Multi-Service Comparison Module
The Multi-Service Comparison module is included in the Email High Bill Alert AMI for customers who have multiple services, such as water and electric. The module includes two bar graphs. Each graph compares projected costs to costs from the same billing period of the previous year. One graph shows electricity and the other shows water. A dollar amount is displayed above each graph bar.
Note:
Data for the water portion of the module can include standard water service, wastewater, and sprinklers.
Configuration Options
For each element listed in the table, indicate the desired configuration in the Input Value column. If you do not provide an input for optional configurations, the default will be used.
| Configuration Options | Input Value |
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Heading You can update the heading of the module. Default: "Electricity and water breakdown". |
Optional Choose one of the following:
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Subheading You can configure the subheading in the module as necessary. Default: "You're projected to spend <more/less> on <fuel/resource> than the same time last year." For example, "You're projected to spend more on electricity and water than the same time last year." |
Optional Choose one of the following:
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Bar Chart Labels The labels below the bars in the chart can be updated. Defaults:
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Optional Choose one of the following:
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Decimal Places You can configure the module to display up to two decimal places for the amounts above the bars. Default: Display zero decimal places. |
Optional Choose one of the following:
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Legend Labels The legend labels below the chart can be updated. Defaults:
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Optional Choose one of the following:
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Disclaimer Text By default, the disclaimer statement is used to describe water data, and reads "*Projections are based on current water use so far this period, and may include wastewater and sprinkler usage." Note: If you update the disclaimer statement so that it is not associated with water, you should remove the asterisk (*) from the "Water*" bar chart label. |
Optional Choose one of the following:
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User Experience Variations
Budget Billing
Budget billing customers see a usage experience for this module. The bar chart labels display units rather than dollar amounts. For example, kWh for electricity and gal for water.
Projections Only/No Baselines
If baseline amounts are not available for one or both of the resources in the chart, the subheader statement refers to the comparison between the projected bill amounts of the resources shown in the chart. For example, if the customer is expected to spend the same amount on electricity and water during this period, the statement reads "You're projected to spend the same amount on electricity and water on this upcoming bill." Alternatively, the subheading could read:
- "You're projected to spend more on electricity than water on this upcoming bill."
- "You're projected to spend more on water than electricity on this upcoming bill."
If baselines for both resource types are not available, the module eliminates the previous year bars and the "Same time last year" from the legend. If a baseline is available for one of the resource types, the module displays "N/A" as the label for the resource without a baseline.
Subheading Variations
The subheader changes based on whether a customer spends more or less than they did during the same period last year. The customer must have spent at least 10% more than the previous year to be considered "spending more" during the current bill period. This 10% threshold for the comparison states is not configurable. These subheader variations are possible:
- Customers spends 10% more on both fuel types: "You're projected to spend more on electricity and water than the same time last year."
- Customer spends 10% more on one fuel/resource type, but not the other: "You're projected to spend more on <fuel/resource type> than the same time last year."
- Customer spends less: "You're projected to spend less on electricity and water than the same time last year." Note that this occurs only when the customer's bill forecast exceeds their personal cost threshold, even though they did not spend more.
- Customer spends about the same: "You're projected to spend about the same on electricity and water than the same time last year." Note that this occurs only when the customer's bill forecast exceeds their personal cost threshold, even though they did not spend more.