Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing (CC&B) – Interval Billing Feature

Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing (CC&B) – Interval Billing Feature:

“Interval Meters” measure electricity usage in intervals, usually 30 - minutes or 15-minute periods. Oracle CC&B supports to upload such interval meter data and computes it for billing purpose.

C&I Customers are charged based on "Spot Market Pricing". They pay the more for electricity during peak hours of the day and pay less for electricity during the off peak hours. This is why it is important to understand interval data and be able to make informed decisions for load shifting and controlling the demand.

“Spot Market Energy Pricing” Changes from hour to hour, day to night, from season to season, and for short periods in response to high levels of demand or sudden changes on the grid. Customers with an interval meter are billed for their interval energy consumption against the interval price, which is set hourly or half-hourly by the Independent Electricity System Operators (IESO).

As demand increases, more expensive offers from generators are accepted, which raises the price of electricity. As demand drops, only the less expensive offers are accepted, which reduces the price. Customers are able to respond to changes in prices by shifting some of their demand to off-peak periods.

Oracle CC&B (interval Billing Module) can accept interval data and spot market energy price (interval Price) and computes them to bill the customer for their energy consumption.

The following steps illustrate the Interval meter reading and interval billing concepts in Oracle CC&B:

The configuration data setup for Interval Billing:

1.     Create Interval Profile Type:

·         Specify “Interval Data Creation” Algorithm

·         Specify “Interval Data Validation” Algorithm , if any

2.     Create Interval Profile Relation Type:

·         Add the Interval profile type created above

3.     Create Interval Register Type:

·         Add “Interval Register Validation” Algorithm, if any

4.     Create Bill Factor to upload Spot Price (Interval Price) Data:

·         Bill Factor Type should be “Interval”

5.     Create Bill Factor Characteristic to hold the Spot price values

6.     Rate Schedule:

7.     Rate version:

8.     Rate Component:

·         RC Type: should be “Interval Pricing”

·         Bill Factor: Attach the relevant Bill factor which contains spot/interval price data

·         Calc Algorithm: Attach the relevant interval price calculation algorithm (Note: Interval Billing will not have Bill Segment Type – Consumption Calculation Algorithm. Instead the Calculation algorithm on the Rate Component computes the Bill amount by multiplying the interval profile data by the spot/interval price.

·         Interval Profile Relation Type: This indicates profile linked to the SA which contains the interval quantities to be processed.

9.     Rate Component – Calc Algorithm configuration: (Note: “Data must be continuous” parameter to be set as “N”, if there are any gaps in interval data)

Master Data Setup:

1.     Create V-Setup (Person, Account, SA, Service Point, Premise):

2.     Create Meter Configuration - “Interval Flag” to be checked for Register(s).\

3.     Create Interval profile:

·         Specify Interval Profile Type created as above

·         Specify SA Id created as part of V-Setup

4.     Attach Interval Profile with SA created as part of V-Setup

5.     Upload Register Data using Process-X (Custom Batch Program) in the following tables.

·         CI_REG_DATA_SET

·         CI_REG_DATA

Register Data Set: (Created for 10 days – 01-JAN-2014 till 10-JAN-2014) 

Register Data: (Created for 10 days – 01-JAN-2014 till 10-JAN-2014)

 

6.     Run Base Product Batch Program IREGIDB (Determine register for datasets). This will populate Register Id in CI_REG_DATA_SET using External Id

7.      Run Base Product Batch Program IREGDVB (Interval register data validation). This process is used to validate interval register data and complete register data set; the validation algorithms attached to the “Interval Register Type” will be executed when this batch is run.

8.     Run Base Product Batch Program IB-SPDB (Interval data set derivation). This process derives interval data for accounts in the system.  Only accounts that have at least one interval SA with derivable profiles linked to it are processed.  A 'derivable' profile is an SA Owned profile where this SA is the owner AND the profile type indicates an "Interval Data Creation" derivation algorithm.  Interval data for SAs linked to the Account are derived in Process Priority order as defined on their SA Type.  For each SA, the Interval Data Creation algorithms are executed in creation priority order. Custom interval data derivation algorithms can also be written based on the business need. This will populate interval data in the following tables:

·         CI_INTV_DATA_SET

·         CI_INTV_DATA

Interval Data Set: Created for 10 days (01-JAN-2014 till 10-JAN-2014)

Interval Data: Created for 10 days (01-JAN-2014 till 10-JAN-2014)

9.     Run Base Product Batch Program IPDSDVB (Interval profile data validation). This process is used to validate interval profile data.  It processes interval profiles that were created up to the cutoff date/time and executes their validation algorithms, if any, defined on their profile type. The algorithms are executed one after the other in their predefined sequence order.

10.  Upload Spot/Interval Price using Process-X (Custom Batch Program) in the following tables. This is used to populate the spot price data into the Bill Factor – which is configured in the rate component for interval billing.

·         CI_INTV_VAL_SET

·         CI_INTV_VAL

   Interval Value Set: Created for 10 days (01-JAN-2014 till 10-JAN-2014)

   

   Interval Value: Created for 10 days (01-JAN-2014 till 10-JAN-2014)

11.  Create bill for the account for 01-JAN-2014 till 10-JAN-2014

      ·         Bill:

·         Bill Segment Calc Line:

·         Interval Pricing – Calculation Detail (Note: This will be available only if an “Audit Algorithm” plugged on the Rate Component)

Key Notes:

•         If multiple data/set available for a specific date/time, Base package interval data derivation (IB-SPDB) process will make use of the latest register data/set for derivation. The older register data/set will NOT be used for interval data derivation process.
•         If non consecutive register data is uploaded, Base package interval data derivation (IB-ISDB) process will create “error” data set, as it expects the data to be continuous. IB-SPDB will not expect interval data for valid Gaps (ie, Gaps due to Meter or SP/Meter removal). Even if register data is received for valid Gap period (Meter removal, SP removal) then IB-SPDB will not consider them for derivation. Such register data will be ignored.
•           During Interval data derivation, if there are any Invalid Gaps found in the register data, then Interval derivation algorithm will not use the subsequent register data for derivation.
•          If one or more Bill Factor - Spot Price intervals are missing, Bill generation will  fail regard less of Rate component algorithm parameter (Data must be continuous = Y/N)
•           If multiple Spot price values available for a same date/time, then Rate Component-Calculation algorithm will consider the latest interval value set for Bill amount computation.
•           If Rate component algorithm parameter “Data must be continuous” is set as “Y”, System expects continuous interval data to be available (excluding valid Gaps due to Meter or SP/Meter removal) for the entire bill period. Otherwise, Bill generation will fail.