Glossary
Important
Draft documentation
This content is a draft version of the SkyBill documentation and is subject to final review. Some information may be incomplete or inaccurate. Features, terminology, and procedures may change before the official release.
In this article, we provide definitions of key terms specific to SkyBill.
Billing period
The timeframe over which consumption is measured, and charges are calculated. It's defined by start and end dates that determine which meter readings and tariff rates apply to a specific billing cycle.
Bulk meter
A metering device that measures total consumption for a group of supply addresses (such as all apartments in a building). Also known as: master meter
Company website
A public-facing website where potential customers can explore tariffs and sign up for services, displaying tariff information configured in SkyBill. It requires integration with SkyBill to display tariff information.
Consumption
The quantity of utility service consumed by a customer during a billing period is calculated as the difference between meter readings or measured through other calculation methods. Also known as: usage
Consumption allocation
The process of distributing bulk meter readings among multiple supply addresses (properties) using allocation keys based on submeter readings, square footage, or equal distribution methods.
Landlord
A property owner who contracts with the utility provider for their supply addresses. They may be responsible for billing during vacant periods. They may also be billed for charges not allocated to tenants.
Meter
A physical device installed at a supply address to measure actual consumption of a specific utility, recording usage data over time and providing readings used for billing, analysis, and reporting.
Meter point
The physical connection where a utility service is delivered to a property. It serves as a permanent identifier. It remains constant even when physical meters are replaced over time. Also known as: supply point
Self-service portal
A website for utility customers to access their accounts. Customers can view account information, consumption data, contracts, and billing details. They can also perform actions like updating account settings.
Submeter
An individual metering device installed in each unit (apartment). It measures consumption for that specific supply address. It is typically linked to a bulk meter for allocation purposes.
Supply address
The physical location (property, apartment, or unit) where utility service is delivered. It serves as the connection point between customers (tenants/landlords), meter points, and contracts for billing purposes.
Tariff
A pricing plan that specifies the utility services billed and the method used to calculate charges. It combines tariff components (measurement methods) with rates and pricing conditions that apply to each component.
Note
In Dynamics 365 Business Central, the term tariff refers to Intrastat. Set up Intrastat reporting.
Tariff components
The building blocks of a tariff structure that define what is measured (electricity, water, gas) and how it is measured (by consumption, by days, by fixed amount).
Tenant
A customer occupying a specific supply address. They consume utility services at that location. They are responsible for billing according to their tenant contract.
Note
In Microsoft 365, a tenant refers to a dedicated instance of the cloud service for an organization, encompassing all users, groups, and resources within that organization. In this documentation, we use the term "tenant" to refer to customers linked to supply addresses in SkyBill. However, some of the links in this documentation point to Microsoft Learn, where Microsoft describes Dynamics 365 Business Central functionality and uses the term tenant in the context of Microsoft 365.
Totaling types
Calculation methodologies that define how quantities are measured and calculated for each tariff component. They determine whether charges are based on meter consumption, fixed amounts, days, formulas, or allocation logic.
Utility contract
The central element linking a customer to supply addresses and defining billing responsibilities. It specifies the services provided, applicable tariff, and billing details for that customer.
Related information
Totaling types
Design details
Configure and use the self-service portal
Create and manage supply addresses
Create utility contracts
Work with Business Central