Aclara: Utility meters, AMI communications and grid-data software

Aclara, a Hubbell brand, supplies electricity meters, utility communications, grid-edge devices and software for electricity, gas and water utilities.

Summary

Best for
Utility-scale metering programmes that need coordinated devices, network collection and operational software.
Less suited to
Assuming a supported AMI network is a local Modbus interface for a building controller.
Deployment
Residential or commercial meters integrated with selected AMI communications and headend or analytics software.
Data in
Meter readings, load profiles and grid-edge data across product-specific utility communications.

Overview

Aclara supplies smart infrastructure for electricity, gas and water utilities. Its offering combines meters and other field devices with advanced metering infrastructure, headend software and implementation services. This makes its role broader than supplying an electricity meter alone: a utility can source both measurement equipment and parts of the system used to collect and operate it.

Within electricity metering, the I-210+c addresses residential applications, while the kV2c Gen5 targets commercial and industrial requirements. The distinction affects available meter forms, load-profile capacity and configuration options. Their communications choices belong to utility AMI networks, which is a different purchasing and integration task from adding an ordinary building-control sensor.

Offering

The I-210+c provides bidirectional demand measurement, event logging and residential metering functions. Its catalogue lists Class 20, 200 and 320 variants and identifies service-disconnect options for the Class 200 and 320 versions. Selecting the meter form and service arrangement comes before choosing an AMI option.

The kV2c Gen5 supports single- or polyphase circuits and up to 20 load-profile channels. Its options include multiple I/O arrangements, a serial communication card and alternative power supplies. The same page describes a disconnect in introductory copy but marks the specific 16S Class 200 service-disconnect option as coming soon; availability therefore needs confirmation rather than an unconditional feature claim.

Products and platforms

  1. AclaraONE

    Utility software

    Meter-to-cash and network-management software for utility metering estates.4

  2. Aclara360

    Grid analytics software

    Modular software announced in January 2026 for analysing meters and grid-edge data.5

  3. TWACS UMT-C

    Commercial meter transponder

    Two-way utility access to usage and voltage data from commercial and industrial meters.9

  4. TWACS UMT-R

    Residential meter transponder

    Residential meter transponder supporting scheduled and requested reads from ANSI C12.19 tables.9

  5. TWACS PLC

    Utility communication network

    Two-way communications over the electricity distribution network for metering and utility monitoring.9

  6. RF Combo

    Utility communication network

    Radio network for electric, gas and water utilities using licensed 450–470 MHz frequencies in the reviewed offer.11

  7. RF Water, Gas

    Utility communication network

    Two-way radio collection for water and gas metering; utility-network planning and licensing apply.11

  8. RF Electric

    Utility communication network

    Point-to-multipoint radio collection for electric distribution-system endpoints.11

  9. Metrum Cellular

    Utility communication network

    Cellular networking for AMI, outage/restoration management and voltage-reduction applications.11

  10. Enhanced Utility Services

    Utility engineering services

    AMI network management, technology consulting and distribution-network consulting.10

  11. ProField

    AMI deployment software

    Workforce, inventory and meter-lifecycle workflows supporting field deployment.8

Technology

Aclara lists AMI compatibility for the I-210+c, including its own RF and cellular systems and named third-party networks. The kV2c Gen5 also lists Aclara TWACS, a power-line collection option, alongside RF, cellular and other supported networks. These are specific equipment and network combinations, not evidence that every listed transport is present simultaneously.

Above the devices, AclaraONE addresses meter-to-cash operations and network analytics. The separately named Aclara360, announced in January 2026, applies modular grid analytics to meter and grid-edge information. Its stated uses include identifying voltage or phase imbalances, improving network topology information and helping localise faults.

Markets

For a residential utility programme, the I-210+c combines consumption measurements with operational information such as events and tamper indications. The utility's required meter form, current class and chosen communication system determine the equipment configuration. This is especially relevant when replacing part of an existing AMI estate rather than designing an entirely new collection network.

Commercial and industrial users can require a richer profile of load and service quality. The kV2c Gen5 provides additional load-profile capacity and configurable I/O for that role. At network scale, Aclara360 uses collected information to investigate distribution conditions, whereas an individual meter's own records remain the underlying measurement evidence.

Company

Hubbell completed its acquisition of Aclara Technologies LLC on 5 February 2018. The current Aclara company page and website present it as a Hubbell business, and the contact page identifies the headquarters mailing address in St. Louis, Missouri. That address belongs to Aclara; Hubbell's corporate address is a separate fact.

Silicon Labs describes Aclara as founded in 2007 in its customer case study. This refers to the Aclara business rather than the earlier origins of inherited meter companies. The acquisition evidence, current brand relationship and model-specific product pages provide a clearer account of the organisation a utility would engage for metering, communications and associated services.

Alternatives in power metering and monitoring

What to look for in power metering and monitoring

References

  1. Aclara company and utility portfolio (opens in a new tab)
  2. Hubbell acquisition of Aclara, February 2018 (opens in a new tab)
  3. I-210+c residential meter technical specifications (opens in a new tab)
  4. AclaraONE utility software (opens in a new tab)
  5. Aclara360 launch, January 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  6. kV2c Gen5 commercial meter technical specifications (opens in a new tab)
  7. Aclara headquarters and office locations (opens in a new tab)
  8. Manufacturer product and project evidence (opens in a new tab)
  9. Manufacturer product and project evidence (opens in a new tab)
  10. Manufacturer product and project evidence (opens in a new tab)
  11. Manufacturer product and project evidence (opens in a new tab)
  12. Silicon Labs Aclara customer case study (opens in a new tab)

This profile does not imply a commercial relationship with Aclara and may contain inaccuracies.