Bill Forecast Module

Requirements

There are no module-specific requirements. See Requirements and Limitations for the High Bill Alerts (AMI) feature for more information.

Limitations

This section lists the limitations:

Rates Not Modeled: Users without modeled rates are only able to set a usage threshold.
Budget Billing: Users with budget billing are only able to set a usage threshold.
Multiple Accounts: The personalized threshold experience varies depending on what kind of accounts the customer has.
- If a customer has budget billing and another non-budget billing account, they will receive the budget billing user experience.
- If all of the customer's accounts have modeled rates and none of the accounts are budget billing, the customer can only set a cost threshold.
- If at least one account doesn't have modeled rates or is budget billing, the customer can only set a usage threshold.
- The combined usage or cost of all fuel/resource types included in the alert must meet the threshold to trigger the alert. For example, if the customer has electric and gas service, and has set a threshold of $100, the combined cost for electric and gas must be $100 or greater to trigger the alert.
- The utility-wide default threshold is not allowed.
- Utility customers with water service must opt in to receive HBAs and must set a personal cost threshold.
- Customers in a budget billing program must set a usage personal threshold.
Water Customers: For utilities that are including water data in their HBAs:
- The utility-wide default threshold is not allowed.
- Utility customers with water service must opt in to receive alerts and must set a personal cost threshold.
- Customers in a budget billing program must set a usage personal threshold.

User Experience

If rates are not modeled, the email includes a usage forecast instead of a cost forecast. It is possible for some customers at a utility to see cost information in their forecast, while others see usage information. For example, some customers at a utility may be on budget billing, which typically means they will see a usage forecast. Other customers at the same utility who are not on budget billing will typically see a cost forecast.

Forecast Statement: The forecast amount is an estimate, not an exact amount, and is based on the estimated length of the bill. By default the cost values are rounded to the nearest whole dollar. For example, "Your bill is projected to be $[XX]."

Personal Threshold Insight Statement: Below the forecast is an insight about how much more the projected bill could cost compared to the cost or usage-threshold. "That's higher than the bill threshold you set." Note that this statement appears only if the customer has set their personal threshold.

Change Your Threshold Link: Below the insight statement is a link that customers can use to change their threshold (if that feature is made available by the utility). The personalized threshold allows the customer to set a minimum threshold that their projected energy use or bill must reach before they receive a high bill alert.

For utilities that do not include water in their messages, and have implemented the personal threshold, the threshold defaults to the utility-set threshold until the customer sets their personal threshold. The module encourages them to set their own threshold and provides a link to their Digital Self Service Energy Management Account Center where they can set either a cost or a usage-threshold. When a threshold is set, the alert triggers only when cost or usage is greater than the set threshold. Utilities can also implement their own preference center, and provide access to customers using APIs. For additional information, see Oracle Utilities REST API for Digital Self Service - Energy Management

For utilities that include water in their HBAs, there is no utility-wide threshold. Customers only receive the alert if they have opted-in and set up a personal threshold. They can use the link to access the DSS EM Account Center where they can update their threshold.

Depending on the characteristics of a customer's accounts, the customer is provided one of the following options to define a personalized threshold. After the customer sets their threshold, when they receive an alert the module reminds them they set a threshold, and provides a link to their account where they can modify the threshold.

Cost threshold: Customers with modeled rates can set a dollar threshold range of $1 - $100,000,000. When an absolute dollar threshold is set, the alert triggers only when cost is greater than the set dollar-threshold. For example, the customer could set their threshold to send the alert only if their bill exceeds $100. All active utility accounts for a customer must have modeled rates and are not defined as budget billing accounts for the customer to define a cost-based threshold. Water customers must set a cost threshold to receive an alert. If the customer does not set a personalized cost threshold, they will receive alerts only when they exceed the combined usage and cost threshold set by the utility. The recommended and default utility threshold is 30 percent.
Usage threshold: Customers without modeled rates or with budget billing accounts can set a usage threshold percentage range of zero to 1000 percent greater than the same bill the previous year. For example, the user could set their threshold to send the alert only if their usage is at least 25 percent greater than the same bill period the previous year. The default usage-threshold value is 30 percent. The usage-based threshold is provided to customers with at least one active account that does not have modeled rates or is defined as a budget billing account.

This image shows an example of the Bill Forecast module:

User Experience Variations

This section describes the user experience variations in the Bill Forecast module.

Personal Threshold Not Set

When the utility has a default utility-wide threshold, but the customer has not yet set up their own personal threshold, the bill forecast message changes to include a prominent button with the text "CHANGE YOUR THRESHOLD" to prompt users to set their own personal threshold.

Personal Threshold Not Available

If the utility does not implement the personal threshold, all language regarding the customer's personal threshold, and all links or buttons directing customers to set or change the threshold are removed from the message.

Budget Billing

Budget billing customers receive a usage experience, which means their bill forecast statement uses percentage rather than dollar amounts. Additionally, a statement is added to the message telling the customer that if their usage is high, it could impact their future bills.

Usage

The message can provide a usage forecast rather than a forecasted amount. The usage forecast is shown as a percentage. For example, "Your energy use is projected to be 10% higher this billing period".

Projected Range

Utilities can display a forecast cost range rather than a specific cost value for the projected bill. If you choose to display a range, you do so by specify the range percentage. By default, the range is set to 0 (zero), and therefore, a range is not displayed. If you set the range to 15%, for example, and a customer's projected bill is $100, the range would display as $100-$115.

Display Billing Period Date Range

You can set the Bill Forecast module to display the bill period date range associated with the forecast. The date range appears at the top of the module when set to display. By default, the date range is not displayed.

Calculations

At a high level, the bill forecast calculation involves the following steps:

Calculate the baseline cost and energy values using the customer's bills from the previous year.
Estimate the customer's billing period end date.
Calculate how much energy the customer has used to date.
Take the customer's energy use and project it forward to the estimated billing period end date.
Convert the resulting energy use values to cost values, based on the customer's rate plan. The output is an actual cost value (to date) and a projected cost value (going forward). Note that the projected cost can also be displayed as a cost range, depending on the module configuration.