advanced metering infrastructure (AMI)

A utility metering and communications system that leverages two-way communication between a utility company and smart energy management devices, including smart meters, thermostats, and other energy management devices. AMI provides utility companies real-time consumption data, and provides customers detailed usage data. AMI systems support capabilities such as load control, time-of-use and critical-peak pricing, and outage and restoration reporting.

An AMI system consists of the following components:

• Smart meters that collect and store interval consumption data, interface with, and collect and store data from other devices, such as other meters. Smart meters can also initiate and respond to two-way communications with the utility.

• Home gateway devices that communicate with and control energy-using appliances throughout the home, and can communicate with the utility.

• A network over which smart meters, home gateway devices, and other AMI components execute two-way communications to transmit data and commands between the utility and the home.

• A meter data management (MDM) system to which the collected data is delivered. MDM systems can interface with other utility systems, such as customer information systems (CISs), outage management systems (OMSs), and workforce management systems (WMSs).