highways Network - Roads

    A navigable road network dataset with detailed information about planned roads and roads under construction for Great Britain.

  • OS MasterMap Highways Network - Paths

    A path network dataset for Great Britain showing who is responsible for all the footpaths through towns and cities.