Summary

The Billing Cycle Maintenance window is used to create and maintain billing cycles. A billing cycle is a group of UB customer accounts that should be billed in the same billing batch. When billings are generated (UB> New Billings), the new billing is generated by billing cycle. Billing cycles are also used in Past Dues, Winter Averaging and the Budget Billing process.

Billing cycles are attached UB customer accounts when they are created using the New Account Wizard and you can view or modify the billing cycle attached to a UB customer account in the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Account tab> Account sub-tab> Billing Cycle field).

Many of the UB module reports can be filtered by billing batch. The AR Totals by Cycle Report (UB> Reports> AR Totals By Cycle) and Aging Reports (UB> Reports> Aging) will display the outstanding balances on customers by billing cycle. The Account Master Report (UB> Reports> Account Master) and Accounts By Service Report (UB> Reports> Accounts by Service) will display UB customer information filtered by billing cycle. The Transactions by Date and Trial Balance by Date reports will display transaction information filtered by billing cycle.

Step by Step

1     View all devices in the Utility Billing module.

• Open the Device Selection window (UB> Maintenance> Device).
• The Device Selection window will display all meters that have been created in the Utility Billing module. Other devices, such as backflow devices, will not display.
  • The Device Selection window will display devices created using the Service Request Input Wizard and devices created using Device Maintenance.
  • The Device Selection window will also display devices that are not installed on customer accounts.
• Enter information into the Search Criteria section and click the Refresh icon   to update the devices that display in the window.
  • If the orange Incomplete icon   displays in the bottom right corner of the search window, all devices in the search have not been included in the window.
    • If the search contains many devices, the window may only display some of the devices in order to load the window faster.
    • Click on the orange Incomplete icon if you would like to load all of the devices in the window.
      • NOTE - Springbrook Cloud users will not be able to use the Incomplete icon   to display all of the available records. Data grid filters will need to be refined in order to display all records that meet the filter criteria. However, Springbrook Cloud users can generate a .csv file that includes all the records in the database that meet the specified filter criteria via a data grid export.
• Right click on the data in the window and select Export grid contents to Excel to create an MS Excel spreadsheet of the information that displays in the window. This allows you to create a report of the filtered devices in the window that includes most of the important information attached to the device.
• Highlight a device and click the Modify icon to open the selected device.
• Highlight a device and click the Delete icon to delete a device.
  • If the device is attached to history records, such as meter readings, you will not be able to delete the device.
• Use the Create icon drop-down menu to select the type of device you would like to create. This will open the Device Maintenance window.
  • Before creating a new device, make sure that the device type of the device has been created (UB> Maintenance> Water, Gas or Electric Device Type).
    • The device type will determine the manufacturer, model number, size, number of digits on the meter, number of usage periods (used for grouping peak and non-peak usage) and unit type of the device.

2     View the general information on the device.

• The Device Maintenance window will vary depending on the type of device being created (gas, water, electric), and whether the device is installed on a UB customer account.
  • The titles of the tabs and the fields that display in those tabs will vary based on the type of device being created.
  • Additional tabs such as the Connections, Consumption and Attached Devices tabs will display on the window if the device is installed on a UB customer account.
• The first tab of the Device Maintenance window is where the device type and device information is entered and the title of the tab will vary.
• The fields in the Device Type section will not be enabled, but they will populate with information after the device type has been selected.
  • Click the Manufacturer field label to attach a device type to the device.
  • Device types are created on the Device Type Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Backflow, Electric, Gas, or Water Device Type).
  • After a device type has been selected the fields in the Device Type section will populate with the information attached to the device type.
• The Device section will display fields that are specific to the device and will vary based on what kind of device (gas, water, electric, etc.) is displayed in the Device Maintenance window.
  • The Status drop-down menu is the status of the meter and will default to active when a new device is created using an add device service request. If the device is created using the Device Maintenance window, the Status field will default to Inactive.
    • The Status drop-down menu does not directly relate to the connection status of the device. The connection status is set up on the Connections tab of the Device Maintenance window.
  • The Last Reading field will display the last reading on the device if it has been removed from a UB customer account.
  • The Installed Account and Installed Address fields will display information if the device is attached to a UB account.
    • The Installed Account field will display the active UB customer account number attached to the lot the device is installed on.
    • The Installed Address field will display the address of the lot that the device is installed on.
• Enter a Serial Number. This is a required field because it identifies unique devices of the same model and manufacturer.
  • The Serial Number can be up to 16 alphanumeric characters long.
• The Register ID field displays on all meter devices and is used to record the register identification numbers of touch read meters.
  • The Register ID field can be up to 16 alphanumeric characters long.
  • If the device is a radio read meter, enter an MXU identification number in the MXU ID field.
• The Purchase Date is used to record the purchase date of the device.
• The MXU ID field displays on all meter devices and is used to report the MXU identification number of a radio read meter.
  • The MXU ID field can be up to 16 alphanumeric characters long.
  • If the meter is a touch read meter, enter a register ID number in the Register ID field.
• The Inventory Status drop-down menu updates as service requests are processed on the device.
  • The Installed status is for devices that are installed on a UB customer account. The address of the lot the device is installed on displays in the Installed Address field and the UB customer account number displays in the Installed Account field.
  • When a remove device service request is processed on the device the Inventory Status will change to Testing.
  • The device will have an Inventory Status of Pending if an Add Device service request has been performed on a customer account but has not been committed.
• While the device has an inventory status of Pending all of the fields on the Device Maintenance window will be disabled.
• The Inventory Location field is used to enter the location of the device if it is not installed on a UB customer account. For example, if the device is located in a warehouse, you could enter the shelf and row of where the device is located in the warehouse.
  • The Inventory Location field is not the same as the location where the device was installed on a lot. That information is stored with the connection information on the Connections tab in the Location field.

3     The Connections tab displays the UB accounts that a device has been attached to.

• This tab will display if the device is currently installed or has ever been installed on a UB account.
• The Route and Sequence fields display the route and sequence number of the device.
• The Service Address field displays the address of the lot the device is installed at.
  • The Lot Number of the lot where the device is installed is an optional column in the window.
• The Install Date is the service date entered on the add device service request that installed the device on the UB customer account.
  • The service date is entered in the Service Date field on the first step of the Service Request Input Wizard.
• The Remove Date column is the date the device was removed from the customer account using a Remove Device service request.
• The Status drop-down menu displays the Connection Status of the device on the account.
  • The Status column will display Removed if a Remove Device Service Request has been performed on the customer account attached to the device.
  • The Status column will display Active if the device is installed on a customer account.
• The EDU field displays the EDU units attached to the device. Depending on how the service rates are set up, the EDU value may affect the calculated billing on a UB customer account.
  • To see if the EDU value will be used when calculating a billing, open the Service Rate Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Service Rates).
    • If the Use Lot Units toggle is not checked, and the Multiply minimum, Multiply consumption or Multiply consumption level toggles are checked on the Service Rate Maintenance window, the EDU value on the device will be used when calculating a billing.
• The Lot Number displays the lot number where the device is installed.
  • By default this column will not display in the window. You can add the Lot Number column to the window by right-clicking the mouse on the column headings.

4     The Consumption tab displays the meter readings on the device.

• If the device has been attached to multiple accounts, the meter readings of each account will display in the window. If a meter reading is attached to a service request, the meter reading will not display on the Consumption tab until the service request is committed (UB> Service Request> Commit). Meter readings on uncommitted service requests will not display on this tab.
• Highlight a device reading and the fields in the Consumption and Time of Use Periods sections will display the information attached to the highlighted meter reading.
  • You will not be able to modify billed meter readings. If you need to modify a billed reading, delete the reading and create a new reading.
• If the Billed, New Read and Estimated toggles display in the window, you will not be able to change the selection of those toggles from the data display section of the window. If you would like the change the Billed or Estimated toggle, highlight the meter reading and change the value in the Consumption section.
  • The New Read toggle cannot be changed from the Consumption tab. The New Read toggle will be checked if the reading was created in UB> Meter Management> Input New. If the reading was entered on a service request or from the Device Maintenance window the New toggle will not be checked.
• Highlight a device reading and click the Delete icon   to delete the highlighted meter reading.
  • You will be able to delete a billed meter reading. This allows you to modify billed meter readings.
• Click the Create icon   to add a new reading to the device. This will add a new device line item in the window. You can also enter a meter reading in UB> Meter Management> Input New.
  • The Customer Number field will populate with the customer number that is active on the lot the device is attached to.
  • The Customer Sequence field is the sequence number of the active UB customer account attached to the lot where the device is installed.
  • The Read Date field will populate with the current date.
  • The Reading Year and Reading Period will populate with the current calendar year and month.
    • The Reading Period and Reading Year fields are important if you generate bills based on meter readings of a certain period. The reading period and year are selected during the Generate step of the New Billing process (UB> New Billing> Generate).
      • The New Billing process will only generate bills on meter readings of a certain period if Period is selected in the Meter Reads to Bill drop-down menu (UB> Utilities> Setup> Billing tab).
  • Enter a Description of the meter reading if desired.
    • The Description field can be up to 32 alphanumeric characters long.
  • Enter the meter reading in the Reading field.
    • The consumption on the reading will not automatically calculate based in the entered meter reading. Do not forget to enter a consumption amount in the Time Of Use Periods section after entering a meter reading.
  • The Power Factor Cons and PF Percent fields are used for power factor calculations.
    • The Power Factor Cons field is used to set the consumption level that will be used if the reading falls below the Power Factor Threshold specified on the Device Type Maintenance window.
    • The PF Percent field will populate with the power factor percent calculated when the reading is imported. This percent is calculated using the following equation:
      • Calculated PFP = COS ( ATAN ( KVAR Cons / KWH Cons ))
      • COS=cosine, ATAN=arctangent
      • If the PF Percent is greater than the Power Factor Threshold specified on the Electric Device Type Maintenance window, the standard demand consumption will be used when the reading is billed.
      • If the PF Percent is less than the Power Factor Threshold specified on the Electric Device Type Maintenance window, the reading will be billed based on the value in the Power Factor Con field.
  • The Banked Cons field displays the total amount of banked consumption for the reading.
    • Banked consumption is a result of a solar meter generating more KWH than the electric meter billed for a read period. This banked consumption can then be credited towards a subsequent billing.
  • Check the Estimated toggle if the meter reading is an estimated reading.
  • Check the Billed toggle if the meter reading has already been billed or if you do not want the reading to generate a billing.
    • The consumption on a billed meter reading will not be billed when a New Billing batch is generated.
  • Enter the consumption amount of the meter reading in the Time of Use Periods section.
    • Time of Use Periods is an optional feature used to separate consumption into multiple usage periods and allows you to bill consumption at different rates. Time of Use Periods are generally used to bill peak and non-peak rates.
    • If you are not using Time of Use Periods, enter the consumption into the field labeled Consumption Period 1. This will be the only field enabled if you are not using time of use periods.
    • If you are using Time of Use Periods, enter a portion of the consumption in each usage period that applies.
      • You can view how a service rate will be applied to each usage period on the Consumption Levels tab of the Service Rate Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Service Rate).
  • Click the Save icon   to save the meter reading.

5     The Attached Devices tab displays the devices that are attached to the selected device.

• The Attached Devices tab will only display if a device is installed on a customer account.
• Meters are attached to a meter to either subtract or add to the billable consumption on that meter. The Exempt Meters drop-down menu on the UB module Setup window (UB> Utilities> Setup> Billing tab) will determine how the consumption on all attached meters will be billed.
  • If Add is selected, the consumption on attached meters will be added to the consumption on the meter.
  • If Subtract is selected, the consumption on the attached meters will be subtracted from the consumption on the meter.
• If the meter opened in the Device Maintenance window is an exempt meter, the Attached Devices tab will not display the device the exempt meter is attached to. The Attached Devices tab will only display exempt meters that are attached to the meter opened in the Device Maintenance window.
• Click the Create icon   to add a meter to the device. This will open the Device Selection window.
• Highlight a device in the window and click the Delete icon   to remove the attached device from the meter.
• The Service Point column will display the service address of the attached device.

6     The Miscellaneous tab displays the miscellaneous information attached to the device and includes a Notes field.

• The fields are used to enter information on the device that is outside the current scope of the Springbrook version. The information entered into these fields can be used in reporting by including these fields on a QBE report (UB> Maintenance> Query by Example).
  • These fields will display on the Meter table of the QBE report.
• The labels of the miscellaneous fields can be set up in Miscellaneous Field Labels Window (SS> Utilities> Miscellaneous Field Labels).

7     Track any changes made to the device.

• Click the Audit Trail icon to open the Audit Trail window.
• Use the Search Criteria section to sort the displayed audit trail.
• The Audit Trail History section will provide details about any changes made to the device including the date of the change, type of change made, user that made the change, and data table that was edited.