Tariff components
Use tariff components to define how SkyBill measures the quantities to bill. Each tariff component represents one method of applying a charge during the billing cycle. You must create the necessary components before you can build a tariff.
Although tariff components might appear similar to rates or charges, they serve a different purpose. Think of them as a preparatory step before building tariffs. At this stage, you only define what will be measured (electricity, water, gas, and so on) and how you will measure it (by consumption, by days, by a fixed amount, and so on). You'll assign units of measure and rates later, when you create the tariff itself.
You can divide tariff components into three main categories:
- Standalone components can be used directly in the tariff and do not require any other tariff components to be added to the tariff to make sense. An example of such a tariff component is the water consumption. You can imagine a tariff that only charges for water consumption.
- Supplementary components (additional charges) are also used directly in the tariff, but they make sense only when used together with other tariff components. An example of such a tariff component is the standing charge, which can be a daily fee for the meter, regardless of the amount of consumption. In most cases, you will use such a fee together with some standalone components on your tariff. In this example, that would be a tariff with both consumption and a standing charge.
- Calculation-only components are used to enable advanced billing scenarios and are not used in tariffs. An example of such a tariff component is the return to sewer component. It is never used directly in a tariff. You may use another tariff component called sewer, where you will calculate the quantity, based on the water consumption. This way, you will use meter readings to get the water consumption and the return to sewer tariff component to calculate the sewer quantity.
To create a tariff component
- Select Search (Alt+Q)
in the upper-right corner, enter Tariff Components, and then choose the related link. - Select New, and then on the Utility Tariff Component Card page, enter values in the following fields.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Code(*) | Enter a unique identifier for the tariff component. |
| Description(*) | Provide a clear name that describes the component (for example, Monthly basic fee or Electricity charge). |
| Totaling Type(*) | Choose how SkyBill calculates the quantity. The Totaling Type determines the rule used to apply a charge. For more information about specific totaling types, see the Totaling types. |
| Totaling Table No. | This field is mandatory if you set the Totaling Type to Table. In such a case, select the table that will be the source for further calculations. For more information, see the totaling type: Table. |
| Field No. in Contract Line | Similar to the Totaling Table No. field, this field is mandatory if you set the Totaling Type to Table. You must select a field from the table chosen in the Totaling Table No.. |
| Meter Point Type(*) | Choose the utility type, such as electricity, water, or heat. |
| Allocation Level | [Add description] |
| Allocation Key | Select the method to distribute the consumption among supply addresses. The allocation key determines how SkyBill divides the consumption recorded by the bulk meter based on predefined criteria, such as submeter readings or apartment size. For more information, see the Bulk Consumption Allocation. |
| Meter Register No. | [Add description] |
| Totaling | Enter a value in this field if you set up Formula or Table in the Totaling Type field. Read more about both cases in the totaling type: Formula and totaling type: Table. |
| Condition | Specify the condition under which this tariff component applies. For example, enter >30 in the tariff component with the totaling type set to Highest value, to ensure that this tariff component is only applied when the peak consumption in the period exceeds 30. If the condition is met, the tariff component will be applied; otherwise, it will not be included in the billing. [T1] |
| Period Formula | [Add description] |
| Remove if Consumption is Zero | Specify if SkyBill should remove sales document lines if the consumption value is zero. |
| Short Description | Enter the tariff line description that you will display on your marketing site. |
| Long Description | Enter the extended description that the user will see on your marketing site. To display the description the user will need to hover over the tariff component. |
| Use Fixed Days | Turn this toggle on to use a fixed number of days, instead of the actual number of days in the billing period. To use this option, set up the value for the Days in Period field on the Billing Setup page. Learn more about Days in Period. |
| Percentage | [Add description] |
| Rounding Precision | Define the rounding precision for the quantities in the tariff component. Leave the field blank if you don't want to apply any rounding. Enter 1 to round to the nearest whole number. Enter 0.1 to round to one decimal place. |
| Bulk Meter is Optional | Specify whether a bulk meter is required for this tariff component. Use this field with bulk allocation totaling types, such as Bulk Consumption Allocation. When turned off, SkyBill returns an error if a submeter does not have a specified bulk meter. Turn it on if only some properties have a bulk meter, and [INCOMPLETE SECTION: SPECIFY WHAT WILL HAPPEN]. Leave this off if all submeters have a bulk meter specified. |
| Suppress Zero Amount | [Add description] |
(*) Required field.
Note
Depending on the selected Totaling Type, you may need to fill in additional fields to define how the quantity is calculated. For example, if you choose Formula as the Totaling Type, you must also enter a value in the Totaling field.
Related information
Totaling types
Tariffs
Design details
Meter points
Contracts