Itron to collaborate with Utilismart to provide meter solutions for utilities

Itron Inc. is collaborating with Utilismart Corp. to bridge the gap between automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).

The partnership combines Itron’s electric cellular meters with Utilismart’s meter data management-driven analytics to deliver end-to-end solutions to Canadian and U.S. electric utilities.

The collaboration is designed to benefit utilities with commercial/industrial customers who require daily consumption usage data and the presentment of that data for operational decisions. Further, it should help utilities with AMR or AMI systems without voltage measurement capability who are implementing a conservation voltage reduction or volt-VAR optimization program. It will do this by dropping in bellwether meters for near real-time voltage information needed for system control.

“Itron is committed to collaborating with industry leaders like Utilismart to better equip small-sized utilities with detailed analytics on their energy consumption that will guide future decisions as well as assist in streamlining operations,” Tammy Zucco, area vice president of the America’s indirect sales at Itron, said. “The combination of Itron’s electric cellular meters with Utilismart’s platform presents utilities with options to use this technology, especially for those who have fewer AMI metering endpoints. We are looking forward to offering this solution to our North American customers.”

Also, the collaboration will help industrial customers who wish to sub-meter their processes and have that data collected and available in a presentment tool. This might include a utility with a large campus facility or processes that operate as cost centers under a single utility billing meter. With sub-metering, they can enable cost allocation by cost center.

“This collaboration fills the gap that small-sized utilities are facing between AMR and AMI solutions and offers an alternative, fully hosted and operated meter reading and data presentment model that also addresses growing submetering needs. Now, utilities will have a complete data management solution that can support automation of business processes and present the information for enhanced business decision-making,” Miro Karlicic, vice president, business development and innovation at Utilismart, said. “Our work with Itron broadens our offerings, deepens our expertise, and ensures that utilities have consumption data from each point of their distribution network.”

Itron enables utilities and cities to safely, securely, and reliably deliver critical infrastructure solutions to communities in more than 100 countries.