Working with Rates

Working with Rates

Creating a Rate Using the Rate Wizard

EnergyCAP recommends creating rates using the Rate Wizard (follow procedure below). It is easier than using the "Simple Rate" creation method.

  1. Select Accounting > Rates. The Rate Manager appears.

  2. Click to select the vendor under which to create the rate.

    NOTE: Click rate_lst.gif to navigate the hierarchy of vendors.

  3. From the Rate menu (or from the right-click popup menu), select New Rate > Wizard. The Rate Wizard-General window appears. If it does not, make sure that a vendor is selected/highlighted from the vendor list.
  4. Input the requested information including:
    • Rate Name (Typically, the rate name listed on the actual bill is used. Rate names found on bills differ occasionally from the names found in tariff information)
      NOTE: Each rate name associated with a vendor MUST be unique (for example, cannot have a "GS1" rate for electric AND water)
    • Rate Type (options are Fuel Cost, Rate Rider or Tax)
    • Commodity
    • Effective Date  (The first day that the rate is effective) Effective dates are typically derived from tariff information. Enter the rate effective date or use the drop-down arrow to select the date from the popup calendar.
    • Any desired Note (any comments specific to this rate, up to 255 characters).

  1. After making your selections, click Next button to proceed to the Rate Wizard-Feature Selection page.

    NOTES: If desired, use the Back button to return to a previous Rate Wizard page. And/or use the Cancel button to exit the Rate Wizard without saving the rate. Wizard page/window content and number of windows may vary depending on selected rate options.

  1. Select the desired rate Features by clicking the checkboxes associated for each. For additional information on the Rate Wizard options, click on a link below:

  1. After selecting the desired rate Features, click Next to open the Rate Wizard-Minimum/Maximum window. If applicable click the Rate Minimum and/or Rate Maximum checkboxes and input the appropriate values from the rate schedule. For additional information on the Rate Wizard options, click on the link below:

 

  1. Click Next to open the Rate Wizard-Finished window.

  2. To save all changes, click Finish. Or click Cancel to exit the Rate Wizard without saving the rate.

Working with Rates

Modifying a Rate Using the Rate Wizard

EnergyCAP recommends using the Rate Wizard when modifying an existing rate. If a rate is modified using the Simple rate functionality, the rate is designated as a custom rate.

NOTE: Modifying a rate is not the same as creating a new version of the rate. If the existing rate is changing, use the New Version option (see Creating a Rate Version).

To modify a rate using the Rate Wizard:

  1. Select the Accounting | Rates. The Rate Manager appears.

  2. Click rate_lst.gif to navigate to the vendor under which the rate exists.

  3. Select the appropriate rate.

  4. Right-click and select Properties | Wizard. The Rate Wizard window appears.

  5. Modify the rate by replacing existing information with updated information. When done, click the Finish button.

Working with Rates

Modifying Rate Properties Without the Wizard

It is possible to modify a rate without using the Rate Wizard.

'Simple' rate creation provides more options for user configuration; with that flexibility comes added user responsibility to ensure that all rate elements have been appropriately included in the rate configuration.

Follow the procedure below to modify a rate without using the Rate Wizard.

NOTE: If you modify a rate using the Rate Wizard, the rate remains a standard default rate. If you modify a rate using the Simple functionality, the rate will be designated a custom rate.

  1. Select the Accounting | Rates. The Rate Manager appears.

  2. Click rate_lst.gif to navigate to the vendor under which the rate exists.

  3. Select the appropriate rate.

  4. Right-click and select Properties | Simple. The Rate Properties window appears.

  5. Select the General tab.

  6. If applicable, edit the rate name in the Name field. Typically, the rate name listed on the actual bill is used. Rate names found on bills differ occasionally from the names found in tariff information.

  7. If applicable, edit or enter any comments about the rate in the Note field (comments specific to this rate, up to 255 characters).

  8. Select the Specifics tab.

  9. Select the Interface from the drop-down list. Input and Output choices will vary depending upon the Interface selection.

    • Rate Properties

    • Bill Calculation

    • Meter Details

  10. Assign an input by clicking plus.gif. The Create Input window appears.

  11. Modify an existing input by selecting the appropriate input then clicking properties.gif. The Input Properties dialog appears.

  12. Assign an output by clicking plus.gif. The Create Output window appears.

  13. Modify an output by selecting the appropriate output then clicking properties.gif. The Output Properties dialog appears.

  14. Delete an input or output by selecting the appropriate item then clicking minus.gif. The Confirm window appears.

    • Select Yes to delete the input or output.

    • Select No to cancel the operation.

  15. After making your selections, click OK. The rate is modified.

Working with Rates

Creating a Rate Version

New Rate or new Version?

 

Create a new RATE if:

  • The vendor has changed and an existing rate is not available for the new vendor OR
  • Multiple accounts use the same rate, and proposed rate changes will only affect a subset of those accounts.

 

Create a new rate VERSION if:

  • The existing vendor is making a rate change that affects all accounts using that rate, OR
  • It is important to retain the old rate for entering historical bill information.

 

EnergyCAP recommends using the Rate Wizard to assist with creating a new rate VERSION:

 

  1. Select the Accounting | Rates. The Rate Manager appears.

  2. Click rate_lst.gif to navigate to the vendor under which the rate exists.

  3. Select the appropriate rate.

  4. Right-click and select New Version. The Rate Wizard-General window appears. Update the Effective date, and make other changes as necessary. When done, click Next or Finish.

  5. For additional information on the Rate Wizard options, click on a link below:

Working with Rates

Deleting a Rate

  1. Select Accounting | Rates. The Rate Manager appears.

  2. Navigate to the vendor and commodity under which the rate exists.

  3. Select the rate to delete.

  4. From the Rate menu, select Delete. OR right-click and select Delete from the popup menu options. The Confirm window appears.

    • Select Yes to delete the rate.

    • Click No to cancel the operation.

Working with Rates

Copying a Rate to Another Vendor

To copy a rate to another vendor in the same database:

 

  1. Select an existing Rate VERSION.
  2. Select Copy As from the Rate menu OR right-click and select Copy As from the popup menu. The Rate Copy window appears.
  3. Input a new rate Name in the field provided.
  4. Select a Vendor from the drop-down list.
  5. Input the rate Effective Date (or keep the default date suggested).
  6. Input any desired information in the Notes: field.
  7. Click OK to copy the rate to the new vendor. The rate will be copied, and the new rate will appear in the Rate Manager hierarchy.

 

NOTE: Any existing Rate Variables are not copied to the new rate. If required, they will need to be recreated for the new vendor.

 

See Also: Exporting Rate Data

 

 

Working with Rates

Exporting Rate Data

The Export option enables transfer of rate (and other) information from one database to another (rate portability). To export a rate in EnergyCAP Enterprise:

  1.  Select Accounting | Rates. The Rate Manager appears.

  2. From the Rate Manager Tree View, select either:

    Nothing  (will export all rates, season definitions, time of use definitions, holiday group definitions, or meter details)
    Vendor node (will export the vendor's season definitions, time of use definitions, holiday group definitions, or meter details)
    Rate node (will export the rate, season definitions, time of use definitions, holiday group definitions, or meter details)

  3. After making a selection, click File/Export. The Save As window will appear.

  4. In the Save in pane, select the directory location for the file. Use the drop-down menu to select a different directory.

  5. In the File name field, enter a name for the file.

  6. Click the Save as type: drop-down and select the desired file type for export. Depending on the node selected in #2 above, the following Save as type fields may be availablel for selection:

    • Season Library (*.xml) Season definitions

    • Time of Use Library (*.xml) Time of use definitions

    • Holiday Library (*.xml) Holiday group definitions

    • Meter Details Library (*.xml) Meter details

    • Rate XML Files (*.xml) All rate properties including the rate script

    • All Files (*.*)  Do not use. File will not be exported.

  7. After making your selections, click Save. The data will be saved to the location specified.

See Also: Copying a Rate to Another Vendor

Working with Rates

Importing Rate Data

The Import option in EnergyCAP Enterprise enables the user to import rates and other types of data from an XML file exported from any other compatible EnergyCAP database (rate portability). To import rate information:

  1. Select Accounting > Rates. The Rate Manager will be displayed.
  2. From the File menu, select Import. The Open window will be displayed.
  3. In the Look in field, select the directory location of the import file. If necessary, use the drop-down arrow to display additional directories.
  4. In the Files of type: field, select the appropriate import file type (XML).
  5. Click on the desired import file to select it. Or type the file name into the File name: field.
  6. Click Open. Energy CAP Enterprise automatically detects what data is available in the import file and imports the rate data.

 

IMPORT NOTES: If the source vendor does not exist at all in the target database, a new vendor record will be created (only Code and Display name, no other fields will be populated) and the imported new rate will be created under that.

If the source Vendor Code exists in the target database, but the Display name is different, the Rate will not be imported, and a vendor will not be created (i.e. EnergyCAP will not create a duplicate vendor code nor will it proceed with the import if the vendor code exists but the source vendor name does not agree with the target vendor name.)

If the source Vendor Code does not exist, but the Vendor Display name does, a new vendor with the imported code and name will be created and the new rate will be created under that. This means that one vendor (for example “Central Power”) will have two records. Each record will have a distinct vendor code but the Display names will be the same.

Some EnergyCAP users have multiple vendor codes for the same vendor, typically because the vendor has multiple ‘remit-to’ addresses and the A/P system has to treat each remit address as a separate vendor. So, it is not unheard of for one vendor to be represented by multiple codes and vendor records (it is recommended that vendor records of this type be differentiated with a Display name suffix, such as “Central Power – Main Office” and “Central Power – Lincoln Office”).