A Practitioner’s Guide to Short-term Load Forecast Modeling
Over the years, numerous clients have requested a “recipe book” for building powerful short-term load forecast models. This guide to Short-term Load…
Itron Idea Labs Attends LA CoMotion Leadership Conference
As an entrepreneur-in-residence for Itron Idea Labs, I was excited to be able to represent our organization at the recent LA CoMotion Leadership…
Short-term Load Forecasting: A Practitioner’s Handbook
Our final brown bag seminar of the year—hosted on Tuesday, Dec. 4—is entitled “Short-term Load Forecasting: A Practitioner’s Handbook.” Ever wonder…
Itron-supported Legislation Signed by the President
This summer, Itron saw movement in Congress on some long-standing issues that we have been working on for several years, including the Disaster…
Aggregation Bias Strikes Again!
The issue of aggregation bias should not be a new concept to any of us in the energy forecasting world. In April, my colleague David Simons posted…
Itron Wins Golden Peacock Global Award for Sustainability
Itron continues to create a more resourceful world. We have recently been recognized as the winner of the Golden Peacock Global Award for…
What I Learned About Smart Cities at Itron Utility Week 2018
I had the opportunity to attend Itron Utility Week this year on behalf of Iguá Saneamento, a water provider in Brazil. This large event is focused on…
Odds and Sods
Probabilities and odds express the same information in different ways. In science and economics, people tend to think in terms of probabilities,…
Engaging Students with Conservation Station
Itron and Discovery Education’s joint educational outreach program, Conservation Station: Creating a More Resourceful World, launched last week. This…
Wi-SUN: The Chosen Technology Connecting the World’s Smartest Cities
Cities worldwide are ramping up deployment of smart technologies that accelerate progress towards sustainability goals, while empowering them with a…
What are Weather Groups?
If you’re a user of Itron’s Automated Demand Forecasting System, MetrixIDR, then chances are you’ve probably seen the words “Weather Groups” at some…
Enabling Smarter, More Scalable Cities, Sooner – Part II
One of the most engaging discussions at Itron Utility Week (IUW) was the Big Picture Session, which explored new business models to fund and activate…
Enabling Smarter, More Scalable Cities, Sooner – Part I
One of the most engaging discussions at Itron Utility Week (IUW) was the Big Picture Session, which explored new business models to fund and activate…
IUW18 Day II: Turning Expert Insights into an Actionable Approach
Nearly 1,200 attendees reconvened this morning ready to absorb all that they could during the last day of our Knowledge Conference at one of our…
IUW18 Packs a Serious and Sustainable Punch: Day I Recap
Itron Utility Week (IUW) kicked off in high-gear yesterday, and the General Session presenters set the pace with a compelling kickoff! We had a…
Frost & Sullivan Lauds Pepco Holdings and City of Bismarck with Excellence in Resourcefulness Awards at Itron Utility Week
Frost & Sullivan announced today Pepco Holdings and the City of Bismarck, North Dakota's water utility as the recipients of this year's…
“Future Proof” with Itron on SAP HANA
One year ago, SAP prepared for Itron Utility Week (IUW) with a clear plan, purpose and a vision of success. SAP and Itron outlined an ambitious plan…
Residential Solar From a Consumer’s Perspective
I live in Southern California with a kid who runs the air conditioning like electricity is free and pretends that he lives in a frozen tundra. This…
Prep List: Time to Get Ready for a Great IUW 2018
Itron Utility Week (IUW) 2018 kicks off at the end of this week—and we’ve got all the details to help ensure your trip is a success. As you’re…
What to Do and See in Scottsdale
Next week, 1,000 industry leaders, technology visionaries and peers will come together in Scottsdale, Arizona for Itron Utility Week (IUW). If you’re…
Supporting the Outcomes of Today and Tomorrow
Itron Utility Week (IUW) 2018 is almost here! Next week, 1,000 customers from a range of industries will come together in Scottsdale, Arizona to…
Itron Idea Labs Attends First-Ever California Climate Cup, Supports Clean Energy
Itron Idea Labs continued its partnership with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) this week with two exciting events! On Monday, Sept. 10,…
Analytics and Advanced Applications are Transforming the Smart Grid and Networks
Earlier this week, we talked about the upcoming Itron Utility Week (IUW) and two of our exciting conference tracks focusing on data management and…
IUW 2018: Connect. Innovate. Transform.
Itron Utility Week (IUW) kicks off at the end of this month with three simple words—connect, innovate, transform. A simple message that translates…
Itron Has Been Busy this Summer Helping Utilities Keep the Lights On
This summer has been particularly steamy in certain parts of the country, unfortunately resulting in periodic blackouts as utilities struggle to get…
Sentient Energy Leverages Itron Developer Program to Expand Product Capabilities and Commercial Opportunities
Sentient Energy and Itron began their strong, mutual supportive relationship over 10 years ago when Sentient Energy first came to market. Sentient…
Brown Bag Session: The Latest Energy Trends
Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 11 for our third Brown Bag seminar of the year as we reveal the results of our annual bench-marking survey. We are excited…
Focusing on the Future of Smart Cities at ITS World Congress
As Itron continues to influence and make an impact on the future of smart cities, we are excited to be an exhibitor at the upcoming Intelligent…
Market Trends That Will Drive the Next Evolution of Operational Load Forecasting Models
Grid operators schedule and dispatch generation resources to meet demand in as cost-effective manner as possible. In a perfect world, the least…
Itron Customers Top Smart City Governments List
Itron delivers solutions that help cities become more efficient and sustainable. Recently, Eden Strategy Institute, a strategy consulting firm, put…
Will the Solar Panel Tariff Kill Solar Adoption?
The recent U.S. administration’s 30 percent tariff on imported solar cells and modules has not been well received by the solar industry. Effective…
US3 and Itron Win American Public Works Association Project of the Year
Congratulations to our partner, Utility Systems Science & Software (US3), who recently won the Texas Public Works Association Project of the Year…
A Simple Approach for Addressing Behind-the-Meter Solar Generation
I was recently asked to account for behind-the-meter (BTM) solar generation in a set of day-ahead hourly electric models. Fundamentally, the problem…
Bringing Safety to the Edge
Safety is always top of mind for gas utilities, and new technology advancements, like the OpenWay® Riva Intelis gas meter, make it possible to reduce…
America’s Finest 2018 ISO Forecasting Summit
San Diego’s slogan is “America’s Finest City” and being fortunate enough to call this place my home for the past seven years, I see why. It has a…
Accepting Nominations: 2018 Excellence in Resourcefulness Best Practice Awards
Itron partner Frost and Sullivan is now accepting nominations for the 2018 Excellence in Resourcefulness Best Practices Awards. As a growth…
New Intelis Water Meter Debuts at ACE18
Itron recently attended American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) 137th Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE), and for the first time, showcased our…
IoT World Continued: Partner Engagement Demonstrated During IoT Live! Tour
In last week’s blog post, we highlighted what we said on stage during IoT World. This week, we’re going to discuss how our partners helped us…
Load Forecasting Using Machine Learning: Does the Hype Meet Reality?
It is easy to stub your toe on the voluminous literature available on machine learning when the question of how to improve your operational forecast…
EEI Convention: Looking Toward the Future
I recently had the pleasure of attending the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Annual Convention in San Diego. This annual event brings together energy…
IoT World 2018: Itron Leaders Share IoT Insights During Industry Event
The IoT industry is evolving quickly, and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. GSMA Intelligence projects that the IoT market will be worth…
Itron Showcases Proven Networks at UTC Telecom & Technology 2018
Electric, gas and water have long been considered essential services provided by utilities and cities around the world. But now, as utilities are…
Power Over Energy: Educating Consumers Through Social Media
At Itron, we strive to help create a more resourceful world—and that mission goes beyond partnering with utilities and cities. Through our Power Over…
Partnering for Smarter Cities
I recently had the pleasure of attending the second annual Smart Cities Week Silicon Valley, organized by the Smart Cities Council. During this…
Transforming in the IoT Space
The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) age has changed the way many industries—including Itron—engage with customers. In this new era, it’s all…
Joining the Conversation Around Clean Energy
As part of our efforts to stay abreast of innovations in the cleantech space, Itron Idea Labs is now a corporate sponsor of the Los Angeles Clean…
2018 EFG Meeting Summary
Sometimes when I sit back and consider all the things that need to be done, I feel overwhelmed. The endless demands for regular work—like producing…
Analytics and Customer Portals Shine at CS Week 2018
At CS Week 2018 in Tampa, Florida, Itron hit the show floor and showcased our expanded portfolio, bringing to the forefront the best of our smart…
Upcoming Seminar: Budget Forecasting – A Practitioner’s Handbook
Our second brown bag seminar of the year is entitled “Budget Forecasting – A Practitioner’s Handbook.” This Brown Bag distills twenty-plus years of…
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: How Smart Technology is Helping Cities Prepare for an Active Season
Following a record-breaking 2017 hurricane season – which cost the U.S. more than $200 billion in damage, eclipsing the previous record of $159…
Don’t Miss Itron and #IoTLive at #IoTWorld
Itron is excited to yet again be participating and exhibiting at this year’s IoT World at the Santa Clara Convention Center on May 14-17. This event…
CS Week: Transforming the Customer Experience
In 2017, Itron acquired not one, but two companies. First Comverge—a leading distributed energy management company—and then Silver Spring Networks—a…
The Pitfalls and Pain of Aggregation Bias
As forecasters, averaging is something that we do a lot. We like averaging because it helps us filter out much of the noise in our data so that we…
How Will You Practice Resourcefulness on April 22?
Here at Itron, we have a saying—the way we manage energy and water will define this century. Through our technology and innovation, we are working to…
Five Grid Management Capabilities You Should Demand That Only RF Mesh Delivers
Modernization efforts are ramping up for leading European utilities with the rapid proliferation of smart devices extending throughout the…
Itron’s Integrated Energy Forecasting Framework
In today’s marketplace, incorporating the multitude of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) can make producing an accurate energy demand forecast very…
To BYOT or Not to BYOT: That is the Question
Itron is a long-time member of the Peak Load Management Alliance (PLMA), which was founded in 1999 as the voice of demand response practitioners. I…
Daylight Saving Time: The Bane of the Load Forecaster
Sunrise and sunset times vary from summer to winter because of earth’s tilt with respect to its orbit around the sun. This difference is magnified at…
eBook: How Utilities are Planning for Distributed Energy Resources
With the rapid integration of renewables and distributed technologies into the grid, utilities can no longer feasibly address the challenges of…
Take Our Annual Energy Survey
Itron’s forecasting group recently launched its annual energy survey. As we have done in previous years, Itron uses this survey to collect…
Ignore Missing Option
The Sum function in MetrixND seems like a complex way to make adding difficult. In a MetrixND transformation, numbers are added by joining variables…
Fulfilling the Vision of the Multiple Application Network
In the past year, many people have asked me about smart cities, and how useful they are for the citizens living in the city. A study that we…
Using Neural Networks to Build Robust Hourly Models
Our first brown bag seminar of the year is entitled, “Using Neural Networks to Build Robust Hourly Models.” Neural networks are flexible functional…
Adventures in Cryptocurrency
Last October, a conversation began in the Itron Idea Labs community around blockchain and what Itron might do with it in the energy space. Ideas were…
Dividing Two Interval Series in MetrixLT
In my previous post, I showed that MetrixLT can multiply two hourly data series even though the software was not designed for that specific purpose.…
Multiplying Two Interval Series in MetrixLT
“Help” was the desperate cry of a MetrixLT user after the close of the workday. “I need to multiply two hourly interval data series in MetrixLT!”…
A Year of Innovations and Impact
At Itron, we seek to grow resourceful communities across the globe with our technology, growing portfolio and community outreach. Last year, we…
Itron Showcases the Future of Smart Cities at #CES18
Providing a peek into the future, Itron showcased its vision of what it may be like to live in a city of the future from a consumer standpoint at the…
Seven Reasons Grid Solution Providers Partner With Itron
Modernization of the power grid is picking up steam globally, making it the ideal time to be a solution provider in this incredibly exciting and…
Speed Dating at #CES2018
Innovation is always the hot word at CES, but smart cities and smart energy made their debut this year in a big way. Itron Idea Labs was there to…
Going Zero to 60 at #CES2018
From the excitement in the air about rooms full of new tech to the chaos of navigating the pavilions with an expected new record attendance of…
The Robots of #CES2018
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Autonomous vehicles, drones, artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality, robotics and smart cities are…
2018 Forecasting Workshop and Meeting Dates
The 2018 Itron Forecasting Workshops and Meetings have been scheduled. Registration for 101 is currently open at…
Consumer, Commercial Needs Met at #CES2018
The Consumer Electronics Show 2018 is my re-introduction to the electronic industry’s show of all shows – the last time I was here was about 15 years…
Forecasting New Technologies – When Nothing Else Works
In a recent project, we were asked to help settle a question. Which forecast is reasonable: One forecasting average annual system demand growth of…
An Unexpected Impact of the Solar Eclipse
On Aug. 21, 2017, people gathered across the continent to witness the first total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States since Feb.…
Load Research in an AMI World: Why? How? And Results.
Our final brown bag seminar of the year is entitled Load Research in an AMI World: Why? How? And Results. With market penetration of a range of new…
There’s More Than One Way to Round a Number
When we were in school, we all learned the general rule for rounding – if a significant digit is followed by a number that is greater than or equal…
The CEC Releases “Improving Short-term Load Forecasts by Incorporating Solar PV Generation” Interim Report
The California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Energy Research and Development Division supports energy research and development programs to spur…
Real-time Load Disaggregation
Our final blog of #IUW17 features a session with Robert Sonderegger and Luke Scheidler from Itron discussing how Itron’s OpenWay® Riva distributed…
Developing the Next Generation Utility Workforce and Inspiring Leadership
Today marked the second day of the #IUW17 Knowledge Conference and we started the morning with another great general session. We heard from Sharelynn…
Transforming the Customer Experience
We’re well underway at #IUW17 and our second blog features a session led by Joe Thomas from Duke Energy discussing how the company utilizes data to…
Launching Itron Utility Week 2017
Welcome to Itron Utility Week 2017! We launched our annual customer-focused event yesterday and welcomed more than 1,000 attendees to Houston. We’re…
Delivering Smart, Sustainable Energy Solutions
There’s no question that the Internet of Things (IoT) will transform the energy and utilities industry —that’s already happening. IoT is playing a…
How Your Advanced Utilities Monitoring System Can Benefit from Real-time Data and Over-the-Air Updates
If you work in the energy sector, integrating smart grid technology is among the most positive and disruptive changes that your company can make. A…
Powering Women in Utilities
The work-life balance can be a challenge to manage, but as with any difficult situation, Samantha Ettus has proven it is better with pie. Ettus…
SAP and Itron Delivering Digital Transformation in Utilities
SAP is a Gold Sponsor of Itron’s Utility Week in Houston, Oct. 15-17. Below is a brief overview of what we will be showcasing. Please visit the SAP…
5 Ways to Help Houston on Your Trip to IUW
Technology advancements have forever changed the way we communicate, and through social media, we’re more connected than ever. In times of crisis,…
Disruption Ahead
Thomas Edison would have no trouble recognizing most of the component parts in any electrical generation and distribution network today. The…
Interoperable Communication Networks Fuel IIoT for Utilities
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) puts the capability of communication networks to the test. Industrial things come from a variety of…
WEI’s Women in Energy Symposium and Celebrating American Business Women’s Day
Today is American Business Women’s Day. This day is about networking, celebrating broken barriers and looking ahead to further progression of working…
Calculating an Average Annual Growth Rate in MetrixND
After finishing my forecast, I like to present forecast average annual growth rates. These results are calculated by converting the monthly forecast…
The Latest Energy Trends
Our third seminar of the year reveals the results of our annual benchmark survey. Survey participants receive a copy of the report with the findings.…
Breaking New Ground with Demand Response
Itron and Comverge, now Itron Distributed Energy Management, have a tradition of technological innovation. By joining forces, we have the opportunity…
Using the Simulation Object Backward
I’m using the Simulation Object in MetrixND to weather normalize historic sales. When configured, the object allows me to simulate the model…
2018 Important Meeting Dates – Mark Your Calendars!
The Annual Energy Forecasting/EFG Meeting and Training will be in Austin, Texas on April 24-27 in 2018! The ISO/RTO/TSO Forecasting Summit will be…
Beyond the Hype of Smart Cities
Communities organizations, cities and companies must work every day to truly achieve the big picture of creating smart cities. Our goal of…
It’s in the Water! – Improving Energy Savings Calculations from California Water Conservation
When I hear the term “water-energy nexus,” I imagine something complex and fantastical, when in actuality it is an intimately familiar and essential…
Computing a Weighted Average Wind Speed and Wind Direction Across Multiple Weather Stations
Often when we are developing weather variables to support day-ahead power and gas forecasting, we introduce wind speed as a standalone explanatory…
Looking Backward to Move Forward
For most things in life, I look forward to go forward. I keep my eyes on the road ahead. I look before I leap. I aim at my target. But this summer…