VALUE OF THE UNETgrid

Transcription

1 VALUE OF THE UNETgrid A single Business Intelligence platform designed to reshape the future of data delivery and analysis, providing an "at a-glance-view" of areas that impact your company and customers. Utility Network & Partners, Inc Vol 3

2 UNETgrid: Client roles and needs 2 UNETgrid - Customized for you With your individual username and password, when you enter the UNETgrid you will be presented with a customized view of both site level and aggregated data, based on your designation: 1. As a Self-Retailer 2. As a Retailer 3. As a Customer of a Retailer, or 4. As a REA and its members. UNETgrid is Roles-Based Depending on your needs, you and your customers will be provided secure access to a vast array of detailed data, energy management reports, costing and pricing information, financial accounting files and operational business applications. o For Self-Retailers, the UNETgrid will provide you all the information needed to manage your electrical energy portfolio (all your needs from enrollment of an individual site, shadow settlement, reconciliation of the power pool statement and wires invoices, plus automated journalized entry files for posting the related cost centre financial transactions details to the company's general ledger). External Interfacing Settlement System Code (SSC) Tariff Bill Code (TBC) o As a Retailer, the system is customercentric, providing all the tools and reports necessary to help you meet the needs of your clients. (Included but not limited to: automated site enrollment management services, invoicing, load reconciliation, margin analysis and cost control/ energy management reports.) o Customer Self-Service - This feature is offered on behalf of the Retailer to each of their clients, providing a variety of customized business reports and access to their customer specific site level detailed data. o Designed to support the New Regulated Rate Option and Stable Rate Billing; Settlement/ Invoicing (Energy/ Wires/ Administration) Process-oriented YOU Data Management (Site/ Customer/ Account/ Complaint) Data-oriented the REA UNETgrid provides total MDM and Member Billing services. Individual REA members of the REAs co-operatives are provided with web service including the ability to enter the monthly meter reads online. Making the buying power in a deregulation market seem simple Deregulation in Alberta and the continuing regulatory changes being made by the DOE, EUB, AESO, WOs, LSAs, REAs and municipalities entering the market such as Lethbridge and Ponoka have complicated the processing of transaction management. But for the customers of UTILITYnet, we offer total verification and validation of each individual transaction through our automated system, known as ISIS. Business Intelligence Reporting On your behalf and behind the scenes, we seamlessly manage: o TBC transactions (Tariff Billing Code administered by the EUB), o SSC transactions (System Settlement Code administered by the AESO), o Site Enrollment processes, o Shadow Load Settlement processing, o Power Pool reconciliation, o Customer's hedging and margin analysis, plus: o Allocation of all costs to meet the financial management needs of each customer. The UNETgrid solution encapsulates all these complexities and provides you with peace of mind, leaving you to concentrate on your core business needs. Securing your data All your data is located on our servers, backed up and accessible online through the UNETgrid - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3 The UNETgrid and the New Data Warehouse The UNETgrid is a single access solution that increases efficiency in information delivery without increasing your costs. The grid Dashboard gives a visual summary of the current and historical data influencing your energy costs, including price, Site Count, Site Type, Average Pool Price, Energy MWh, Daily Load, Daily Load Factor, and Energy Breakdown. Increased investment in our infrastructure means that our Data Warehouse will run up to 10 times faster than our previous Data Centre, while offering increased security and data protection, as well as enhanced performance. VALUE OF THE UNETGRID Essential data for decision making, and information to aid in reducing costs. The UNETgrid gives data analysis, published reports, and reporting tools to help interpret data. 3 Dashboard Direct access to global, public information that may influence your management strategies Direct access to tools, reports, and applications specific to your secured data Access to the UNETgrid comes in 3 levels: Retailer, Customer and Guest. Grid Reporting Matrix and Invoice Matrix, linking you to 1 year of settlement activity for your account

4 QUICKSTART Trend analysis reports contain all historical data, up to and including the most recent M run data. To find historical data, choose the current report, then use the accordion menu to find the year, month, day in question. TREND ANALYSIS This is an interactive PDF report, which shows your total energy consumption (you as retailer or selfretailer) and corresponding power pool prices for the past two years at monthly, daily and hourly levels. By presenting your consumption and same-time pool prices together in the same report at different time frames, the report will help you identify time periods when you have high consumption and where there are correspondingly high pool prices. Thus, it can facilitate your hedging decisions. 4 An interactive report to summarize the load shapes for a specific retailer. The report displays numerous graphs to allow the user to view their energy consumption and Power Pool Prices from many different angles and factoring in multiple variables. An interactive report to summarize Pool Prices. The report displays numerous graphs with historical Power Pool price data, to help identify trends.

5 QUICKSTART Load Analysis is found under EPSS Services: Financial Stewardship/ Trend Analysis 5 Load Analysis The value of the monthly load analysis reports lies in their easy to read, at a glance formats, showing consumption, not just by the month, but right down to the hour. Load profiles may vary depending on seasonality, day of week and hour of day. Total consumption (13 month comparison) - includes number of sites and total consumption, using M, R, F run data - scroll over the points to see actual data Average Hourly Consumption - by month, showing consumption data from M, R, F runs, broken down by hour, with grey indicators delineating on peak 13 and 16 hour hedge parameters - scroll over the points to see actual data TIPS If considering a hedge, use the Average Hourly Consumption profiles against the Pool Price graphs to help determine which hourly block - 24, 16 or 13 hour - best fits your consumption profile. Then compare the Average Daily Consumption against the Daily Pool Price Index to determine which days are most vulnerable to above-average prices.

6 Interactive AESO Pool Price Analysis: Daily & Hourly 6 AESO Pool Prices are subject to hourly changes, based on, in part, changes in supply, demand, generator down time (planned or otherwise), and the cost of generation (driven in part by the price of natural gas). This historical pricing chart shows average pricing trends by month since January 1, 2001, monthly data over the last 13 months, and how prices vary by day and hour. Daily Pool Price index - the bar graph shows the hourly percentage (%) fluctuations by day of the week in comparison to the average monthly Pool Price - when the daily average is above and below the monthly posted Pool Price. Useful as a trend report, to better understand which days are at the greatest risk of higher than normal prices. Interactive accordion Monthly and Daily menu - 2 clicks activate the functionality: click once for the Month, again for the Day, which controls the 3 charts Hourly Pool Price Index, Daily Pool Price Index, and Pool Prices. Hourly Pool Price Index - the bar graph shows the hourly percentage (%) fluctuation above and below the average pool price during a particular day of the week within that particular month. Useful to understand the level of potential risk of higher prices during the day. Viewing multiple months worth of data easily shows a predictable trend. TIPS If considering a hedge, how can you determine what the right price should be? The answer may lie in your comfort level: at what range are you most comfortable? Look at the average monthly prices over the last year, or last several years, to see what the monthly averages have been. What is a realistic price, given past historical averages? How often did the market offer that price? Note: Past prices are not necessarily representative of future prices. However, the relative profile may suggest a behavioural trend.

7 Interactive AESO Pool Price Analysis: Monthly 7 Monthly trend in Pool Prices ($/MWh) from 2001 to present day - scroll over the bar graph to display the individual month s average Last 13 months Pool Prices ($/MWh) - quick reference comparison of monthly average prices Proportion of hourly prices by price category

8 EPSS SERVICES: ENERGY MANAGEMENT REPORTS QUICKSTART The Energy Management Reports are customized for our individual clients. Please contact us for a customized, sample analysis that help identify overbilling situations, to further optimize efficiency in your utility charges. Service Tariffs. Idle Service Accounts Purpose: Eliminates unnecessary bills and lowers operating costs by identifying all accounts on Idle (Standby) service where consumption is nil but yet the customer is not taking advantage of Idle Description: For many retailers and self retailers, site operations change month to month, year over year. In many cases, we find accounts where the energy consumption has dropped to NIL because of operational changes. Wire companies offer Standby/ Idle rates for accounts where the customer must temporarily removed the service but does not wish to salvage the service. This report helps determine what sites are consuming zero consumption. It is up the site retailer to determine if the NIL consumption is legitimate or if there was a meter failure. Connected Load Variance Purpose: Shows the variance between the contracted connected load and the bill demand. Description: Many clients were faced with the urgency of getting power to a site. In some cases, the assumed load exceeded the minimum contract demand. In such cases, any attempts to reduce consumption through demand side management strategies were only partially realized. Demand charges still influenced the wire portion of the bill. Power Factor Purpose: Used to focus on those priority accounts that require further engineering analysis to achieve corrective results. Description: Power factor represents the relation ship between real power consumed (kw) and the Total Power consumed (kva). Poor power factor (<100%) can contributed to higher energy and wire charges depending on the tariff applied to the account. In some cases you may be billed on kva only where any kva larger than the kw metered will result in premium charges. In other cases, the consumer is only penalized when the PF drops below 90%. It is critical to understand the nature of the penalty for each tariff you are exposed to. In some cases, PF correction to 90% is all that is required; in other cases, it may be more beneficial to correct to 95%. Generally, it is never feasible to correct to a value higher than this unless dictated in your supply agreement. 8

9 EPSS SERVICES: CUSTOM ENERGY MANAGEMENT REPORTS, cont d QUICKSTART The Energy Management Reports are customized for our individual clients. Please contact us for a customized, sample analysis that help identify overbilling situations, to further optimize efficiency in your utility charges. Minimum Demand Alarm Purpose: Lists all accounts billed on the Contract Minimum Demand where the billed minimum threshold amounts greater than metered demand. Description: Tariffs are designed to encourage consumers to maximize utilization of the electricity infrastructure. When you consume energy less than 85% of the time, you might be exposed to higher wire charges. The tariff helps the WSP recover infrastructure costs when under-utilized. Ideally, you should be consuming power between 85 and 100% of your peak demand to maximize the value of your contract. If you are below 85%, you might consider a detailed energy audit to determine if Demand Side Management strategies might help to lower your overall operating costs. Peak Demand Alarm Purpose: Lists all accounts billed the highest Peak Demand from a previous month, where the new Minimum Demand was set. Description: Peak demands can occur intentionally or unintentionally. A system upset or PF failure can lead to a new contract demand. It can also be caused by meter changes and billing errors whereby incorrect multipliers were used to calculate your bill. In many cases, a plant upset or equipment failure can be negotiated with the WSP without incurring higher energy costs for the next 12 months. Reporting Hierarchy Purpose: A client specific list of responsibility cost centers, arranged from highest level of responsibility to lowest. Description: This report is NOT energy management but outlines the cost centres and contacts for those centres. This is more of an administrative report only. Rate Code Demand Audit Purpose: Energy Analysis report that highlights anomalies in cost/kwh, which may show possible billing errors. Description: Weighted average pricing can help determine when a rate code has been incorrectly calculated. Furthermore, the energy analysis report helps the client review and budget for future energy costs by breaking out those charges which are fixed and those which are variable. 9

10 QUICKSTART The Key Performance Indicators are found under EPSS Services: Financial Stewardship KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS The Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports are designed to statistically demonstrate the performance of the different LSAs. Posted monthly, together the six reports offer Market Participants an excellent reference against which to measure performance in the industry. KPIs are available to every level of access: Guest, Customer or Retailer reports show how the LSAs stack up by month and by profile, throughout the settlement runs, as well as average pool prices, by dollar and by index

11 QUICKSTART Benchmark Report #1 - Average Pool Price - is found under EPSS Services: Financial Stewardship: Key Performance Indicators, and is available to all UNETgrid users. Average Pool Price The monthly average power pool price, in dollars per megawatt ($/MWh) is based on the hourly profile shape, times the hourly pool price, then averaged by month, to reflect the differences in pricing that are related to the cumulative meter load profiles as used by each Load Settlement Agent (LSA) per zone. On Peak is defined as the Hours Ending (HE) 09 hrs to 21 hrs, Monday through Friday, not including holidays. This settlement period includes all energy and associated costs incurred 0900 to 2100 during any business day. 11 TIPS Compare a given month s average power pool price against the LSA profiles. On average, the 2005 data showed the Net System Load Shape (NSLS) to be consistently higher, while oil fields are very close, and lighting profiles are generally less than the average.

12 QUICKSTART Benchmark Report #2 - Average Pool Price Indexed - is found under EPSS Services: Financial Stewardship: Key Performance Indicators Average Pool Price Indexed This monthly report normalizes the average pool price and reports the differences in terms of ± % against the price posted by the Power Pool, and can be used with Benchmark Report #1 to show differences in both dollars and percentages. In effect, this report shows the average profile shape in terms of the actual price a consumer would pay, on flow through, as either a premium or discount, relative to a flat load. The average pool price is synonymous with a flat load profile. The data is sourced from SPI data from the SSC transactions, excepting the Enmax/Lethbridge December, 2005, which is SPE (settlement profile estimated) data. 12 TIPS Compare a given month s average power pool price against the LSA profiles. On average, the 2005 data showed the NSLS to be consistently higher, while oil fields are very close, and lighting profiles are generally less than the average.

13 QUICKSTART Benchmark Report #3 - Zone UFE - is found under EPSS Services: Financial Stewardship: Key Performance Indicators Zone UFE As reported by Load Settlement Agent, by Zone, the monthly Zone UFE (Unaccounted for Energy) is the difference between (a) the distribution system total load for the hour and (b) the sum of the allocated hourly loads at the customers meters, plus their associated losses. For easy reference, the months in which UFE tolerances are exceeded are shaded in red. 13 TIPS Compare your UFE against the LSA/Zone UFE to see if you are on par with the industry.

14 QUICKSTART Benchmark Report #4 - Zone Losses - is found under EPSS Services: Financial Stewardship: Key Performance Indicators Zone Losses Losses are experienced through the process of transmitting electrical energy, as a result of electrical resistance, and represents inefficiencies in the electrical system. This monthly report gives the percentage of energy losses by Loss Group, per LSA/Zone. Every site is categorized into Loss Groups. Each Loss Group has a distinct loss allocation factor. 14 TIPS Use Benchmark Report #4 - Zone Losses in conjunction with SUNJI s Monthly Consumption, where the data is given by Retailer and then Loss Group, and, for example, Monthly Consolidated, where charges are given by production period month, then management area, then at site level. The SUNJI Site Consolidated report will return all energy and wires charges for a single site, for all settlement runs: Initial Estimate, Initial Monthly, Interim and Final.

15 QUICKSTART Benchmark Report #5 - Estimated Data Used in Settlement - is found under EPSS Services: Financial Stewardship: Key Performance Indicators Estimated Data Used in Settlement As defined in the Wholesale Settlement Details (WSD) transaction, consumption data has either metered or estimated status. This report details the number of days within a month during which estimated consumption was used in settlement data and charts the trend between Initial Monthly, Interim and Final Settlement periods. 15

16 QUICKSTART Benchmark Report #6 - Settlement Charges Indexed to Final - is found under EPSS Services: Financial Stewardship: Key Performance Indicators Settlement Charges Indexed to Final - Total, DIM, DCM The monthly report defines the accuracy of Initial and Interim settlement results indexed against Final. The baseline is calculated in total energy charges based on UTILITYnet's total retail load, then normalized as a percent difference to Final. The lower numbers indicates the health of the market and the ability to move towards shortening the 7 month settlement cycle. 16

17 QUICKSTART The PFAM DCM Candidates and PFEC DCM Candidates are found under Exception Reporting. EXCEPTION REPORTS A Post Final Adjustment Mechanism (PFAM) is a means of correcting site energy charges after Final settlement has passed. In general, a legitimate PFAM claim is when the meter read does not agree with the amount of consumption finally charged. The process for submitting PFAMs is outlined in the Settlement System Code. When a PFAM is processed and the claim found to be legitimate, the Retailer is allotted the amount of the claim through a RSA (Retailer Specific Adjustment) charge and the collection of the amount from all other affected Retailers through a RAM (Retailer Adjustment to Market) charge. 17 The PFAM DCM Candidates and the PFEC DCM Candidates are 2 decision-making tools that highlight potential candidates for error correction during, and following, the Final settlement run. TIPS When to look for adjustments and errors: he PFAM DCM Candidates should be viewed not later than the 8th month following the Final settlement run, each month. When viewing PFAM/PFEC Candidates reports using the UNETgrid, you are shown current potential claims in a 4- month window (from 10 months back, up to and including 7 months back), based on the current month.

18 PFAM DCM Candidates Grouped by Retailer, the PFAM DCM Candidates show Cumulative Meter Readings (DCM) against the Final Wholesale Settlement Details (WSDs). In practice, the sum of the usage for Final WSDs for a given DCM period (from current reading date to last reading date) should equal the consumption on the DCM reading. The due date for settlement-based PFAM claims is 11:59 pm of the 10th business day of the 9th month following the month being disputed. The PFAM DCM Candidates calculates an average pool price for the period and applies it to any consumption differences. This allows you to easily identify the dollar amount you may have been over- or under- charged. Sites eligible for the Regulated Default Supply may only be submitted for values above $15 / site per PFAM claim. Sites not eligible for the Regulated Default Supply may only be submitted for values above $250 / site per PFAM claim. The report is run for all readings included in the evaluation months. 18 TIPS Use the SUNJI DCM Report WSD, Site Consolidated and Site Master reports to further investigate claims. For a fast comparison, copy the Site ID from the PFAM report into the search tool in the other reports to quickly find the site you want. Difference (days) - The days in the DCM interval period should match the settlement days on the WSDs. Difference (dollars) - A positive dollar amount is indicative of an overpayment for energy. A negative dollar amount is indicative of an underpayment for energy. Zero indicates a balance.

19 QUICKSTART The PFEC DCM Candidates reports are found under Exception Reporting. PFEC DCM Candidates The Pre Final Error Correction (PFEC) Daily Cumulative Meter (DCM) Candidates are those sites that may be eligible for error correction before the next settlement run, ending with the Final run. The types of errors may be related to energize, de-energize, enrollment, calculation, consumption, meter reads, site characteristics and system-level metering errors. 19 As part of the ISIS settlement run by UTILITYnet, pre- and post- checks include a routine scanning of the PFEC DCM Candidates. Error submission is not normally required, as significant errors are questioned by UTILITYnet in our frequent contact with the Load Settlement Agents (LSAs).

20 Using the UNETgrid - Customer views Retailers have the option of two grid views: Retailer and Customer views. 20 The Retailer view will show the grid Dashboard at the aggregated view. The Customer view shows the grid Dashboard for that client only, with all information tailored to the single customer only. Customer name Customer Customer s view of the grid Dashboard, to give the Retailer a single customer view of each client Drop down menu of customer list

21 SUNJI is geared to provide a wealth of information to Self- Retailers, Retailers and their Customers. Sunji provides a means to access your detailed historical billing data used in the settlement process. There are two key users: your financial department and your engineering/operations departments. Engineering / Operations: The series of reports customized to assist your site personnel with facility expansions or operation personnel with determining operational impact from process changes. The information here will allow comparisons between similar facility types and/or similar operational types (pump jacks, compressors, unmetered sites). If facilities or equipment has changed, has there been a corresponding change in consumption or demand relative to expectations? If there has been a change in consumption or demand, has there been a corresponding change in operations?use SUNJI for historical billing inquiries. When billing anomalies are detected, SUNJI s reports allow a comparison of historical profiles for analysis. When adding, changing or removing facilities, use SUNJI to compare actual versus expected charges in: electrical transformers, service entrance sizing, metering. When historical profiles are needed, use SUNJI to find peak demand, power factor and consumption details. QUICKSTART Suggested method: Determine site ID. Go to Site Catalog. [Site IDs are the primary, unique identifier that track a physical location (point of sale) where energy is delivered. The site ID may or may not be included in the account number unique to the billing agent. If this is unknown, SUNJI provides direct access to the Provincial Site ID catalog where all site IDs are registered based on a physical address or LSD.) Aggregate settlement data can then be found in Site Consolidated, where entering the site ID into the Search function. This will immediately find the relevant site. The Site Consolidated Report gives a one-stop summary of direct usage (actual consumption) and indirect costs related to consumption (loss, UFE, WSD adjustments). Further investigation will show the site metering type (DIM, DCM, DC), settled consumption (includes actual meter reading, plus loss factors, UFE, and associated costs for the report period specified. If the information contained within the Site Consolidated Report is not sufficient, we provide the detailed metered data via the following reports: DIM Summary Report - consolidated consumption data for interval metered sites for a given month for all site IDs DIM Report - for a given site ID, the actual meter readings, given in two levels of information: - Summary: 15 minute readings rolled up to the hour - Detail: 15 minute readings, by the hour HINT: Use the DIM Report Summary Total to give all 15 minute readings for the report period specified. DCM Report - for a given site ID, the cumulative meter readings for a given report period, including meter numbers Wires Report - Gives the detailed financial transactional data associated with the utility tariff. Note: the detail information varies, depending on the wire service provider (WSP). 21

22 QUICKSTART For your convenience, Site Consolidated is available under both Financial Reports and Energy Management. Using SUNJI - Choosing reports Choose a report from the drop-down menu: Financial Reports, Energy Management Reports, Data Management, Administration or Agency. In general, financial reports give data relative to the invoice period. Energy management reports are relative to production period, or the period in which the charges were incurred. 22 TIPS System requirement for SUNJI: SUNJI has been tested and approved to run on the following Operating Systems: Windows 2000 & Windows XP Recommended System Requirements RAM: 512 MB min Processor: Minimum 800Mhz or above Internet Connection: High speed Screen Resolution: Minimum 800 x 600 on a 19" monitor Recommended Screen Resolution 1024 x 768 and above on 17" or larger monitors Java runtime environment x or higher Java web start 1.4.x or higher

23 Using SUNJI - Choosing dates Dates are chosen for a range of dates or for a specific period: Choose a range of dates for the Wires Report, Site Consolidated, DIM, DCM, WSD, WSI, Data Inquiry, Enrollment, and De-enrollment Reports. Choose History as at for the Site Master Report. Choose the month and year in question for the Monthly Consolidated Report, Monthly Consumption, and all PFAM/PFEC reports, or year in question for the Demand Report DIM Summary, Field Usage, and Budget to Actual Report. 23 Request Activity will give the most recent 3 months data. TIPS How to read the numbers: The four digits numbers show the identity and function of the Load Settlement Agent (LSA), Wire Service Provider (WSP) and Meter Data Manager. LSAs begin with a 1, WSPs with a 0, and MDMs with a 2. Here are the four most common IDs: Atco WSP/ LSA/ MDM: 0010, 1010, 2010 Enmax: WSP/ LSA/ MDM: 0020, 1020, 2020 Epcor WSP/ LSA/ MDM: 0030, 1030, 2030 Fortis WSP/ LSA/ MDM: 0040, 1040, 2040

24 Used by Rural Electrification Associations (REAs), ZYNXX is a fully-integrated web-based, back-office solution that helps manage an electricity portfolio. ZYNXX is used to support and manage meter assets, validate meter reads, automate the Load Settlement Agent (LSA) interface, reconcile load settlement of wholesale power pool purchases, manage wire rate billing, manage & allocate financial hedges, generate consumer invoices, and manage Customer accounts including the processing of accounts receivable, payment plans and debt administration. As a centralized web application, ZYNXX eliminates the high costs of installing and operating the application, as well as continual hardware and software upgrades. FEATURES Maintain Customer Information The basis for accurate data starts with management of Customer relationship information. The ZYNXX platform guides the user in correctly setting up a Customer data file; thereby reducing errors during the set-up process through the use of a number of system checks and online wizards. The Customer Information databases offer maximum search capability: batch, invoice, account number, site, date, etc. The Batch Master, Customer Master, Account Master, Invoice Master and Meter Master fields offer the Account Manager at-a-glance viewing. Accept Meter Read Metered data is entered online. Account Managers may track meter reading history and usage, and use these to estimate future readings and costs. Create DCM Using the metered entries, ZYNXX creates Daily Cumulative Meter (DCM) Reports. Wires & Consumption Billing In conjunction with ISIS, ZYNXX invoices at site and Customer level detail. Billing History/Consumption History When needed, Customer consumption and billing history is available for reference. Site Maintenance ZYNXX offers site updates, enrollments and deenrollments in conjunction with Site Registry and Site Catalog. 24 Meter Maintenance ZYNXX offers the following features for meter maintenance: o Meter type o Serial number o Status (active/inactive) o Date installed/de-installed Route Sequence Information With ZYNXX, meter reader directions may be entered. Billing & Consumption Reporting The ZYNXX centralized billing and detailed reports aid the decision-making process, while further reporting can be found in SUNJI Reports.

25 25 ISIS is the in-house application used by UTILITYnet to perform load settlement and reconciliation. Using your data, ISIS manages all Settlement System Code (SSC) transactions. Then, with all your Settlement System Code transactions in one place, ISIS generates reports that give you real information on how to manage your electricity portfolio. Why ISIS? Increasing complexities in deregulated markets coupled with never-ending policy changes by regulators, utility businesses must be able to adapt quickly to stay competitive. The best way to do this is by outsourcing non-core business processes and working with informed, flexible providers who are forward-thinking and able to adapt with you. ISIS delivers outsourcing services across multiple business functions, providing full-service business processes dedicated to meeting the back office needs of those buying and/or selling power in Alberta s deregulated market. We cater to this need by offering best-in-class solutions and services that deliver certainty on costs, accuracy of data, and online access to operational and financial reports essential making management decisions. ISIS is a leading provider of services, including: Revenue Assurance, Wholesale Reconciliation of settlement results and Margin Analysis.

26 SSC TXNs The SSC Transactions Buyers and seller of electricity in Alberta are subject to the terms and conditions of the Settlement System Code, published by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). The following sequence of diagrams depict each market participants roles and responsibilities for the major SSC transactions. These diagrams are for discussion purposes only. Please refer to loadsettlement/ 212.html for the most up to date Settlement System Code information. (The following information was derived from the Settlement System Code Version 10) v.10 26

27 SSC TXNs - DSR 27 (for the DSN, can be up to 10 business days for the DSR)

28 SSC TXNs - SRR 28

29 SSC TXNs - DIM, DCM 29 TIPS Process flow diagrams: The diagrams help illustrate the flow of transactions, answering the questions of who, what, and how long? For example, at left, the Daily Interval Meter (DIM) readings to retailers are the responsibility of the Meter Data Manager (MDM), who sends both Daily Interval Meter (DIM) and Daily Cumulative Meter (DCM) reads to the Load Settlement Agent (LSA) and the Retailer.

30 SSC TXNs - DER 30

31 SSC TXNs - SMC 31 SSC v.10 - B.6.5 Site Metering Characteristics Transaction - B Process Rules a) The Site Metering Characteristics (SMC) transaction consists of information about the metering setup at a site for which the Wire Services Provider is responsible. If the site has more than one associated socket, a transaction will be sent for each socket. This transaction allows for different meters at the same socket measuring different functions. This transaction set is sent to the Retailer/RRP: 1. When the Wire Services Provider has been notified of a successful enrollment at a site 2. When the metering configuration has been changed at a site. Specifically, this includes a change to: A. Type of metering B. Energized state C. Loss compensation D. Subtract metering b) Changes to meter, multiplier, or last reading will be reported by way of the DCM transaction.

32 SSC TXNs - ENR, UCI B.6.4 Update Customer Transaction Set - B General UCI Details a) The UCI transaction allows for the transfer of important customer and emergency contact information to the Wire Services Provider. This information is needed so that the WSP may execute its duties to facilitate customer transfer to the Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR), if required, and to permit safe and secure operation of the wires environment. To that end, references to Customer refer to the person, company or legal entity financially responsible for a site, specifically with regards to enrollment with the SOLR should that become necessary. Additionally references to Site Contact are intended to mean the person responsible for day-to-day functions at a site, specifically with regards to emergency and service outage management. b) Abbreviations used in addressing schemes follow the English language version of Canada Post standards. c) Update/Refresh mechanism: Whenever any of the information listed below is known by the retailer to have changed, the Retailer/RRP is required to resend all of the data to ensure data is not lost. 32

33 SSC TXNs - txns exclusive to ATCO: BCN, MCN 33

34 ISIS: behind the scenes The AESO Run UTILITYnet s ISIS, (formerly Retail Invoice Settlement System RISS), is the core application used to process all the various input System Settlement Code (SSC) data received from the Load Settlement Agents (LSA) and balance the results to the Power Pool invoice. The net result is the production of the e-bill (EBL) that clients use to post the results to their respective general ledgers. The settlement run, hereinafter called the AESO Run undergoes four stages before an EBL is produced: 34 Stage A: The Daily Processes Stage B: The PreChecks Stage C: The AESO Run Stage D: The PostChecks. Data validation and consistency checks are performed throughout all four stages. Daily processes maintain a site s complete portfolio: characteristics such as Retailer, Customer, profile class, loss group, energize status, etc. Monthly processes include four distinct AESO runs for a Retailer: Initial [I], Monthly [M], Interim [R], and Final [F], according to the SSC. Portfolio and SSC transaction (txn) pre-checks are done for each AESO run. During the AESO run, consumption and charges are allocated down to the site level using the validated Retailer s portfolio and the SSC txns. Post-check reports are used to determine the reasonability of site consumption and charges. The Customer monthly invoices (EBL) are then produced. Once the Customer EBL is posted to their internal accounting system, the run is considered complete and is archived.

35 35 TIPS Price Alert is a free service, available to anyone, to keep on top of changes in the hourly spot market. The system provides users with the online option of setting price point thresholds, with notifications automatically being broadcast as an alert when the power pool price bypasses the filter point. Daily, weekly and monthly historical charts provide 'at-a-glance' trend analysis. Using Price Alert: Use the Last 12 Months Graph to track the monthly average pool price, particularly to see the changes that will affect the monthly forward hedge that must be implemented in stages for the new Regulated Retail Option (RRO). Users will be prompted and provided an option of placing an icon on their desktops. Each graph in the Price Alert application can be printed, copied, saved or ed using the icons tool kit in the right hand corner of the graph. Price Alert can set thresholds to notify the user by when the Pool Price crosses the thresholds.

36 36 TIPS Using Price Alert: Use the Alert Preference to automatically notify you when the price moves past your threshold. For example, if you ve purchased a 5x16 hedge for 7.5 cents/kwh, you may set your alerts to let you know each time the market passes $75.00, as shown in the example setting below.

37 37 QUICKSTART Use all or part of the site s address to find site IDs quickly, and see the online Site Catalog Help section for a list of search limiters. Site Catalog is a free, searchable database containing over 1.5 million consumer sites in Alberta as registered with the various Wire Service Providers (WSP). As a centralized data hub for all WSP's in Alberta, UTILITYnet's Site Catalog conveniently eliminates the need for Retailers, Self-Retailers or Customers to access individual WSP catalogs. UTILITYnet's robot software service scans and updates all WSP files nightly, to provide accurate and relevant data. Each time UTILITYnet's Site Registry is used to enroll a site, the Site Catalog is automatically checked to ensure precision in the data files being transmitted. Site Catalog allows searching for basic site information by Site ID or by civic / legal address. Site Catalog is equipped with wildcards for more advanced searches and provides links to the Help Desk of each WSP. Search Types: Site ID, Address, Site or Reference. TIPS Getting the message error on page? You may have Popup Blocker on. If using Internet Explorer, hold the CTRL key down to override the Blocker once, or change the settings to allow Site Catalog the function of pop-ups (recommended). For convenience, Site Catalog also offers sites organized by Wire Service Provider, REA or Gas Distributor. (With UTILITYnet as their back office billing and reconciliation provider, REA clients automatically comply with the 2006 requirement to post their site catalogs.) Additional Gas Distributors will be added to the Catalog in the near future as well as other features including meter cycle information, date of last update and site history. Web Services are also available upon request. This will allow users to automatically access the Site Catalog database and load site level data directly into their own internal business applications. If you re interested in this enhanced service, give us a call.

38 Site Catalog - Using the catalog 38 Check the popup status Click on the Site ID for a detail window (see next page) TIPS In the Search Type: Address field, abbreviations are used: st, sw, cir, nw, sw, se, ne. Use st not street. Site Catalog is not case sensitive, so any combination of upper and lower case letters may be used.

39 Site Catalog - Detail window The Site Catalog detail window lists all publicly available information for the site. 39 Site ID

40 40 QUICKSTART UTILITYnet's web based Site Registry is designed to facilitate the automatic processing of all SSC data files for both industrial and mass market customers. The system includes a detailed (and time stamped) site registry data file that supports all the functionality of load settlement reconciliation, including the addition of customer contact and retailer specific information, such as wires rate data by site. Site Registry was designed to benefit two types of users: Agents and Retailers. An Agent is the representative of a market participant, duly appointed and authorized by that market participant in accordance with the Settlement System Code. A Retailer is a retail supplier of electricity to an end-use site that supplies billing and settlement services. If this is the first time you have launched Site Registry on your workstation, you will be given the option of integrating the application into your desktop environment, by creating an icon on your desktop to directly launch Site Registry without having to go through a browser. A new application window will open showing the Site Registry login screen. Enter your user id and password and then click the Login button. If you have forgotten your password, click on the Password button to have your password ed to you. TIPS Can t remember the password? Click here and it will be automatically mailed to you. Site Registry does more than just register: - enrollment requests (SRR) - de-enrollment requests (DSR) - Create UCI (update customer information) - energize requests (ENR) - de-energize requests (DER)

41 Using Site Registry 41 Site Registry's main screen is your starting point to facilitate the processing all SSC data files for enrollment, de-enrollment, energize and de-energize requests. Under the menu item "Dropchute Request", Enroll, De-Enroll, Energize, Create UCI and De-Energize each have two choices: New Task or Existing Task. Previously created Site Registry data files are listed under the Existing Task submenu, with a naming convention of retailername_yyyy/mm/dd hh:mm:ss. The date and time is the date and time that the site registry data file was saved or edited. TIPS Required fields are always denoted by an asterisk * and darker shading. Business function Id: DE Default Retailer LR Supplier of Last Resort RE Retailer RR Regulated Rate Option Retailer SR Self Retailer Priority Code: 1 Next Day (this will default to 1 for the SRR, but may be 1-9 for ENR, DER, as per SSC v10)

42 Submitting Requests Clicking the Submit button immediately sends the SRR list and UCI's to UTILITYnet via DropChute. A confirmation message will appear stating that the data has been submitted to UTILITYnet's server and that a confirmation has been sent to the users address. 42 Is Valid: If a site currently exists, the Is Valid button will be automatically checked. If a site is new, the Is Valid button will not be checked TIPS There s no need to Save before submitting requests. Unless you won t be submitting the request now, just proceed with Submit. Use Save to save your work for submitting later. The file will be kept indefinitely.

43 Enroll (SRR) and Update Customer Information (UCI) 43 Used for Site Enrollment. Two transactions are required in order to enroll a site: The Select Retailer Request (SRR) transaction and the Update Customer Information (UCI) transaction. Both of these transaction are created with the enrollment task. Information for the SRR is conveniently divided into five subcategories: SRR, CUST, CONTACT, SITE, OWNER. From 1 to 100 sites can be listed here. The sites will appear in a list, with no commas or other dividers. Contact information is to notify the site of possible interruptions in service, and may be different from the information given in the Cust tab.

44 SRR and UCI 44 This is a drop-down menu item, which will automatically fill in often-repeated information; thus, saving time in keystrokes, and potential errors from repetitive work. Method: Complete the required fields and any other pertinent information. Once the information is entered click on the next button. Verify the information is correct, then submit the file. Caution: The Retailer Ref Number should always match the Customer Company Name TIPS Who is the customer? When filling out the customer information, the name, address and other details should be those of the entity who is financially responsible for the site. So, for example, if you re a retailer who is enrolling a site elsewhere in the province, the address here should be the corporate headquarters. Site contact details should be entered under the Contact tab. Most entities will answer No to this question, but First Nations will answer Yes.

45 SRR - List, Validation and Deletions SRR List: After filling in required fields and any optional information select the Next button. 45 You will arrive at the SRR Transaction for Retailer screen. This screen is where you will make final decisions on transactions to be submitted to DropChute. The top of the screen lists the SRRs available to be submitted to UTILITYnet for processing. Clicking on any field in a given row displays UCI information associated with that SRR in the bottom left portion of the window. You can make final edits to the site UCI here. Wire Service Provider ID Settlement ID Atco Enmax Epcor Fortis Is Valid: If a site currently exists, the Is Valid button will be automatically checked. If a site is new, the Is Valid button will not be checked. To delete a row from the current SRR List, check the Delete box beside the row you wish to delete. When all rows to be deleted have been checked, click on the Delete row heading. This feature only deletes rows from the current SRR list. If the site currently exists on UTILITYnet's server, it will not be affected.

46 De-enroll (DSR) Method: Complete the required fields and any other pertinent information. Once the information is entered click on the next button. 46 Verify the information is correct, then submit the file. This is a De-enroll Site Request (DSR) transaction. If you ve worked on a transaction request that has not been submitted yet,use this menu item. From 1 to 100 sites can be listed here. The sites will appear in a list, with no commas or other dividers. There are two required fields: De-Enroll date and Reason Code. De-enroll date is automatically filled in with the current date and time. TIPS To save or not to save: Only use the Save function if you do not plan to submit the file to be processed immediately, and wish to return to it later. If you submit a file and then save it, you will get an error message. In general, it s not necessary to save a file before submitting it to DropChute. Reason Code : 0001 Customer moving out 0002 Retailer/RRP drops customer 0003 Other

47 Update Customer Information (UCI) Method: Complete the required fields and any other pertinent information. Once the information is entered click on the next button. 47 Verify the information is correct, then submit the file. Creates a new Update Customer Transaction (UCI) Information for the UCI is conveniently divided into five subcategories: RET, CUST, CONTACT, SITE, OWNER. Complete the required fields and any other pertinent information for each tab. Once the information is entered click on the next button. Verify the information is correct then submit the file. Business function Id: DE Default Retailer LR Supplier of Last Resort RE Retailer RR Regulated Rate Option Retailer SR Self Retailer

48 Energize (ENR) Method: Complete the required fields and any other pertinent information. Once the information is entered click on the next button. 48 Verify the information is correct, then submit the file. An Energize Request transaction. Business function Id: DE Default Retailer LR Supplier of Last Resort RE Retailer RR Regulated Rate Option Retailer SR Self Retailer Priority Code: Priority code for each WSP can be specified from 1-9, with being the top priority. The cost and performance of each priority is at the WSP's discretion. Priority 5 is the standard level of service. Contact information is to notify the site of possible interruptions in service.

49 De-energize (DER) Method: Complete the required fields and any other pertinent information. Once the information is entered click on the next button. 49 Verify the information is correct, then submit the file. A De-energize Request transaction. Business function Id: DE Default Retailer LR Supplier of Last Resort RE Retailer RR Regulated Rate Option Retailer SR Self Retailer Priority Code: Priority code for each WSP can be specified from 1-9, with 1 being the top priority. The cost and performance of each priority is at the WSP's discretion. Priority 5 is the standard level of service. Reason Code: 0001 Customer Request 0002 Cut off for Non Payment 0003 Premise Demolished 0004 Safety Shut Off 0005 Seasonal Shut Off 0006 Vacant Premises Contact information is to notify the site of possible interruptions in service.

50 50 QUICKSTART Use the UNETgrid daily to for a concise, dashboard look at the key indicators in your electricity portfolio. Dashboard View: 8 graphs offering a visual summary of: Spot Price Site Count Site Type Average Pool Price Energy MWH Daily Load Daily Load Factor Energy Breakdown

51 UNETgrid - Using the grid Dashboard 51 Site Count, shown by actual numbers of sites belonging to a retailer for a given month, for a 13 month period Realtime spot price ($/hr), showing day ahead forecast, realtime forecast and actual price. Average pool price ($/month), by month, using the AESO monthly data Site type by metering character (% load/month): Daily Cumulative Meters (DCM), Daily Interval Meters (DIM) and Direct Connect (DC) sites. Energy (MWh/month) shows the settled usage for a 13 month period, for the amount of energy consumed as reported throughout the settlement run cycle: Initial Monthly (M), Interim (R) and Final (F) Daily load over the past 2 months MWh/day), showing, in MW, average load, peak load and minimum load Energy Breakdown (MWh/month), showing the settled energy in its base components of usage, loss and Unaccounted for Energy (UFE) Daily Load Factor over the past 2 months (%), showing the ratio of average load over maximum load. The graph shows how consistently a full load is achieved by equipment operations.