View Utility

The View Utility page displays detailed information about a utility. This page opens after you create a new utility or when you click a utility link, for example on the Find Utility page.

If you have the appropriate security rights, you can click the Edit Utility link and edit the information displayed on this page.

At the top of the page are links to actions that can be taken the utility:

  • Create Utility– Click this link to open the Create Utility page and create a new utility.

  • Edit Utility – Click this link to make the fields on this page editable.

  • Find Utility – Click this link to open the Find Utility page to locate a utility.

ClosedGeneral Information

In the gray pane, the following information about the utility is displayed:

  • Utility Name – the name of the utility

  • Description – the description for the utility

  • Billing Period Start Date – the start date for the utility's current billing period

  • Last Updated By – the name of the user that last made updates to this utility's general information

  • Comments – comments about the utility

  • Status – the status of the utility, either Active or Inactive

    Setting a utility to Inactive also sets all its associated utility systems to Inactive; likewise, reactivating a utility sets all its utility systems to Active.

  • Unit of Measure – the unit of measure that applies to the utility

  • BTU Factor – the British Thermal Unit factor (unit for measuring the heating value) if the utility is natural gas

  • Charge Rate – the amount charged per utility unit for a billing period

  • Minimum Billing Amount – the minimum amount billed for every billing period, even if the actual usage is less

ClosedAccounts

If the NPFA (Non-Profit Fund Accounting) module is enabled, an Accounts pane is displayed, allowing you to define the accounts that utilities use to classify revenues and expenditures.

To specify an account:

  1. Expand the Accounts pane.

  2. Click the Add Another Account Group link.

    The Accounts pane expands to display the account definition options.

  3. In the Account Group field, select the type of accounts you want to add.

    An account group defines the type and format of the account strings that you can define to classify revenues and expenses for this entity.

  4. In the Billing Type field, select the type of billing you want to use for this entity.

    The billing type defines whether actual costs, estimated costs, or no costs will be used when billing for this entity. It also determines the percentage of markup applied to charges.

    Note:

    Depending on the configuration of the account group selected, the Billing Type drop-down menu may be disabled.

  5. Configure the accounts you want to associate with this entity.

    You can associate one or more accounts.

    1. Click the Add New Link.

      The Add Account String dialog box opens.

    2. In the Chart of Accounts field, select the chart of accounts that contains the account strings you want to add.

      Note:

      Depending on the configuration of the account group selected, the Chart of Accounts drop-down menu may not appear. If it is not displayed, the default chart of accounts will be used.

    3. In the Account Index field, select the account index containing the segment values that you want to use to populate the segment fields.

      An account index provides a named shortcut for populating the segment values. If you select an index, values will automatically fill-in for all of the segments. You can manually override a particular segment value, if needed.

      Note:

      Depending on the configuration of the account group selected, the Account Index drop-down menu may not appear. If it is not displayed, you can manually enter segment values in the fields.

    4. Enter a value for each segment.

      If you used an account index, these fields are automatically populated for you. You can modify them, if needed.

      As you click into each field, a list of valid values may appear in a drop-down menu. You can pick a value from the list instead of typing a value. Some account groups may not have this feature enabled.

    5. Click ADD.

    The account string and the Percentage of the costs that will be allocated to this account string are displayed. You can add additional account strings, if needed and modify the percentage values to allocate the costs appropriately. All account string percentages must add up to 100%.

  6. Click OK to save the account configuration.

    You can add another account group, if needed. For example, some installations define separate account groups for different billing types.

ClosedUtility Systems

This pane contains a list of all the utility systems that have been defined for this utility. The following information is displayed for each utility system:

  • Name – the name of the utility system

  • Description – a description of the utility

  • Charge Rate – the amount charged per utility unit in a billing period, if the Calculate from Rate option is set to Yes in the utility system's Allocation settings

  • Minimum Billing– the amount that will be charged every billing period, even if the actual usage is less

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