One of the critical requirements of smart distribution grid is to incorporate self-healing mechanisms which help in effective operation and better management of distribution system. Distribution system has grown in a multi-fold fashion during recent times not only in terms of increased load but also with the addition of advanced infrastructure like communication, smart meters & sensors, automation and information technology. Digitization of distribution grid led to the development of new technologies and solutions like residential micro-grids, electric vehicle charging, demand response, net metering, demand-side management and outage management system for effective load management and control in Low Voltage (LV) distribution networks. At the same time, this has been posing tremendous challenges in effective operation of Medium Voltage (MV) distribution networks due to the lack of real-time and additional information from LV networks. Distribution Automation (DA) applications at MV level has limited access or visibility outside distribution substation and reaching down to the LV network level. In this paper we propose a method of distribution load modelling in DA system based on Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system feedback which helps in effective operation of DA system along with suitable case study analysis. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd