Sense Announces Edge-Powered Fault Detection to Improve Safety, Reliability, and Wildfire Prevention

Waveform AI™ detects arcing, downed lines, and equipment degradation on the distribution grid where the majority of outages occur

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sense, a leader in grid edge intelligence, today announced a new edge-powered Fault Detection Solution that is embedded directly into next-generation smart meters. The software gives utilities real-time visibility into faults throughout the distribution grid all the way to the service and secondary lines feeding homes, areas where most failures originate but monitoring has historically been limited.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than 90 percent of U.S. outages occur on the distribution grid, yet most fault detection technologies focus upstream on transmission or substations. Sense uses Waveform AI, its on-meter signal disaggregation and insight technology, to detect arcing, downed lines, and equipment degradation in real time, helping utilities reduce wildfire risk, protect crews, and accelerate restoration.

"Utilities need fast, accurate visibility into what's happening on the distribution grid," said Sense CEO Mike Phillips. "By moving intelligence to the edge, we're giving operators actionable insight the moment something goes wrong – without requiring new hardware or specialized field equipment."

Built for AMI 2.0, Sense runs as software inside modern smart meters, maximizing the investment in meter deployments and avoiding the additional cost and complexity of pole-top sensors or radio-based localization. Utilities can detect and localize faults faster, shorten outages, reduce truck rolls, and prioritize asset replacements based on real-world conditions. Early fault detection on the distribution grid can also help improve safety for utility lineworkers, as arcing events can be fatal for lineworkers who encounter them in the field.

The solution has already demonstrated proven value in utility pilots, identifying incipient faults caused by emerging vegetation issues and uncovering previously unseen faults in field infrastructure. The Sense Fault Detection Solution follows the Sense Load Visibility Solution announced in late 2025. Contact Sense to learn more or request a demo of Sense grid edge solutions.

About Sense

Sense is making the energy transition accessible to everyone. Sense's embedded intelligence redefines how utilities and consumers interact with homes and the grid. By partnering with meter manufacturers, Sense delivers software driven by high-resolution data that's vital for utilities to better engage with customers, detect devices, balance load, forecast demand and identify anomalies. Our consumer-facing app makes homes smarter, empowering home dwellers to make better use of their energy, lower electricity bills, and reduce their carbon footprint. Learn more at https://sense.com. 

SOURCE Sense