Overview: Template Manager

The Template Manager enables the EnergyCAP user to create and update Bill Templates associated with commodities.Bill Templates are designed to correlate well with vendor data as presented on utility bills. The template example below provides for capture of on- and off-peak usage and demand values, as well as total cost of the bill for an electric meter. Captured data is stored in the EnergyCAP database and is available for reporting and export.

Bill templates are associated with specific account/meter records in EnergyCAP to ensure that desired billing data is captured during the bill entry process.

Accessing the Template Manager

On the navigation bar, select the Accounting module.

Click the Templates icon  . The Template Manager will open.

Bill Templates 

Bill Templates are commodity-specific forms that define a layout and sequence for entering utility bill information into EnergyCAP. Once they are created, templates can be assigned to accounts/meters, allowing associated billing and/or consumption information to be entered into the EnergyCAP database. Bill Templates allow the EnergyCAP user to customize the appearance of the EnergyCAP bill entry interface to closely match the billing information provided by the vendor for each account/meter.

Templates ensure that bill entry personnel are capturing all desired billing data including use and cost. Complex bills generated by some vendors require a fully-customizable bill template designer, which EnergyCAP provides.

Creating new versions of templates with effective dates allows the user to add or remove line items as data collection needs change or as vendor bills change. When entering bills, the bill end date determines which template version is applied. Example: When entering a historical bill ending 01-31-2008, EnergyCAP Enterprise applies the template version effective for that bill date even though newer versions may exist.

Templates may only be assigned to either bill-enabled accounts or meters associated with bill-enabled accounts. Ordinarily, however, the template is ONLY assigned to a meter, since consumption data is always intended for association with a meter/place and not an account. 

Multiple meters with different bill templates can be associated with a single account (as with a Summary Bill); the relevant template will be provided for each meter during bill entry, and individual meter tallies will be totalled.

Bill Template Types

Existing Bill Templates are organized in EnergyCAP by Commodity and then Unit of Measure. Template naming conventions incorporate common unit abbreviations (KW, CCF, GAL, MMBTU, etc.) for the units of measure associated with the template. Special templates are available for deregulated (LDC/Supplier) scenarios in which two separate accounts may be associated with a single meter.

Template Manager description

The Template Manager workspace is divided into two panes:

Hierarchy Pane:
 A hierarchy of commodities and templates. The display and functionality is similar to the Windows Explorer display of folders and files. Folders with a "+" ( ) have hidden contents.

Template Version Properties pane: 
Displays the template version by code, display, commodity, effective date range, and any line items.