Designing Your Time Of Use (TOU) Mapping and Pricing Calculation Rules
As you know from the rates chapter, the system can handle mapping of interval data curve values into different time of use periods and pricing these quantities using the 'math' and 'service quantity' calculation rule types respectively. Refer to Base Package Calculation Rule Descriptions for more information.
The following guidelines provides a high level outline on how you should go about designing a rate schedule that involves time of use mapping and pricing.
• Obtain copies of existing bills that use the rate in question. If the rate is new, then write up exactly how the information should appear on the customers' printed bills.
• Identify all the lines that represent charges for individual time of use periods.
• Determine how the quantities for the time of use periods are calculated. Which time of use map is used to define the time periods?
• In order to perform time of use mapping and pricing, calculation rules need to be designed
◦ A calculation rule based on the 'math' calculation rule type may be used to map an interval data curve into time of use periods. This calculation rule must know the TOU map to apply to the interval data curve to map into the relevant time of use periods. The time of use period quantities are populated in the bill segments SQ collection.
◦ Calculation rules based on the 'service quantity' calculation rule type may be used to apply prices to each mapped time of use period quantity. These calculation rules each require either a price or regular bill factor for pricing each time of use period quantity. The bill factor may contain the price directly, or may indicate that the price is customer specific and can be found as contract quantities for the service agreement.
Once you have your calculation rules designed, you will be able to design the other control tables needed to set up your time of use billing customer.