Energy utilities are operating in an environment where significant market and operational challenges exist. The deployment and implementation of appropriate Information Communication Technology (ICT) solutions plays an intrinsic role in meeting these challenges.

The key take-away points of this whitepaper are:

• Market dynamics are shifting and a result of merger and acquisition activity, government policy and changing consumer behavior.
• Considerable ongoing debate regarding climate change and the role that technology can play to positively adjust this.
• Substantial future investments in new technologies are necessary, as utilities undertake transformation programs to remain competitive.
• Smart grids and smart metering have significant implications on ICT infrastructure.
• Communications network transformation will homogenize operational communications, allowing existing applications to be supported through multi-service optical networks while enabling the evolution to IP-MPLS.

What is most clear to utilities from experience is that half-hearted “education” programs have little if any permanent effect on consumption. To make a difference, utilities must weave the conservation mission into fundamental business processes. And utilities’ most fundamental customer-related process is billing. The utility billing system or customer information system (CIS) can, in fact, play a key role in providing customers with a clear picture of the relationship between consumption and environment. It can offer options. It can help customers turn behavioral alternatives into habits.

Deregulation, restructuring and merger and acquisition activities have created profitability and performance issues with in the power industry. These changes require that companies take a fresh look at some of their most established work processes. To remain competitive, new and innovative approaches are needed.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) on the business processes involved in load research and forecasting. It starts with a short overview of current load research and forecasting processes. Definitions and an overview of AMI technologies are provided next. Then, the discussion proceeds to summarize the things that do and do not change because of AMI. Finally, these changes are translated into impacts on forecasting and load research business processes. Also, some conclusions are provided about the impact of these process changes for and meter data management (MDM) and data analysis systems.