Intelligent receptacle

A metering device comprising:

• a metrology unit configured to measure an amount of a utility service provided to a first receptacle device and a second receptacle device via the metering device;
• a processor communicatively coupled to the metrology unit;
• and
• memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing:
• a first virtual receptacle device instance having a first operating system and being in communication with the first receptacle device to remotely monitor consumption of the utility service of a first load at the first receptacle device;
• and
• a second virtual receptacle device instance having a second operating system, different than the first operating system, and being in communication with the second receptacle device to remotely monitor consumption of the utility service of a second load at the second receptacle device, wherein the first virtual receptacle device instance is also in communication with the second receptacle device to remotely monitor consumption of the utility service of the second load at the second receptacle device.

A method performed by a metrology unit configured to measure an amount of a utility service provided to a plurality of receptacle devices via a metering device, the method comprising:

• storing, in a memory of the metering device, a plurality of virtual receptacle device instances configured to:
• communicate, by a first virtual receptacle device instance of the plurality of virtual receptacle device instances, data with a first receptacle device of the plurality of receptacle devices;
• perform, by the first virtual receptacle device instance, operations on the data communicated by the first receptacle device;
• communicate, by a second virtual receptacle device instance of the plurality of virtual receptacle device instances, data with the receptacle device of the plurality of receptacle devices;
• and
• perform, by the second virtual receptacle device instance, operations on the data communicated by the receptacle device, wherein the operations performed by the first virtual receptacle device instance are different than the operations performed by the second virtual receptacle device instance.