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How to Use a Meter Read Report for Utility Audits

Updated yesterday

The Meter Rent Roll report lists every meter assigned to a space in your marina or campground, along with the associated tenant, current reading, billing status, and cumulative usage for a selected period. It is the primary tool for auditing your utility billing across the property.


Running the Meter Read Report

  1. Navigate to Reports → Marina or Reports → Campground.

  2. Select the Meter Reads report type.

  3. Set the Date Range for the billing period you want to audit.

  4. Click Run or Generate.

  5. Export to Excel for detailed analysis — the exported file is sortable and filterable by space, meter, or tenant.


Understanding the Report Columns

Column

What It Shows

Space

The slip or campsite the meter is assigned to

Tenant / Customer

The current occupant of that space

Meter ID / Number

The identifier for the physical meter

Previous Reading

The reading recorded at the start of the billing period

Current Reading

The reading recorded at the end of the billing period

Usage

Difference between current and previous readings (kilowatt-hours or gallons)

Rate

The per-unit rate applied to this meter

Billed Amount

The calculated charge for the period

Status

Whether the meter has been billed, pending, or has an error


Using the Report to Audit Utility Billing

Check for Missing Reads

Spaces with a blank or zero Current Reading may have been missed during the reading cycle. Cross-reference these against your physical meter log. Missed reads should be entered in Marina → Meter Readings or Campground → Meter Readings before the next billing run.

Look for Abnormal Usage

Sort the exported report by Usage descending to identify readings that are unusually high or low. Very high usage may indicate:

  • A meter rollover (the reading went past its maximum and reset to zero)

  • A data entry error (digits transposed)

  • A genuine spike (large vessel, equipment running)

Very low or zero usage may indicate:

  • The meter was not read

  • The tenant was not in residence

  • The meter is not functioning

Verify Meter-to-Space Assignments

Confirm each meter in the report is assigned to the correct space. If a meter was recently replaced or reassigned, the report may show the meter under an outdated space assignment. Correct meter assignments in the space record under Marina → Settings → Spaces or Campground → Settings → Spaces.

Confirm All Active Spaces Are Represented

The Meter Rent Roll should include a row for every space that has an active meter assignment. If a space is occupied but does not appear in the report, the meter may not be assigned to that space. Navigate to the space record and confirm a meter is linked.


Troubleshooting Missing Meters

If a meter does not appear in the Meter Rent Roll:

  1. Navigate to Marina → Settings → Spaces (or Campground → Settings → Spaces) and open the space record.

  2. Confirm a meter is assigned in the Meter field of the space.

  3. If no meter is assigned, add one.

  4. Re-run the report to confirm the meter now appears.

If a meter is assigned but still missing from the report, confirm the date range you ran the report covers a period when readings were entered for that meter.


After the Audit

Once you have verified the data:

  • Enter any missing readings in Meter Readings before billing runs.

  • Correct any erroneous readings (see the Meter Billing Edge Cases article for rollover corrections).

  • Re-run the report after corrections to confirm the billed amounts are accurate before generating invoices.

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