Utility Billing - Close

The Utility Billing - Close page allows you to calculate utility usage and close out billing periods. Running calculations and closing billing periods finalizes the consumption and production amounts before the final charges are extracted to the general ledger.

To open the Utility Billing – Close page:

  1. Access the Utility module by clicking the Utility link at the top of the page.

  2. Select the Billing tab.

    The Utility Billing – Close page opens.

The Adjustments page is not currently implemented.

ClosedRun Billing Calculations

To calculate totals for a utility system or systems:

  1. In the Select Utility field, select the utility type.

  2. In the Billing Period Range field, select the billing period range in which to search.

  3. In the Calculated Status field, select the current status of calculations for the utility.

    Once a billing period for a utility system has a calculated status of Closed, it cannot be re-calculated.

  4. For the Billing Period select a Month and a Year value to define the billing period.

  5. Click FIND.

    A list of utility systems appears. You can sort the list by clicking any of the column headings. The following columns of information are displayed for each utility system:

    • Utility – the utility type of the system

    • Utility System – the name of the utility system

    • Billing Period – the date of the utility's current billing period

    • Prod – the utility system's production value

    • Cons – the utility system's consumption value

    • Dif – the difference between the production and consumption values

    • Calculated Status – the status of the utility system as it relates to closing

      A system needs to be calculated before closing the billing period. Once the current bill period for the system is closed, a new billing period is assigned and the calculated status resets to Not Calculated. All meter sites within the selected utility systems require allocations to be eligible for calculations and closing.

    • System Type – the description of how much the utility system's consumption is captured by meter sites

    • Line Loss % – an estimate of the utility system's production that is lost

    • UOM – the unit of measurement for the utility

    • Rate – the amount charged per utility unit for a billing period (displayed if the utility system's Allocation settings has the Calculate from Rate option is set to Yes)

    • Extract Date – the date on which the utility system's amounts were extracted

      The Extract Date field will be blank if a rollback was performed on the utility system or if the system's billing has never been extracted. A system with an Extract date cannot be re-opened. A system that has been closed for the billing period but has not been extracted/assigned an Extract date can be re-opened.

  6. If you need to review the meter site details for a utility system, click the Details link.

    The Meter Site Details dialog box opens, displaying the following columns:

    • Meter Site Name - the name of the meter site

      Meter site names display in parent/child hierarchical format. Parent meter sites have a plus/minus button you can click to view/hide their children meter sites.

    • Meter Site Type - the type of the meter site (for example, Production, Consumption, or Deduct)
    • Level - the level at which the meter site exists within a hierarchy
    • On? - indicates whether the meter site is on for billing
    • Sys? - indicates whether the meter site is used when calculating production for the utility system
    • Swapped? - indicates whether a meter site has been swapped
    • Min Billing - the amount that will be charged every billing period, even if the actual usage is less
    • Initial Consumption - the current consumption reading for the meter site
    • Residual Consumption - consumption that is accounted for more than once due to the organization of the meter site structure
    • Cost - the consumption cost for the meter site
  7. Close the Meter Site Details dialog box.
  8. Select the check boxes next to the utility systems that should be included in the calculation.

  9. Click Calculate.

    A dialog box opens asking you to confirm your choice.

  10. Click OK.

    The system calculates the utility totals.

The Calculated Status of the selected utility systems will be set to Calculated with the current date and time. Calculations for a utility system can be run multiple times until the billing period is closed.

Utility System Calculation Summary

If calculations for the utility systems are successful, a link appears allowing you to view the calculation summary. Click the HERE link to view the values in a new window. The Utility System Calculation Summary is organized by meter site tab order and includes the following information for each meter site associated with the calculated utility systems:

  • Utility – the utility type measured at the meter site

  • Meter Site – the name of the meter site

  • Meter Site Type - the type of the meter site (for example, Production, Consumption, or Deduct)

  • From (Parent) Meter Site - the parent for the meter site (one level above the meter site)

  • Meter Reading – the final meter reading for the meter site

  • Demand Reading – the fixed cost of providing a given level of the utility

  • Consumption – the initial consumption for the meter site

  • Final Consumption – the total of the initial consumption and the swap consumption for the meter site

  • Consumption Cost – the consumption cost for the meter site

    A meter site must be active and have the Meter Site On option set to Yes for this cost to be calculated.

  • Residual Consumption – consumption that is accounted for more than once due to the organization of the meter site structure

    Residual consumption is only calculated for a parent consumption meter site. When a meter site is a parent, it records all of the site's consumption. Child meter sites record pieces of that same consumption. Residual consumption is the difference between the total consumption and the sum of the child meter sites' consumption

  • Utility System – the utility system to which the meter site is associated (a utility system is a segment of a utility and refers to a collection of meter sites)

  • Billing Period – the current billing period for the meter site

  • Charge Rate – the current charge rate for the meter site

    If no rate is entered, the system will look at the rate set at the utility system, then to the utility when calculating billing. If the Calculate from Rate option is set to No, the charge rate is 0.

  • Swap Consumption – the consumption (or production) calculated when a meter is swapped out for another at the meter site (stored as a means of measuring the total consumption during the billing period)

  • Swap Cost – the cost calculated by multiplying the charge rate by the swapped consumption (stored for totaling the final amounts to be sent to either the general ledger or as a customer statement)

  • Demand Consumption – the demand reading multiplied by the meter multiplier

  • Residual Cost – the cost of the residual consumption calculated by multiplying the residual consumption by the meter site's charge rate

    A meter site must be active and have the Meter Site On option set to Yes for this cost to be calculated.

  • Allocations – the account strings that the costs were allocated to and the amounts allocated to each account

ClosedHold or Reopen a Utility System

Placing a utility system on hold allows you to temporarily lock it down, preventing any changes from being made to the meters sites within the utility system. When a utility system is placed on hold, you cannot perform meter readings, make invoice entries, recalculate it, or include it in a journal extract. Placing a utility system on hold can be useful, for example, if you want to keep utility system with disparate billing cycles in synch before exporting utility costs.

You must first calculate a utility system before you can place it on hold. Only utility systems that have been calculated, but not closed can be placed on hold.

To place a utility system on hold:

  1. Locate the utility system you want to place on hold by specifying any of the following criteria:

    • Select Utility – the utility type
    • Billing Period Range – the billing period range
    • Calculated Status – only calculated utility systems can be placed on hold
    • Billing Period Dates – two values to define the billing period

  2. Click FIND.

    A list of utility systems appears. You can sort the list by clicking any of the column headings.

  3. If you need to review the meter site details for a utility system, click the Details link.

    The Meter Site Details dialog box opens, displaying the following columns:

    • Meter Site Name - the name of the meter site
    • Meter Site Type - the type of the meter site (for example, Production, Consumption, or Deduct)
    • Level - the level at which the meter site exists within a hierarchy
    • On? - indicates whether the meter site is on for billing
    • Sys? - indicates whether the meter site is used when calculating production for the utility system
    • Swapped? - indicates whether a meter site has been swapped
    • Min Billing - the amount that will be charged every billing period, even if the actual usage is less
    • Initial Consumption - the current consumption reading for the meter site
    • Residual Consumption - consumption that is accounted for more than once due to the organization of the meter site structure
    • Cost - the consumption cost for the meter site
  4. Close the Meter Site Details dialog box.

  5. Select the check boxes next to the utility systems that you want to place on hold.

  6. Click HOLD.

    The status of the utility system changes to On Hold.

    When you open a meter site that is on hold on the View Meter Site or Edit Meter Site pages, a warning banner displays indicating that the meter site is on hold.

When you want to reopen a utility system that is on hold so that it can be edited, recalculated, or extracted, select it and click REOPEN.

ClosedClose Billing Period for a Utility System

Closing a billing period allows calculations to be extracted and sent to the general ledger. All utility systems of a billing period must be closed before the billing period is considered closed. To close a billing period for a utility system or systems:

  1. In the Select Utility field, select the utility type.

  2. In the Billing Period Range field, select the billing period range in which the system should search.

  3. In the Calculated Status field, select the current status of calculations for the utility.

    Once a billing period for a utility system has a calculated status of Closed, it cannot be re-calculated.

  4. In the Billing Period Dates field, select two values to define the billing period.

  5. Click FIND.

    A list of utility systems appears. You can sort the list by clicking any of the column headings.

  6. If you need to review the meter site details for a utility system, click the Details link.

    The Meter Site Details dialog box opens, displaying the following columns:

    • Meter Site Name - the name of the meter site
    • Meter Site Type - the type of the meter site (for example, Production, Consumption, or Deduct)
    • Level - the level at which the meter site exists within a hierarchy
    • On? - indicates whether the meter site is on for billing
    • Sys? - indicates whether the meter site is used when calculating production for the utility system
    • Swapped? - indicates whether a meter site has been swapped
    • Min Billing - the amount that will be charged every billing period, even if the actual usage is less
    • Initial Consumption - the current consumption reading for the meter site
    • Residual Consumption - consumption that is accounted for more than once due to the organization of the meter site structure
    • Cost - the consumption cost for the meter site
  7. Close the Meter Site Details dialog box.

  8. Select the check boxes next to the utility systems you want to close billing periods for.

    All selected utility systems must have a Calculated Status of Calculated to be eligible for closing.

  9. To review calculations for the utility systems before closing its billing period, click Calculate.

    A link appears allowing you to review the system total summaries in a new window.

  10. Click Close.

    A dialog box opens asking you to confirm your choice.

  11. Click OK.

If the billing close for the utility systems was successful, a link will appear allowing you to view the system total summaries in a new window. These are the calculations that can be sent to the general ledger.

Once the current billing period for the system is closed, a new billing period is automatically assigned to the utility system and the calculated status resets to Not Calculated. The billing period is set on a monthly basis.