Itron Inc. has announced the release and commercial availability of its Distribution Asset Analysis Suite (DAA), a modular suite of four asset load management and capacity planning tools for energy distribution systems.

Itron DAA Suite enables utilities to change asset load management and capacity planning processes from reactive to proactive. Utility distribution leadership gains visibility into individual distribution transformer loading, as well as asset loading system-wide. This allows the utility to leverage investments in existing metering and customer billing data resources.

The flexible analysis tools in DAA Suite combine actual customer usage and billing data with SCADA-based substation information and weather data to increase the resolution and accuracy of loading data throughout the distribution system, resulting in more effective asset management decisions and practices.

“Today’s utilities need to prioritize and scope capital projects with an eye toward reducing costs and ensuring recoverability—without sacrificing reliability and customer satisfaction,” said Philip Mezey, Itron senior vice president for software solutions. “Distribution engineers are faced with many new challenges—expanding service areas, changing weather patterns, and aging infrastructure, to name a few.

“More precise, comprehensive and predictive load information on distribution system assets enables utilities to balance service reliability with business performance,” he added.

Using DAA, Xcel Energy in Denver now has the capability to predict which distribution transformers are likely to fail in extreme weather. Oklahoma Gas and Electric uses Itron’s DAA to improve its forecasting models to predict and recommend changes in the size of transformers needed throughout the system. With Itron’s DAA, utilities can develop methods to analyze multiple sources of data and understand how assets are stressed in the field and how energy flows through the distribution system. This allows utilities to better service customers by proactively replacing equipment likely to fail in unexpected, undesirable or unmanageable ways.