Meter Read Snapshot

To understand this section, you have to come to grips with the concept of a "perfect" end meter read. Our definition of perfection is a meter read that results in a number of days of usage that is in sync with the prices on the service agreement's rate. You see, many prices in a rate are expressed in respect of some period of time, e.g., a monthly flat charge of $10 is expressed in respect of 30 days. If the number of days on a bill segment is not in sync with the days of the prices, the bill segment must be prorated and proration is not desirable because it confuses the customer.

When selecting the perfect read, not only are we trying to prevent the current bill segment from prorating, we're also trying to prevent future bills from prorating. Remember, it's the end read on the current bill segment that serves as the start read on the next bill segment. So, if we don't pick the right read, the next bill will prorate (ad infinitum).

The topics in this section describe how the system selects the perfect reads while it assembles the meter read snapshot.