Improving electricity grid resilience with Advanced Metering Infrastructure

As demand on electricity grids grows, the implementation of energy management technologies is helping to boost efficiency and ensure a more reliable flow of energy in the Northeast US.

One step towards achieving this is the delivery of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). AMI smart meter platforms are designed to integrate and communicate data that allows us to enhance services across our networks, as well as helping to empower customers with more choice and control of their energy use.

In partnership with other industry leaders, we plan to replace nearly 5 million existing meters with smart meters in our New York and Massachusetts service territories over the next four years.

Enhancing grid resiliency and pre-empting outages

The next generation of smart metering and data management technology is equipped to boost resiliency, provide better access to data and flexible rate programmes, and enhance management of distributed energy resources – small-scale electricity supply or demand resources that are interconnected to the electric grid – and electric vehicle charging.

As more homes and businesses are increasingly powered by clean electricity, a smart meter ecosystem will support load management during periods of peak demand – for example during a summer heatwave when the use of air conditioning increases. This will enable us to pinpoint and quickly respond to potential power cuts before they even occur.

Unlike older metering infrastructure, advanced smart meters can provide near real-time insights into grid performance and outages. More specific and instant data means AMI can also aid in a faster recovery from storms and other disruptions to the system, enabling teams to respond quickly to prevent an outage, or promptly restore service if an outage does occur.

By investing in smart metering and smart grid technology, we’re able to improve system planning, predictive analytics and load balancing capabilities across our electric networks.

Empowering customers to make smarter energy choices

National Grid is among the first energy companies to connect customers to these detailed insights through integrated mobile and web apps running on the meter itself.

By making this new technology available to our customers at no cost, all families and businesses can make the energy choices that are right for them.

The benefits of AMI smart meters include:

• a detailed view of electric usage data
• near real-time energy insights and high-usage alerts
• remote connections and disconnections without an appointment (such as when moving to a new home)
• improved response times and faster repairs in the case of a power outage.

Future use cases could also include alerts for appliances and devices that aren’t running at peak efficiency, such as heating and cooling systems, washing machines and more.

Collaborating with industry partners for a unique, flexible and customer-focused approach

Following the success of a 2022 pilot project to test and deploy the state-of-the-art Landis+Gyr Revelo? AMI 2.0 meter, fifty thousand smart meters have been installed since the summer of 2023 in Upstate New York. By deploying this technology, a similar rollout plan is coming soon for customers in Massachusetts.

We’re proud to collaborate with a range of industry partners to provide ground-breaking insights into energy usage, enhance communication with customers, and ensure the delivery of reliable and resilient clean energy on the hottest and coldest days.

Following the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) – a set of organisation and workflow guidelines designed to increase the efficiency of complex projects – we’ve partnered with leading metering solutions provider Landis+Gyr and technology companies Microsoft, Verizon, Oracle, Opower and Cisco to govern the software development of AMI 2.0 and swiftly deliver the technology to communities across Massachusetts and New York.

“Creating a smarter energy network will require close collaboration with a variety of stakeholders and the ability to make rapid improvements to our applications,” said our Director of AMI IT Solutions Brian Walsh. “This framework enables different teams to innovate and scale solutions together, delivering them in targeted sprints that allow for better testing and refining as technology and energy demand evolves across our service territories.

“We’re proud to collaborate with a range of industry partners to provide ground-breaking insights into energy usage, enhance communication with customers, and ensure the delivery of reliable and resilient clean energy on the hottest and coldest days.”

A customer’s experience: AMI smart metering in action

We’re committed to building a smarter, stronger and cleaner energy system that supports our states’ climate targets and meets the long-term needs of our customers. Read about one customer’s experience of getting an AMI meter fitted in Upstate New York:

> AMI Smart Meters: A first-hand look