Individual Meters and Consumption Readings

When each unit has its own water, electricity or gas meter (for example, for electric vehicle charging), GC calculates each unit’s consumption from the readings and posts the amount to the current account of whoever pays.

Each line’s amount is: (current reading − previous reading) × unit price.

Setup

1. Building with individual meters
   In the building record, B.I. tab, tick Has Individual Counters.

2. Unit price (kWh or m3)
   Go to Condominiums > building record > Parameters > Contracts and, in the contract with the supplier of that service, fill in Unit Price (kWh/m3).
   The price is no longer in the building record: the existing prices were moved automatically to the building’s electricity, water and gas contracts. Where there was no contract, one was created with the identification Migração de preços and no supplier; when you edit it, you must choose the supplier.

3. Unit meters
   In the unit record, Counters tab, add the meter (number and type) and set Who Pays.

4. Initial reading (required)
   In the unit record, Readings button, register the meter’s starting reading, dated when consumption started:

   • new meter: reading 0;
   • meter that was already running: the value it showed on that date. For example, if the meter shows 90 and you want to charge 10 units, register an initial reading of 80.

   Without an initial reading the meter cannot be posted: GC would have neither the start date of the period nor the starting value.

Several suppliers for the same service

If the building has, for example, two blocks with different electricity suppliers and different prices:

1. Create one contract per supplier, each with its own Unit Price.
2. In each unit’s Counters tab, choose in the Contract column the contract that matches that meter.

The price used for each meter is:

• the price of the contract chosen on the meter, if that contract is active;
• with no contract chosen, the price shared by all active contracts of that service;
• if those contracts have different prices, the meter has no price until a contract is chosen.

Posting the readings

1. Go to Budget > Contributions > Process Consumption Readings.
   Only buildings with Has Individual Counters are listed.
2. Choose the building, the Date and the service (electricity, water, gas…).
3. Enter each meter’s current reading. The amount is calculated automatically.
4. Save.

Only lines with a reading are posted. If you clear a line’s reading, its amount goes back to zero and the line is not posted.

Each posting’s description shows the period, from [previous reading date] to [posting Date], and the reading is recorded with the posting Date. When all posted meters have the same price, the description also shows the unit price.

Meters in red

When the list opens, the meter number is shown in red when that meter cannot be posted:

If you save without any reading, “You have not entered any reading!” is shown and nothing is posted.

Frequently asked questions

The kWh price changed. Where do I update it?
In the building contract (Parameters > Contracts > Unit Price). If there are several active contracts for the same service and the meters have no contract chosen, update the price in all of them.

The building changed supplier.
Set the end date on the old contract and create the new contract with its price. If the meters had the old contract chosen, choose the new one.

I can’t remove a contract.
A contract with invoices cannot be removed (“Error while deleting: Cannot delete records with dependencies.”). To stop using it, set its end date.

An old posting has the period dates swapped.
This happened when the meter had no initial reading. Delete the posting, register the initial reading with the unit’s Readings button and post it again.

For electric vehicle charging, see also Electric Vehicle Charging.