Utilities calculate electricity bills using either register reads or interval data from smart meters. The use of register reads creates numerous operational and policy problems. Because register reads have a long tradition in the industry, their use should be permitted. At the same time, not permitting the use of interval data – also having a long history – results in inconsistency of data between consumer bills and other uses, higher costs, more estimated bills, reduced flexibility, increased complexity, and other serious problems.

Establishing a strategic data and analytics vision is paramount; however, the history of data and analytics is littered with grand plans that have been bogged down under the weight of their own complexity. Wherever possible, we provide tips for getting smart grid data analytics up and running quickly and with a limited number of dependencies.

Gartner released their Magic Quadrant for Meter Data Management Products, for buyers of meter data management software in the energy and utilities sector, they map vendors' product offerings in this emerging market.

A Smart City Take on the Smart Grid: Hear from two munis at different stages in their Smart Grid deployment, and learn how they are working to make cities smarter for their customers.