Connecting Three Smart Meter Networks: Errigal’s Work with PG&E

Managing a utility network becomes more complicated when each technology has its own systems, data formats and management tools. Engineers need a clear picture of network health, but building that picture can mean moving between several applications.

For Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), this challenge formed the basis of EPIC 2.27: Next Generation Integrated Smart Grid Network Management. The project used Errigal’s Hybrid System Integrated Management (HSIM) platform to demonstrate how three separate Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks could be brought into one management environment.

Three networks, one operational view

AMI connects smart meters with the systems that collect and manage their data. Bringing multiple AMI networks together requires more than placing their information on the same screen. Each network can have different equipment, data structures and ways of reporting performance.

Errigal developed discovery adapters to gather inventory, configuration and performance information through web services and flat files, alongside direct device communication. The platform successfully discovered data across all three networks, covering both network equipment and metering endpoints.

This created a common view of different technologies while preserving the measurements needed to understand each one.

From the network overview to an individual meter

The dashboard combined maps, alarm and ticket summaries, performance indicators and historical trends. Users could start with the overall network, identify an area requiring attention, then drill down through geographical regions to individual network devices and meters.

That structure connected the overview with the detail. A team could see where an issue was occurring, investigate the relevant equipment and examine its performance history within the same platform.

Network health indicators were configurable for each technology, allowing different networks to be assessed using the measures relevant to their operation.

Turning meter data into automated action

One of the project’s most practical demonstrations focused on high meter temperatures. The existing process included manual steps for identifying and monitoring affected meters. Errigal configured a workflow that increased monitoring when a temperature threshold was exceeded, raised alarms and automatically created trouble tickets as temperatures reached higher thresholds.

As temperatures fell, the platform cleared alarms and updated ticket statuses to reflect the changing condition.

The workflow was tested using meters placed in an environmental chamber, where temperatures could be raised and lowered through the configured thresholds. The meters under test generated alarms, created tickets and cleared as expected.

A separate demonstration identified a deliberately misconfigured meter through diagnostic data and raised an alarm for a potential wiring issue.

Supporting new technologies and different users

The project also explored how the same AMI infrastructure could support additional technologies. SmartPole meters and smart streetlight photocell controllers were included in the project scope, with data presented separately from standard metering assets.

User access could be restricted to selected assets. A tenant demonstration showed how an external user could view only the equipment associated with their account, while the operational team retained a broader network view.

What the project demonstrated

The PG&E project demonstrated that a common management platform could bring together three distinct AMI networks, present their data through a consistent interface and connect monitored conditions to automated workflows.

For utilities managing a mix of vendors and technologies, this approach offers a practical route to clearer visibility and more consistent operations. It connects network information with the people and processes responsible for acting on it.

Managing several network technologies or equipment vendors? Talk to Errigal about bringing monitoring, alarms and operational workflows into one platform.