Appendix L - Invoice Templates and Checking Items in this Appendix are listed in alphabetical order because the screen content varies considerably according the type of Meter and Energy/Utility in relation to the invoice being processed. Also, for ease of reference, terms that are only relevant to Invoices have been included here rather than in the main Glossary. Bundled Bundled prices are those which may actually include several separate components but which have been combined into a single tariff without identifying its makeup. In particular, this refers to a single consumption tariff which combines per unit charges set by the Retailer and the Network/Distribution Company. Capacity Some network electricity charges are based on the assessed maximum Capacity of a connection to draw load (measured in KVA) and these appear on the invoice as Fixed Charges. Description On initially saving a Template there is scope for a Description to follow the Template Name. It is recommended that the Tariff Name be cited so that the Template can be easily identified for use as a model for other Meters on the same Tariff. Distribution Company A company which operates the gas distribution system and as such makes various charges for its services which are included on the Retailer's invoice. In some instances the Retailer may also be the Distribution Company, a situation which is expressly prohibited in the electricity industry. Fixed Charges These are standing charges which appear regularly on each invoice, such as daily or monthly charges. Unless there are occasional rate changes, they can be expected to be the same for each billing period although some daily charges may vary according to the time period between Meter readings. Irregular Charges These can be charges for one-off services like equipment installation or maintenance, special meter readings, or for reports only sought a few times a year. In creating a Template provision can be made for expected irregular charges, such as reports, under the Miscellaneous Charges heading but otherwise there is no need to allow for them. If an unexpected one-off charge does occur subsequently, and there is no spare Miscellaneous line still available, the Template can be made to accommodate it by inserting an extra line using the Useful Shortcuts Modify Template process during the checking of the new invoice concerned. KVA This electrical unit (kilovolt-amperes, in full) is used to measure levels of power demand such as those described under Maximum Demand or Capacity. Most TOU Meters routinely record the highest level measured in each half hour period. Local Losses This term describes charges to recover the inevitable losses which result from distributing electricity in the local network. They are set by the Network Company but applied by the Retailer and can range between being a small uniform charge or percentage loading per kWh to varying charges which are determined by time of use and/or whether there is low or high voltage delivery to the premises. Some Retailers identify and calculate the charges quite separately, while others either fully include them in the per unit tariff or they may include them as an extra loading multiplier in calculating the consumption charges. (eg - a 7.2% local losses charge will appear as a multiplier of 1.072.) Maximum Daily Quantity (MDQ) A pre-agreed daily Consumption maximum which is part of most TOU and some other gas contracts. There are penalty charges incurred for exceeding it but there is also a regular standing charge in proportion to the MDQ to encourage customers to agree on a realistic level for it rather than pushing it up to avoid the risk of penalties. Maximum Demand Maximum demand, sometimes also called Peak Load or Peak Demand, is measured in KVA as the highest level of electricity demand recorded over a given period. It is commonly used as the basis of some network Variable Charges for TOU connections. Charges may also typically relate to a weighted average of, say, the ten highest peaks for the month or to the highest peak of the winter, the summer and/or the whole year. Maximum Hourly Quantity (MHQ) A pre-agreed hourly Consumption maximum which is part of some gas contracts. Apart from being hourly instead of daily, it is essentially the same as an MDQ. MDQ See Maximum Daily Quantity above. MHQ See Maximum Hourly Quantity above. Miscellaneous Charges In the initial construction of all Templates, during the Terminology stage, this Miscellaneous Charges box will occur. It is designed to allow for Irregular Charges or for other fixed or regular charges which do not obviously belong under any of the other options offered. Even if you do not expect any such charges, you should leave the default headings in place and in the final Template there will be three lines under those headings available for use if necessary. Extra lines, if required, can be added using during the checking of the new invoice giving rise to the need. If a Template is being created by taking an existing one as a model, and the model concerned did not have any Miscellaneous Charges last time around, then that box will not in fact appear. However, if required, the Useful Shortcuts Modify Template process can be used at the checking stage to remedy this. Modify Template Relatively minor modifications can be made using the Useful Shortcuts Modify Template process which is accessible at the top of the Template during the checking of an invoice. Such changes only provide for adding extra lines to the boxes with listed headings which contain some lines already. For more extensive changes, it will be necessary to replace the Template. See the appropriate headings under Invoices in the SHORTCUT SECTION for further information about these options. Network Company A company that operates the local electricity network and as such makes various charges for its services which are included on the Retailer's invoice. They are sometimes also called lines companies. Current legislation debars Network Companies from being Retailers. Parameters The Invoices - Set Parameters page varies according to the Energy/Utility and Meter type. It starts the process of creating a Template, by offering a series of boxes with options for setting the Parameters which will determine the requisite items to be listed on the finally completed version of the Template. The Parameters are deliberately described in fairly general terms because different Retailers use different Terminology and the next stage of the Template creation process addresses this issue. (See more under Terminology) Peak Demand or Peak Load See Maximum Demand. Power Factor This is a measure of how efficiently the electrical circuitry of a connection is able to utilise its delivered power. It is normally expressed as a percentage, with 100% being the ideal, and can be used as the basis for some network charges on higher consuming connections. Such charges become higher as the Power Factor falls or they may cut in below an acceptable minimum standard. It is worth noting that an average Power Factor for the billing period is sometimes reported on the invoice without there being any system of related charges. Retailer A company that sells electricity or gas to the end user and is therefore responsible for producing the invoice. Spot Prices The electricity prices as determined by the interactions of supply and demand in the wholesale marketplace. A few really large users of electricity prefer to buy at spot while some TOU contracts for intermediate sized users provide for a mix of spot and hedged pricing. (Hedged prices are those which are agreed in advance to apply over a contract period.) Tariff Name The system of single or multiple Variable Charges which are applied to consumption by most Retailers are given their own special names such as TOU Night/Day or 4-Hourly, Anytime, Anytime/Controlled, 24 Hour/Night etc. It is likely that Meters on the same Tariff will be able to use virtually identical Templates so when allocating the Template Name on initial saving, it is recommended that the Tariff Name be cited in the Description. Template The system enables you to create a Template for each Meter for its corresponding invoices that you wish to check regularly. This can be done by either utilising an existing Template or creating a new one. (For more details, see Create New Template under Invoices in the SHORTCUT SECTION of this Guide.) A Template is created by first selecting Parameters using fairly general terms, after which there is the opportunity to customise it further by entering the actual Terminology employed by the Retailer concerned and to assemble groups of items as nearly as possible into the same order as they appear on the invoice. These adjustments are intended to ensure that the person who does the regular checking should be able to easily match the relevant items on the invoice with those in the Template without needing to know all the technical intricacies which can surround energy and utility accounts. Once the Meter's Template has been established, the system asks for a Template Name, and saves it, incorporating the data from the initial invoice used for setting it up. Thereafter it saves another version each time a subsequent invoice is checked so that a growing sequence of Template records is maintained. When a further invoice requires checking, on selecting its Meter at the Invoices - Select Meter page, the latest version of the Template on record is presented as the starting point. It is then only necessary to update any changed data to complete the process. Template Name When an initial Template has been completed, the Invoices - Save Initial Template page seeks a Template Name and brief Description. It makes sense to use the Local ID for the name and it is recommended that the Tariff Name be cited in the Description to enable the Template to be easily used as a model for other Meters on the same Tariff. To facilitate this process, all Template Names with their Descriptions are listed as available choices on the Invoices ?? Select Template page. Terminology As the second stage of creating an invoice Template, the Invoices - Enter Retailer Terminology page provides the opportunity to customise it further by entering the actual words which appear on the invoice beside the corresponding data to be entered. Because the different suppliers use such a wide variety of layouts it may not be possible to produce an exact looking duplicate in the Template but the result should be sufficiently similar for it to be easy to identify the corresponding relevant entries. This process can be further enhanced by being able to arrange the order of the blocks of headings to more closely match where they are on the invoice. Note that each required entry starts with some default wording in it but this can and should be edited to correspond with the invoice Terminology. In any event, do not leave any entries blank or the system will not accept the resulting Template for saving. Unbundled A tariff is said to be Unbundled when the invoice lists per unit charges set respectively by the Retailer and the network/distribution company both of which are then separately applied to the amount of Consumption recorded for the billing period. A single Tariff which combines these elements is described as Bundled. The reason for identifying this distinction is to prevent the Consumption figures from being double counted by the system. Units The Units used for invoice calculations have been set by Energy/Utility according to known common practice and there are some options which can be chosen when proceeding on the Invoices ?? Set Parameters page. However, if the invoice cites a different Unit from the choice(s) given by the system, it may be necessary to use the appropriate conversion factor to correct for this when the Template has been created. Variable Charges These are charges which will vary in each invoice according to the level of Consumption, Maximum Demand, or other similar quantity which is likely to vary for each billing period.