Ageing infrastructure, workforce shortages, growing asset complexity, and rising customer expectations have forced utilities to rethink traditional approaches to field operations. In this environment, remote monitoring has moved from being a future-facing concept to a practical, cost-effective solution already delivering results for utilities around the world.
While every utility is unique, the lessons we have seen from early adopters, across large transmission operators in the U.S., regional providers in Colombia, and remote networks in Australia, point to a common outcome: substantial operational and financial benefits.
This article outlines key lessons learned from utilities that have implemented remote monitoring at their substations, with a focus on what O&M leaders can take away from those experiences.
Lesson 1: Remote Monitoring Reduces the Need for Physical Inspections
Historically, many utilities relied on scheduled site visits and time-based inspections to assess asset conditions and perform preventative maintenance. But with facilities spread across vast geographic regions, this model is increasingly expensive and resource-intensive.
Utilities that have adopted remote monitoring report a significant drop in the number of truck rolls required for routine inspections. Instead of dispatching technicians to physically verify asset status, crews are deployed only when an alert indicates a potential issue.
This transition from reactive to condition-based maintenance is not just more efficient, it’s safer. Technicians spend less time in the field, particularly in hazardous or hard-to-reach locations, reducing risk and improving workforce productivity.
Lesson 2: Data Enables Smarter Maintenance Planning
The value of remote monitoring goes beyond real-time visibility. The data captured, thermal signatures, visual anomalies, environmental conditions, enables teams to analyse trends and plan maintenance activities more strategically.
Utilities using remote monitoring solutions are increasingly applying predictive models to anticipate failures before they occur. This allows O&M teams to prioritize repairs based on severity, asset criticality, and real-world conditions, rather than fixed schedules or assumptions.
Lesson 3: Industrial-Grade Equipment Matters
Not all remote monitoring systems are created equal. One consistent takeaway across all successful implementations is the importance of deploying industrial-grade solutions.
Utilities have learned that consumer-grade or generalized security cameras do not meet the demands of remote substation environments. Industrial-grade equipment, designed specifically for utility infrastructure, ensures reliability and durability under field conditions.
This also includes the software behind the sensors. Utilities report that the most effective systems are those that seamlessly integrate with SCADA and asset management platforms, enabling streamlined workflows and centralized monitoring.
Lesson 4: Immediate Alerts Lead to Faster Response Times
When equipment fails, every second counts. Utilities that have implemented remote monitoring report significantly faster response times to faults and anomalies. Instead of relying on manual discovery during a site visit, or worse, waiting until an outage occurs, O&M teams are alerted as soon as a defined rule or threshold is breached.
This not only shortens the time to diagnose and respond, but allows the utility to reduce the impact of outages, minimize equipment damage, and improve system reliability.
For substations in remote areas, this capability is transformative.
Lesson 5: Implementation is Easier Than Expected
Utilities often assume that deploying a remote monitoring solution will require major changes to infrastructure, staffing, or processes. But real-world experience tells a different story. Many successful implementations have started with a phased approach, monitoring a handful of high-risk substations and scaling up over time.
Training, configuration, and integration can often be completed in a matter of days, especially when working with vendors experienced in utility environments. The ability to deploy without major capital upgrades has made remote monitoring accessible not just to large investor-owned utilities, but also to smaller co-ops and municipal providers.
Lesson 6: O&M Cost Savings Are Real and Measurable
Ultimately, the success of any technology investment hinges on return. For remote monitoring, the numbers speak for themselves. Utilities consistently report:
Fewer truck rolls and site visits
By enabling 24/7 remote visibility into equipment status, utilities reduce the need to send technicians on routine site visits. Many utilities have reported a drop in truck rolls after deploying remote monitoring systems. This not only cuts fuel, labour, and vehicle maintenance costs but also allows crews to focus on higher-value, mission-critical tasks.
Lower maintenance costs
With accurate, real-time data on equipment condition, utilities can shift from time-based to condition-based maintenance strategies. This prevents unnecessary servicing and helps avoid premature part replacements. Over time, utilities have seen measurable reductions in both planned and unplanned maintenance expenses across their substation fleets.
Faster fault detection and repair
Remote monitoring systems instantly alert O&M teams when equipment begins to operate outside normal parameters. In several deployments, this early warning capability allowed utilities to intervene before a minor issue escalated into a major failure. Faster detection translates into faster repairs, reduced downtime, and improved service reliability for customers.
Reduced risk of catastrophic equipment failure
By continuously tracking temperature anomalies, load imbalances, and other fault indicators, remote monitoring helps utilities catch high-risk conditions before they lead to equipment destruction. Utilities that have adopted thermal and visual analytics have avoided transformer failures, prevented arc flashes, and reduced the likelihood of fire events at remote substations. These avoided failures translate into avoided outages, regulatory fines, and costly asset replacements.
Extended asset life
Assets that are maintained according to their actual condition, rather than a static schedule, tend to last longer. Remote monitoring helps utilities avoid overloading, overheating, and wear conditions that shorten asset lifespan. Many O&M professionals have found that extending the usable life of even a single high-value asset offsets the cost of implementing a remote monitoring solution.
Enhanced worker safety
Reducing the frequency of on-site inspections minimizes employee exposure to energized equipment, extreme weather, wildlife, and remote terrain. Remote diagnostics allow operators to assess fault conditions safely from a control room before sending a crew to the site. Utilities report fewer field hours and lower incident rates when remote monitoring is part of the standard maintenance workflow.
Learn From Real-World Implementations
While this blog focuses on general lessons, the details matter. Specific results, deployment strategies, and before-and-after comparisons are available in SWI’s case studies featuring utilities in the United States, Australia, and Colombia.
To gain access to those case studies—and explore how others have succeeded—register today at: https://www.systemswithintelligence.com/sign-up-member