Rebalancing the O&M Equation

The Pressure Is Real and It’s Converging

Utilities are being asked to do more with less. Aging infrastructure is increasing maintenance needs. Load growth is accelerating after decades of relative stability. Extreme weather is driving more corrective work. At the same time, customers and regulators expect higher reliability and resilience while closely scrutinizing affordability. These pressures converge most directly in one place: Operations and maintenance (O&M) budgets.

O&M is where reliability becomes tangible. It funds inspections, maintenance, and the daily work that keeps the grid operating safely and predictably. It is also one of the most scrutinized cost categories because it flows directly to customer bills. Reliability expectations continue to rise, yet O&M budgets remain constrained. That tension is shaping nearly every operational decision utilities make today.

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The Constraint Is Not People. It Is Process.

It is easy to assume the challenge is staffing. It is not. Utilities are staffed by highly skilled professionals with deep institutional knowledge and a strong commitment to service. The real constraint is process.

Too much time is spent on manual data collection and documentation. Information lives in disconnected systems. Inspections are cyclical and labor intensive. Crews are redirected to urgent issues while preventive work is deferred to stay within budget limits. The result is a reactive operating model where work gets done, but often at higher cost and with less predictability. 

The path forward is not asking people to work harder. It is enabling them to work smarter by improving how O&M work is informed, prioritized, and executed.

Rethinking the O&M Operating Model

Rebalancing the O&M equation begins with visibility. When utilities have consistent, systemwide insight into asset conditions, they can prioritize based on risk rather than routine schedules. They can reduce unnecessary truck rolls and focus limited resources where reliability impact is greatest.

Preventive work becomes more targeted. Emergency work becomes less frequent and less disruptive. Asset life is extended. Confidence in cost allocation improves because decisions are based on clearer, more consistent information.

This shift also changes the economics of O&M. Certain activities traditionally treated as recurring O&M expenses can be supported by capitalized platforms that deliver multi year value. That creates a more predictable and regulator aligned cost structure while increasing productivity in the field. Reliability and affordability no longer compete. They become reinforcing outcomes of a more intelligent operating model.

Augmentation in Action

Artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies are making this shift possible today. Automated inspection technologies capture asset condition data during normal field activity. Instead of relying solely on dedicated patrols and manual documentation, utilities can collect consistent imagery as fleet vehicles travel their existing routes. Predictive analytics then help identify assets most likely to fail before issues escalate, allowing maintenance to shift from reactive response to targeted intervention.

Decision support tools surface risk and clarify tradeoffs across planning and field execution. At every stage, people remain central. Technology does not replace field expertise. It strengthens it. It equips crews, engineers, and operators with clearer priorities and more consistent systemwide insights so decisions are faster and more confident. This is augmentation in practice.

Real World Impact Today

This is not a future vision. It is a deployable model utilities are using now. Here at Noteworthy AI, we turn fleet vehicles into continuous data collection assets by capturing infrastructure imagery during normal daily dispatches without requiring crews to stop or change how they work. Asset condition data becomes continuous rather than cyclical, creating a more current and standardized view of grid health.

Issues are identified earlier. Prioritization improves across the system. Redundant truck rolls decline. Reactive O&M activity decreases. By capturing data once and applying it across multiple inspection and assessment use cases, utilities increase productivity without increasing O&M spend.

Over time, the gains compound. Operations become more predictable. Budget flexibility improves. Reliability strengthens.

A Practical Path Forward

For utilities looking to act, O&M is the natural entry point. Pain points are clear. Metrics are well understood. Improvements in coverage, speed, and consistency translate directly into operational and financial results.

The most effective deployments integrate into existing systems and workflows. They enhance daily operations rather than disrupt them. Early results build internal alignment and create a credible path to scale. At its core, the challenge utilities face is not constrained budgets alone. It is how those budgets are used. When O&M teams are augmented with better visibility and clearer insight, reliability improves, costs become more predictable, and resources are applied more strategically.

Rebalancing the O&M equation is not about spending more. It is about getting more from what you already spend.

To explore the full analysis, data, and real world examples behind this shift, download the complete whitepaper, Rebalancing the O&M Equation, here.