AMI can do more than just providing data. It empowers utilities to quickly identify, act upon and resolve challenges with ease. Udit Poddar explains how this operational shift can be achieved.
Many utilities are still under the impression that the hard work is done. Smart meters are installed. Data is coming in. The infrastructure layer and its various components, — cables, networks, and metering devices — is largely getting in place.
And yet, when we speak with operations teams on the ground, there are echoes of consistent frustration. ‘We’re collecting all this data, but we’re not seeing its impact and where it counts.’
And they’re right. We’ve built pipelines. However, we haven’t built outcomes.
The Illusion of Progress: Why Data Visibility Simply Won’t Cut It
There’s a common assumption that smart meter data in itself equates to driving smarter decisions. We have witnessed the progress of the utility industry in the past decade. Advancements in AMI have led to improvements in data acquisition. However, the gap between data collection and acting upon that data for operational improvements still looms as an unfortunate reality.
The majority of utilities are still stuck with outdated systems — old-school reporting tools that generate static files or legacy dashboards that show you what happened… eventually.
It’s not that the data isn’t there. It is. It’s that no one’s doing much with information that shows what has already occurred in the past.
There’s a difference between visibility and action. And right now, too many systems are designed for the former, not the latter. These reporting tools show patterns or anomalies, but lack features that facilitate immediate action. Another thing to keep in mind is that the data from these reports might be out of date by the time they have been reviewed.
Operational Blind Spots: Where the Losses Hide in Plain Sight
Now let’s talk about losses. Not theoretical ones — the real-world kind, often due to inefficiencies or errors within the system . Commercial losses and billing inefficiencies quietly eat into your margins every single day. What’s even more concerning are instances of meter tampering that often go unnoticed. Tampering or bypassing incidents take a toll on overall revenue. Sometimes, it may even impact an honest customer in the form of increased energy bills without logical explanation.
Most utilities in fact, do know where the risks lie.
- Meters showing zero consumption at supposedly active sites
- Accounts that haven’t been billed in months
- Zones or areas where meter bypass or tampering is common knowledge
- Incidents of frequent estimation due to broken or misconfigured devices
With vast amounts of incoming smart metering data, the signals for the issues are all buried deep within that information. However, most of these signals get lost— mainly due to the fragmented nature of infrastructure connecting metering devices. When insights are delayed or disconnected from actual workflows, nothing happens. By the time an issue is identified, it would have been too late to ensure quick resolution. The issues linger, revenue loss becomes a systemic issue, and improved bottom line walks out the door.
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way: From Passive Data to Real-Time Action
Imagine a different situation. A meter flags instances of unusual consumption patterns in a commercial building. The system notices a deviation from expected load profiles and cross-checks it with the consumer’s account status. It turns out, there’s no matching billing activity.
However, instead of sitting in a report waiting to be read, the system flags it as a discrepancy. It pushes out an alert — automatically generating an audit task for the field team. Within days, the site is visited, the issue is verified, and corrective action is taken.
Prompt resolution is delivered. Revenue is recovered. The loop is closed.
No, this isn’t fiction. This scenario is entirely possible today. But only if we move beyond treating AMI as a passive data source, and leverage metering data as an actionable tool for decision making. If you have keenly observed, the workflow mentioned above did not have any human intervention till the alert was received by the Ops team. Not only business processes are optimized but service delivery is also improved. Actionable insights gained from the reporting tools also allow technicians to resolve issues with greater efficiency.
The Roadblocks to Action: What’s Holding Us Back?
The impact of smart metering data in streamlining operations is no secret to anyone who is not living under a rock. However, three core issues keep most utilities from realizing its true value.
1. Disconnected systems: Systems for metering, billing, and field operations often live in separate silos. As they operate in isolation, there is no common view of the truth. So when any anomaly is detected such as discrepancies in billing, field teams would not be notified until the issue escalates.
As long as systems remain disparate, there is no established holistic view of operations. As long as every piece of data does not flow across platforms within the AMI, responding to issues immediately remains a far-fetched goal.
2. Lack of live analytics: Yes, smart meters share data at regular intervals. But, that in itself is not enough. Without a proper infrastructure to analyze data as soon as it arrives, anomaly detection remains a delayed process. Not being able to act on those issues immediately also increases the maintenance team’s workload in the future.
There is dire need — to shift from static reporting tools that show what has happened, to platforms that provide live analytics. For every issue to go unresolved, utilities need to be provided with information as and when they need them, and that too, in actionable formats.
3. A reporting mindset: Even today, most organizations treat data as something to review in hindsight, not as a source of immediate action. A retrospective approach of leveraging data as a historical record simply just won’t cut it —especially in today’s utility landscape.
We’ve come to accept latency — in both technology and decision-making — as normal.
But it’s not. It’s a choice. And it can be changed. It is important to understand that data is not just a source of information for analysis. It can be turned into a proprietor to drive operational shifts, fast-track decision making and trigger immediate interventions.
From Knowing to Doing: How Utilities Can Deliver Business Value at Scale
What’s needed now isn’t another dashboard or BI report but a shift in how the data is approached. Viewing data and generating reports is not enough.
So, what’s the solution?
An operational layer — one that’s wired to interpret, trigger actions, escalate issues to concerned teams, and close the loop.
The most forward-looking utilities I know aren’t obsessing over how much data they have. Their priorities revolve around:
- What’s the data telling us right now?
- Who needs to act on it?
- How do we route that action directly into the right team’s workflow?
- What sort of actions can be automated as the response is triggered?
- How do we measure not just insight, but in fact, real business impact?
This shift — from knowing to doing — is where the real ROI truly resides. Embedding actionable insights into workflows is how impact is maximized, responsiveness is improved and value is delivered across businesses.
The Next Step in Reinventing Utility Operations: A Platform That Not Just Observes, But Acts
AMI data, when used right, doesn’t just describe what’s happening. It helps prevent revenue loss, speeds up resolution, improves grid reliability, and boosts consumer trust.
To achieve this, utilities need not discard their existing infrastructure but rethink it. Not throw everything out — just evolve. Add a layer that connects systems. That interprets events. That acts. We’ve been trying to build such a system over at Grid, and if our successes with actual customers is anything to go by, we’re on the right track!
Because collecting data is no longer the challenge. But turning that data into action? That’s where the transformation begins.
About the author: Udit Poddar is CEO & Co-founder, GRID, and may be reached on udit@workongrid.com
