Itron is the world's leading end-to-end solution provider to the global energy and water industries. We serve more than 8,000 customers across 130 countries and provide the critical knowledge, insight and technology that enable the responsible management, delivery and use of our precious water and energy resources. At Itron, we are dedicated to supplying flexible products and services for measuring, optimizing and analyzing utility information.

Itron is a trusted partner to the global utility industry—and through acquisitions and mergers, has been for more than 100 years. Throughout our rich history, we've designed products using our innovative technologies and extensive industry experience to deliver solutions that solve significant business challenges. Over the decades, Itron's innovation has transformed the way world-wide water and energy utilities manage their resources, streamline operations and serve their customers. Today, by combining high-end metering, advanced communications, powerful software tools and consulting expertise, Itron is uniquely positioned to help utilities meet the significant challenges facing the industry—from strains on supply and aging infrastructure to increasing populations and consumer demand—these issues require real solutions rooted in reality.

To help solve these unique industry challenges, Itron offers new thinking and proven products so that utilities around the globe can deliver fresh water and reliable energy to customers, while also engaging and empowering consumers to control their usage and costs. Itron's broad product portfolio includes electricity, gas, water and heat meters; data collection and communication systems, including, automated meter reading (AMR), advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), smart grid and prepaid metering solutions; meter data management and related software applications; project management, installation, and consulting services. Itron delivers strong value to our customers today, and our solutions will continue to ensure resource sustainability for generations to come.

Just as the challenges facing utilities in today’s marketplace are infinitely variable, so are our products and solutions. Itron offers utilities a mix of products to help them meet the pressing business challenges of today and tomorrow. Applying what we’ve learned from working on the leading edge of utility innovation for the past 100 years, we are building on our experience, global presence and breadth of solutions to help utilities shape their future – a smarter future.

Some of our key capabilities include:

• Intelligent electricity, gas and water meters, manufactured by Itron to reliably and accurately measure and provide usage information
• Data collection and communication systems, ranging from automated meter reading using handheld computers or mobile collectors mounted in vehicles to advanced metering network infrastructure to efficiently and precisely collect and transmit meter information
• Smart grid infrastructure and applications, modernizing the electricity grid to support distribution automation and renewable energy sources, and enable integration of electric vehicles and solar resources
• Prepayment solutions, designed with customer control and utility cash flow in mind, pre-paid metering provides the balance between customer use and electricity payment
• Meter data management and related software applications and analytics, providing robust and sophisticated tools to turn meter data into actionable information
• Professional services, offering knowledge, resources, experience and customer focus to help our customers install and operate their systems to gain maximum system performance and return on investment

From hardware and software to services and support, the breadth and depth of our portfolio is unrivaled in the industry, spanning the entire energy and water value chain. Regardless of the business challenge—whether it’s collecting more detailed and timely meter data or intelligently managing and analyzing it—Itron has a highly integrated suite of products and services to help utilities of all sizes and in all locations of the world prosper and thrive.

To know more about Itron, start here: www.itron.com.

Thought Leader Profile

LeRoy Nosbaum, President & CEO, Itron

1.     What are the key forces that will disrupt utilities in coming years?

There are a couple of challenges the industry is facing today. First, I think with the government’s stimulus funding program ending and the current economic situation, utilities will find that regulators are going to be increasingly cautious about approving large smart grid projects. While these conditions may change the strategy for significant technology upgrades, utilities are still under the same pressure to conserve resources and improve operations while keeping costs down for the consumer. To address this, utilities will need to ensure that they have solid business cases that clearly identify tangible benefits.

Second, the industry as a whole cannot underestimate the consumer’s role in the smart grid. We’ve seen the effects of the hype around the smart grid and early technology adopters who touted the consumer benefits of an intelligent grid. And, frankly, the promised benefits haven’t been realized. That’s not to say those benefits aren’t real; the smart grid just isn’t mature enough for the broader base of consumers to feel that control over their energy usage or see their energy costs lowering.

We, as an industry, need to do a better job of talking to consumers and involving them as partners in the smart grid, and we need to listen to their concerns. The industry should be upfront about people’s apprehension about “big brother” and safety.

2.     What are the most disruptive issues you face in your own business?

It’s clear to me that the hype around the smart grid, to use your words, is “disruptive” to the industry. The smart meter market is large and it grew rapidly over the last two to three years. This explosion in growth caught the media’s attention, and metering was brought in to the spotlight. But, I think it is worth noting that historically this has been a slow moving industry. And, although utilities deploying smart meters are realizing operational benefits, the reality is that the smart grid hasn’t lived up to consumers’ expectations.

It will get there, but as I’ve mentioned before, the smart grid really is still being defined.

3.     As the utility sector responds to the financial, technological, legal and regulatory hurdles ahead, what new business strategies will enable them to profit and thrive?

It’s going to be important for utilities to build strong business cases in order to advance the smart grid and improve operational efficiency, conserve resources and enhance customer service.

One strategy that can be successful in the short-term is to roll-out new technology in phases, rather than a full-scale implementation. This approach affords utilities the opportunity to test technology in the field and in back-office prior to a territory-wide deployment. It mitigates risk and provides an opportunity to connect with community stakeholders and consumer groups before the technology is adopted on a large-scale.

4.     How will a dramatic increase in information – about customers and operations - transform utilities’ business model?

The real power of all of this information is in the knowledge that is derived from data. Smart meters provide an unprecedented amount of quality data which can be used to improve operations and enhance customer interactions. For example, information about meter power quality or outages can dramatically increase customer satisfaction, because disruptions in service can be remotely identified and quickly resolved. In addition, utilities can use sophisticated software analytics to optimize energy delivery, measure system performance, detect energy diversion, track demand response programs and enhance meter-to-cash metrics.

When thinking about all of the great benefits of the smart grid, we sometimes undervalue the wealth of information and the importance of meter data management and analytic software and its critical role in energy management. It is one thing to collect massive amounts of data, but it’s another thing entirely to convert it into actionable information.

5.     How will customers’ energy use change in years ahead?

There’s been a great shift in the U.S. as it relates to the consumer and energy usage. For the first time, energy conservation is a mainstream topic and people are thinking about ways to reduce their impact on the environment. This coupled with tough economic times is motivating people to look for ways to decrease their energy consumption and lower their costs. I think this trend will continue.

As consumers become more energy conscious and home energy management tools proliferate, these empowered and engaged consumers will be able to manage how and when they use energy to fit their lifestyle and budget.

6.     What will be the characteristics of utilities hoping to benefit most from those changes?

I would say the new, collaborative relationship between utilities and consumers is a wonderful outcome of change in the industry. Not only do empowered consumers have access to demand response and in-home controls, but utilities have the ability to inform customers about interruptions in service and special pricing programs in real-time.

We all benefit from collaboration. From collaboration between utilities and their customers, to technology partners and solutions providers—by working together we can collectively define and advance the smart grid to achieve conservation and resource management goals.