Smarter meters on paper, stubborn results in practice. We explain what AMI is, what ‘2.0’ promises, and why those expectations clash with reality. We unpack where advanced meters trip in real homes and why a partner-first approach works better than cramming everything into one box
For years, we’ve been promised a smarter grid. At the centre of that promise sits the meter. It used to be a plastic box with a spinning wheel. Today it is a glossy device meant to stream data, connect homes, and even orchestrate devices.
But as with every tech refresh, “smarter” has not always meant “better.” Data into apps, dashboards, and services. It is a great pitch. It is also where the story starts to wobble:
None of this says meters are bad. It says plumbing alone does not deliver outcomes. When data is unreliable, devices do not interoperate, enrollment is clunky, or tariffs do not reward automation, the value leaks out.
Before we judge, it helps to define the stack we already have and the one we are trying to build.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure is more than the box on the wall. It includes the meter, the network that carries its data, such as RF mesh, cellular, or power line, and the head-end systems that collect reads and handle remote tasks like connect or disconnect, firmware, and keys. In the first wave, AMI 1.0 digitised metering. Utilities moved to hourly or half-hourly reads, gained visibility of outages and voltage, and cut truck rolls. That plumbing upgrade worked.
The new generation Advanced Metering Infrastructure (termed broadly as '2.0') is touted as lifting the ceiling. Instead of once an hour, data can arrive every five to fifteen minutes with richer events. The meter gains a small amount of secure edge intelligence so a few functions do not require a round trip to the cloud. Interfaces to the home become more standardised through HAN or BAN so EV chargers, heat pumps, batteries, and rooftop solar can be coordinated. In spirit, that is the shift. We move from metering to a flexibility platform. The meter does not only measure. It is meant to help the home and the grid move in sync.
On paper that sounds like progress. In practice the gaps between layers decide whether anyone feels the benefit.
The ideal day is easy to picture. It is also easy to derail.
Here is what trips us up in the real world.
The north star is outcomes, not spec sheets. AMI in its latest form earns its keep when signals and data translate into automatic control of at least one big device in the home.
When the design is this simple, the technology fades into the background and the benefits do not.
Hardware cycles lose to software cycles. That is the uncomfortable truth.
Use the meter for the things it is best at.
Everything else belongs in faster-moving layers that can learn, iterate, and swap.
AMI 2.0 makes the meter smarter. That is real progress. It is not yet the outcome. The path to visible value is simple to say and hard to do. Tariffs must meet automation. Standards must meet real devices. Programs must meet human behavior. Keep the meter focused on measurement and safety. Let best-of-breed platforms and devices handle the choreography. That is how lower bills, real flexibility, and happier customers show up in the living room, not just on the roadmap.
By day, Matt Wapples helps utilities and customers unlock the power of distributed energy resources. By night, he blends curiosity, logic, and a touch of chaos to make sense of technology, markets, and the future of power.
His perspective is built on deep experience across the energy and technology sector. He has worked for a utility, advised through consultancy, and helped scale distributed energy platforms internationally. Alongside this, he completed an Executive MBA at Imperial College London, adding a strategic and global lens to hands-on industry knowledge.
Beyond energy, Matt has always kept one foot in exploration and entrepreneurship. He taught scuba diving in Thailand during a year out, and ran Feiyue sneakers into Europe, securing partnerships with major retailers including Urban Outfitters.
Life and work have taken him across London, Germany, Thailand, Singapore, Tokyo, and now Atlanta. That journey has shaped a global perspective and a restless curiosity. Conscious Intelligence (CI) is his way of connecting those dots — exploring how culture, technology, finance, energy, and intelligence collide to shape the systems we all live in.
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