Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what distribution companies most often ask before starting with GRID-IN.
Do we need to install any hardware?
No. GRID-IN works with the data a distribution company already collects: load profiles from the metering system (AMI), billing, the consumer register, network diagrams. No meters, sensors or substation controllers are needed.
Which metering systems does GRID-IN work with?
Any system that exports meter load profiles. Exports are accepted as files in the form the system produces them: Excel, CSV, ZIP and 7z archives. An unfamiliar column layout only needs to be mapped by hand once. For regular exchange there is an API.
What is the minimum data needed?
Load profiles of the consumer meters and of the substation input meter over the same period. Event logs, billing, the register and the network diagram widen the range of findings and make them more reliable. Details — on the “Data requirements” page.
Is a 0.4 kV network diagram required?
Not for non-technical losses: the diagram-free methods work from metering data. The diagram is needed to calculate technical losses, current load and voltages by section. It can be drawn in the GRID-IN editor on a map or uploaded as a file.
Do we need ready balance groups?
No. If there are none, GRID-IN assembles them from the data. If they exist, it verifies them and shows meters that by their data belong to another substation.
What does GRID-IN find?
Unmetered and unauthorised consumption, cryptocurrency mining, faulty meters and meters that stopped reporting, meters recorded on the wrong substation. From the network diagram — technical losses, overloaded sections, voltages, and houses on the map with no service connection on the diagram.
What does the field crew get?
A field target register: address, meter number, type of irregularity, estimated unmetered energy, probability of confirmation, on-site procedure. Targets are grouped by location and ordered by return. The register opens in a browser and on a phone, with a map and route, and exports to PDF.
How do we check that the result is right?
By field visits. The crew records for each target: “confirmed”, “not confirmed”, “no access”. The share of confirmed targets is visible in the project, so the company assesses the result itself.
What if data are scarce or have gaps?
GRID-IN reports for every substation whether the data are sufficient for a conclusion and what is wrong with them. Gaps are not filled with made-up values: conclusions are drawn only from what is there.
How do we start?
With a pilot: a metering export for several substations over one period, as it is. GRID-IN builds the target register and calculates technical losses; crews check the targets. Then — a whole district or branch with regular uploads.
Cloud or our own server?
Both: a cloud service or installation on the distribution company’s server.
Who can see the data?
Each account sees only its own organisation’s projects. Roles: administrator, manager, inspector. Logins and actions (uploads, calculations, visit outcomes) are recorded in a log.
Is there an API?
Yes, a REST API: data upload, calculation start, targets, visit outcomes. See the “API” page.