For more than a decade, Bidgely’s advanced AMI analytics have empowered utilities with AI-powered Customer Experience (CX) solutions. Leveraging meter data and our patented appliance-level load disaggregation algorithms, our utility customers have achieved multi-quartile improvements in JD Power Scores, verified customer satisfaction ratings typically ranging from 80–90+ percent, and more than 1 TWh in energy efficiency savings.
In this legacy “AMI 1.0” world, home energy use data has been measured on the meter and transferred to the cloud for analysis, providing utilities with insights about what appliances were used the previous day. This actionable intelligence has allowed energy providers to guide customers to make smarter energy decisions, to more successfully engage them in behavioral programs and personalize, and to improve their overall energy experience.
However, as grid stress, customer expectations, and regulatory pressures steadily increase, the AMI 1.0 world is giving way to utilities investing in next-generation AMI 2.0 meters with more sophisticated capabilities for these new operational demands.
AMI 2.0 meters let utilities and technology innovators like Bidgely move the intelligence closer to the data source, enabling real-time insights and engagement at the grid edge.
For example, through a unique collaboration with Itron, Bidgely’s patented AI-powered applications are embedded within the physical meter.
Real-time Usage Insights Drive New Use Cases
“We see that the change on the grid for our utility customers is tremendous. And it really is driven by new behaviors behind the meter on the customer premises as consumers buy electric vehicles, install solar and adopt other new equipment. Of course, at the same time, the climate is changing and infrastructure is aging,” explains Itron Vice President Of Product Management, Stefan Zschiegner. “So now the opportunity with our latest generation of meters is to bring the computing power to the meter with a distributed intelligence or edge intelligence that processes data and enables communication. We’re offering utilities new ways to better connect the consumer to the grid, extend visibility and manage this influx of new requirements.”
“With our Grid Edge Intelligence solutions, we’re able to push apps similar to an iPhone,” adds Nipesh Patel, Itron’s Area Vice President, Strategic Sales. “We’ve collaborated with Bidgely to push some applications to the meter to identify, for example, when a new EV is connected to the grid or when PV is connected to the grid, and we’re already working with our existing customer base to bring that value to them. Having real-time data and making use of that data is going to drive a lot more value and enable the sort of hyper-scaling that the industry is now facing.”
As Patel mentioned, EV charging provides a compelling use case for the potential of AMI 2.0 technology. While Bidgely can already reveal on-peak charging that has occurred through analysis of AMI 1.0 data, with our intelligence at the grid edge, utilities can engage and coach their EV-owning customers in real-time about the impacts and costs of their charging choices.
Next Generation CX
The opportunity that Distributed Intelligence enables utilities to connect with consumers in new ways, opens up countless new use cases that were previously impossible.
“For example, you can not only detect whether there is a level-two charger on a customer premises, you can also engage with the consumer in real time to talk about their charging pattern, the time of the charging and the duration of the charging patterns – making targeted recommendations on what to do,” explains Zschiegner. “This makes it easier to engage customers in time of use programs, behavioral programs that are specific to electric vehicles, and other opt-in programs that give the power to the consumer while at the same time enabling the utility to provide a more reliable and better customer experience.”
Bidgely is pursuing a wide-range of AMI 2.0 use cases, including:
Demand Response
- Pre-event coaching: Providing reminders to reduce load before an event, based on appliance usage
- Real-time event monitoring: Track load spikes and reductions during DR events in real time, improving the customer’s event performance
- Post-event feedback: Delivering appliance-specific feedback as soon as an event concludes
TOU Optimization
- Dynamic TOU alerts: Generating alerts if specific high-consumption appliances are operating during peak periods, encouraging load shifting to off-peak times
- Pre-peak alerts: Generating alerts on specific appliance actions (such as AC pre-cooling) before peak hours
- Daily/weekly coaching: Suggesting behavior changes, such as running dishwashers or laundry at night
- Real-time EV peak charge alerts: Sending alerts immediately and not the next day
VPP Participation
- DER monitoring for VPP participation events: Generating active DER signals to support VPP scenarios such as solar curtailment or vehicle-to-grid, and communicating these events to customers
“Imagine, if you have some issue or an unusual energy use pattern in your house, you could get a notification real time, not the next day,” adds Zschiegner. “There are endless opportunities to engage the consumer with our joint technologies that allow the utilities to truly become the trusted advisor and partner and source of information for the consumer. It’s an opportunity to really change the consumer utility relationship. And why is this so critical? Because it will allow utilities to more effectively engage with consumers who now play a critical role in extending the life of the grid in order to avoid costly grid upgrades and make aging infrastructure more reliable. We have a great opportunity to take customer engagement to a whole new level.
Better Together: AMI 1.0 and 2.0
The evolution from AMI 1.0 and 2.0 will take time, and utilities must consider ways to leverage the benefits of each type of meter through the transition.
Bidgely’s CX platform delivers valuable insights through both traditional cloud-based AMI analytics and innovative DI applications, covering all your customers, regardless of meter deployment timelines to maximize a utility’s AMI investment. As new meters are deployed, customers and utilities see value from both sides of the solution.
These combined capabilities work in unison to engage customers through a combination of real-time and monthly insights.
Working Together to Drive Value Across the Utility Industry
“The collaboration between Itron and Bidgely goes way back. In fact, we have a long term relationship that started off with the fundamental idea that ‘meter data that is highly accurate, highly precise and more frequent’ is the foundation to better insights,” says Zschiegner. “The right data streams make insights easily accessible and provide the context that is going to be critical in delivering advanced analytics. So we look at our partnership, at this foundation, as very strategic and long term.”
