Energy Billing
Requirement
You need a smart-me Professional subscription to be able to create energy bills.
Video smart-me billing
This video explains step by step how to configure a property in the Billing Tool.
Configure billing step by step
With this step-by-step guide we would like to support you in configuring your billing. Please note that this is only an example to guide you. Depending on the structure of your property, there will be differences to our example.
1. Install and label the meter
Before you can start with the configuration, all meters must be installed in the relevant account. Once this is done, we recommend that you label the meters to get a better overview. This is done in the settings of the individual meter.
Our recommendation for meter designations:
Medium_Unit_serial number (see example on the right)
In this way, this information is sent directly with reports or alarms in the event of a malfunction.
2. Create folder structure and assign counters
Create a folder for the property (here Sample Street 1) and for all billing units (here Apartment 1, Apartment 2 and General). The folders for the billing units are subordinated to the property folder.
Now drag and drop the meters into the corresponding billing units.
You can read how the folder configuration works here.
Tip: If you have meters in your account that you do not need, you can deactivate them and move them to a separate folder (here Inactive meters). No licences have to be paid for deactivated meters, but you cannot access their readings and new readings are not saved. You can read how to deactivate a meter in our FAQ.
Note: Our billing only works with folder structures that have two levels (1st level: property, 2nd level: billing unit). No subfolders (level 3 folders or higher) are recognised.
3. Create property
Click on Configuration, Create Invoice, Configuration again and then Add Property. Select the property you created in step 2. It will now be displayed together with the billing units on the left side under Properties.
4. Add billing addresses
A billing address must be added to each billing unit that has to be billed. To do this, click on the corresponding billing unit on the left and click on Add under Billing Address. A window opens in which you can enter the data of the invoice recipients.
If no address is entered for a billing unit, no invoice is generated for it. This may be desired in some cases, for example if you want to distribute the general meter to all tenants.
In our example, no addresses are added to the PV and general billing units.
Note: An invoice is generated for each billing address stored in a settlement unit, even if the fields Address and E-mail are empty. If, for example, you enter two tenants in a settlement unit, invoices will be generated for both.
5. Assign meters to the billing units
When creating the property, the meters are automatically added to the billing unit in whose folder they are located. However, it may be desired that a meter is distributed proportionally to other billing units. In our example, the general meter must be divided between the two flats.
Click on the corresponding billing unit and scroll to the Electricity window. The meter of the billing unit is already displayed here (in the example, the meter of Appartment 1) Now click on Add, select the required meter and specify the percentage to be charged to the billing unit.
It is important that the meters are distributed exactly 100 %. For this reason, the general meter in our example is deleted from the billing unit General. Otherwise it would be distributed 200 % (50 % for both tenants and 100 % in the general folder).
The explained procedure works analogously for the other energy types (heat, cold, etc.).
Tip: In most cases, the general meter should be distributed equally among all tenants/billing units. For example, with 3 tenants, this results in a percentage of 33.3333.... %. In such a case, please enter the percentage to three decimal places (i.e. 33.333 % for each of 3 tenants).
6. Configure tariffs
In smart-me billing, you can either work with electricity tariffs or with virtual tariffs.
6a. Virtual tariffs
Virtual tariffs allow you to define your own dynamic tariff model for energy billing. This can be used to distinguish between tenants drawing electricity from a solar installation or from the grid for their own consumption if merging of private energy consumption (tenant electricity) is used.
Please note that all normal electricity tariffs must be deleted.
You will see all the virtual tariffs that have already been entered under Virtual tariffs. Click on Add.
Name: The name of the tariff is also displayed to the user (tenant)
Tariff type
Battery tariff: This can be used to charge for battery energy
Solar tariff: This can be used to charge for solar energy
Normal tariff: This is used to charge for the grid electricity. If required, this can also be divided into high and low tariff periods.
Solar or battery meter
For the solar and battery tariff, you must specify a meter that measures all consumers to which this energy is to be distributed. This can also be a virtual meter that totals all consumers (note that virtual meters require an additional licence).
Balance meter (optional)
A balance meter can optionally be specified for the solar tariff. If the balance meter is specified, the energy that is fed into the grid is taken into account when calculating the solar tariff. This means that for each 15 minutes, only the solar energy that was actually consumed in the building is distributed (energy available = PV production - grid feed-in).
Price/kWh: The price for this tariff
Valid from: The start date from which this tariff applies
Valid until: The end date for the validity of this tariff
Additional condition
You can define when this tariff is valid with an additional condition. This can be a time period (e.g. for high/low tariff) or any other condition. The condition must have been defined beforehand as an If/ Then action.
For the solar and battery tariff, we do not recommend specifying an additional condition. If you still want to use high/low tariff for the solar and battery tariff, you have to define an If/ Then action for each high and low tariff. Then you can assign the high and low tariff condition to the tariff type "Normal tariff" and "Solar tariff".
Example:
High tariff: Mon to Fri 7h00 to 22h00 or Sat 7h00 to 13h00
Low tariff: Mon to Fri 22h00 to 7h00 or Sat 13h00 to 7h00 or Sun 0h00 to 0h00
Note:
When you have defined all tariffs, it is mandatory to click on "Recalculate". This calculates and activates all virtual tariffs. This process can take a few hours.
If one or more conditions are stored, all tariffs must cover the 24 hours of the day. If a normal tariff without conditions is stored, it automatically catches all energy quantities that cannot be allocated and thus covers the 24 hours. Alternatively, care must be taken that the times of the conditions are configured correctly (see example above).
6b. Electricity tariffs
To access the electricity tariff settings, click on the property on the left and scroll to the green Tariffs Electricity window. Here the two tariffs T1 and T2 are displayed. Select one of the tariffs and click on Edit to make changes to its properties (e.g. name, price, etc.).
In order to be able to work with the electricity tariffs, the tariff signal of the electricity company must be connected to the tariff input of the corresponding meters.
6c. Water, heat, cold and gas
For other energy types (heat, cold water, etc.) there is a standard tariff for which the properties can be adjusted analogously.
7a. Configure other costs for property
Additional cost items can be added in the Others field.
Example: The basic costs for meter rental and services must be charged monthly.
7b. 7a. Configure other costs for individual billing units (tenants)
In billing, separate "Others" items can be added to individual billing units (apartments/tenants)! For example, individual meter rent can be charged or bills already paid on account (negative amount) can be subtracted.
8. Recalculate
If the virtual tariffs are used, click on Recalculate at the end of the configuration (as well as for any later configuration changes). This will recalculate all past values.
9. Create an alarm for a connection failure
In this way, you will notice at an early stage if a meter fails and minimise the resulting gap in measurement data. You can see more about this under Alarms.
Helpful hints
Create a separate account for each ZEV.
This way, any transfers of properties are easier, as meters can only be moved to another account by reinstalling them. Past measurement data is not transferred and remains in the old account.
Visualisation
A new tile is now displayed in the default view of the residence folder. It specifies the meter readings for the virtual tariffs. Clicking on this tile will display the load profile for the virtual tariffs.
Tenant view
A special view for tenants is available for the virtual tariffs. This shows the current energy consumption (electricity) and the origin (solar or grid). In addition, the percentage origin of the energy is displayed in a bar.
Example of solar power sharing
Example
A house consists of two flats and a solar installation. The following tariffs are defined:
Solar power: 0.16 CHF / kWh
Mains power: 0.25 CHF / kWh
Tenant A is not often at home during the day and mainly uses grid electricity (in the evening):
Daily consumption: 6 kWh
Solarstrom: 10%
Mains power: 90%
Tenant B tries to consume solar power as much as possible (consumers mainly run when the sun is shining):
Daily consumption: 6 kWh
Solar power: 70%
Mains power: 30%
Tenant A and tenant B have the same energy consumption. However, since tenant B uses more solar electricity, he benefits from the cheaper solar electricity tariff.
Costs Tenant A:
Solar power: 0.6 * 0.16 CHF = 0.096 CHF
Mains power: 5.4 * 0.25 CHF = 1.35 CHF
Total: 1.45 CHF
Costs Tenant B:
Solar power: 4.2 * 0.16 CHF = 0.672 CHF
Mains power: 1.8 * 0.25 CHF = 0.45 CHF
Total: 1.12 CHF
Error messages and warnings
In smart-me Billing, error messages are displayed in two places:
When calculating virtual rates (if configured).
When creating invoices
Calculation of virtual tariffs
Where can I find the error messages of the virtual tariff calculation. Login to the portal : Configuration --> Create bill --> Configuration --> Edit property --> Virtual tariffs --> Blue box
Created invoices
Where can I find the error messages and warnings of the created invoices. Login in the portal : Configuration --> Create invoice --> Configuration --> Edit property --> Invoices --> Invoices --> Orange error with warnings (Appears only when there is an error)
Error when Calculation of virtual tariffs
Calculation starts soon..
Possible causes:
If another error message is displayed below the text "Calculation will start soon ...", the error message below must be taken into account.
It can take up to one minute until the calculation starts.
No valid tariff is defined for the current year.
Not the entire period is defined with a tariff. e.g. For the year of commissioning of the meter, e.g. 2019, there is no longer a tariff.
For the solar or battery tariff, the solar or total consumption meter is not added.
In the solar or battery tariff, a folder has been incorrectly selected for the solar or total consumption meter.
The folder structure of the property is single-level (only billing units), but should be two-level (property and billing units).
There must be at least one normal virtual tariff active, but for ValuePeriod { ... } there is none
The tariffs must cover the entire period in which smart-me meters have supplied data.
Solution 1: Define tariffs e.g. from 1.1.2000, then press "recalculate".
Solution 2: Define tariffs for the current year (e.g. until 31.12.2023), then press "recalculate".
The following residential commercial units are defective: - '....': the following assignments are defective: - Meter with id '....' does not exist
A meter can no longer be found.
Select the billing unit that is indicated in the error message.
e.g. In this example it would be WHG1 --> The following residential commercial units are defective: - 'WHG1'...
Delete or edit the name of the meter that is "not found".
For ValuePeriod ... the following virtual tariffs are active but erroneous: - Solar tariff ... is invalid because of: Solar Meter: Meter with id ....' does not exist
For the solar tariff, either the solar or battery meter or the total consumption is not stored.
Billing --> Configuration --> Select solar tariff --> Edit --> Add meter --> Save
Failed to load meters of folder '...': - Erroneous virtual meter '....: - Meter with id '....' does not exist
The virtual counter consists of counters that have been deleted.
Not more than one conditional normal virtual tariff must be active at a time, but for ValuePeriod ... there are the following ones: - ...
At the end of the error message it is shown which two tariffs are active at the same time.
Our system is based on the fact that two tariffs of the same type must not be active at the same time.
The if-then configuration of the tariffs must be checked.
The calculation is stuck at a specific date
Possible causes:
A meter relevant for billing has not sent any data (check the last connection of the meters and bring it back online).
Incorrect meters are stored for the tariff (e.g. meters from another property).
Not all meters in the configuration may have the load profile or meter reading certification required by law for virtual tariffs.
This note is only informative. It has no influence on the calculation.
With this note we want to make sure that the biller is aware that he is responsible for the compliance of third-party measuring devices.
Note: This message cannot be deactivated.
Error when creating the invoices
The virtual tarifs do not match the total consumption
Possible causes:
The most common cause is that the virtual tariffs have not been calculated yet. Please check if the "Last calculation" is on today's date. You can find this under: Configuration --> Create invoice --> Configuration --> Edit property --> Virtual tariffs --> Blue box.
The billing period (From) must not include the installation day.
The billing period (To) must not be set to today's date.
The configuration was changed (e.g. folder structure, tariffs, etc.) and "recalculate" was not clicked.
A meter was offline for more than 2 months and the billing period starts or ends in the period in which the data is no longer available. (Gap)
A meter was billed above or below 100% (e.g.: The general meter is divided among the billing units on a percentage basis and also 100% in the general folder, so it is billed at 200%).
Invoices are generated empty or not at all.
Possible causes:
No valid billing address was stored for the corresponding billing unit (note the time period) -> our system otherwise assumes that no tenant lives in the flat and accordingly does not generate a bill.
No meters for billing were assigned to the billing unit.
The folder structure is incorrect (See: 2. Create folder structure and assign counters).
For virtual tariffs: The tariffs are not valid in the desired billing period (adjust the tariff period if necessary).
No values found for the start date or end date
Possible causes:
A billing-relevant meter is offline.
The billing period (From) corresponds to the installation day and/or the billing period (To) is set to today.
The billing period (From) is before the installation day and/or the billing period (To) is in the future.
A meter has been offline for more than 2 months and the billing period starts or ends in the period where the data is no longer available. (Gap)
The selected year is incorrect
The added or subtracted value results in an un-representable DateTime. Parameter name: value Index was outside the bounds of the array.
Your Bexio login is no longer valid. You need to log in again.