Consumption batches
How consumption periods are tracked and invoiced
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This page explains how Tillor divides a customer's consumption into periods, so you know why an amount looks the way it does. A consumption batch (or consumption period) is a period of meter consumption for one customer and one meter. Tillor automatically keeps track of when a period starts, when it ends and whether it has already been invoiced. If you only want to invoice, go to Invoicing consumption.
Life cycle of a batch
Statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Open | New readings are added to the period automatically |
| Closed | The period is closed and waiting to be invoiced |
| Invoiced | The consumption has been processed in an invoice |
When is a batch created?
- On occupation: when you link a customer to a terrain with meters and enter a start reading
- On manual reading: when you enter a meter reading for a meter on a terrain with an active occupation and there is no open batch yet for that customer and meter combination
When is a batch closed?
- When an occupation ends: when the customer leaves the terrain (the occupation is removed)
- On a meter correction or reset: when the meter reading goes down (for example the meter is replaced or corrected). The system closes the previous period, creates a closed "jump" batch with negative consumption (for example -90 for 100→10), and the next reading starts a new open batch
- On a new occupation: when another customer (or the same customer again) is linked with explicit start readings
Meter reading goes down
If a meter reading goes down (correction, reset or replacement), Tillor automatically closes the running batch, creates a closed "jump" batch with negative consumption, and immediately opens a new batch at the new reading. The jump batch is easy to recognise and to mark as paid. The next reading is added to the new batch.
Examples
Invoicing
Way 1: Via the invoice button (new invoice)
- Go to Customers > customer > tab Overview (card Readings)
- Click Invoice consumption
- The system creates an invoice with the consumption as a line, or adds it to an existing draft invoice
- The batches are marked as invoiced and linked to the invoice
Way 2: Mark as invoiced manually
If you invoiced the consumption outside Tillor:
- Open the batch in the card Readings (customer profile) or Consumption (Park > Meters > meter)
- Click the warning icon next to the period
- Confirm with Yes, mark as invoiced
- The batch is closed without an invoice link
Please note
Only manually marked batches can be "reverted". Batches that are linked to a real invoice cannot be undone - the invoice must be deleted first.
Automatic new batch
When you mark a batch as invoiced (and the occupation is still running), Tillor automatically creates a new open batch that starts at the end reading of the previous one. That way the consumption continues without gaps.
Batch 1: 0 → 50 m³ (invoiced)
↓
Batch 2: 50 → (open, ready for new readings)Deleting an invoice
If you delete a draft invoice that had consumption linked to it, Tillor adjusts the consumption batches automatically.
What always happens?
- The link with that invoice disappears.
- The batch is shown as not invoiced again and can end up on an invoice again.
When do two batches become one again?
Sometimes Tillor automatically started a new open batch at the end reading of the invoiced period after invoicing. If you delete that invoice, the system looks for such a continuation:
| Condition | Result |
|---|---|
| There is another batch with the same start reading as the end reading of the invoiced batch (same reading as the connection point) | That continuation is merged into the original batch. You get one continuous period again. |
| The continuation is not yet invoiced (no invoice on it) | Merging is allowed. |
| The continuation starts at a different reading than the end reading of the invoiced batch | No merge: they are two separate periods. |
| The continuation has already been invoiced again (another invoice) | No merge: that period stays on the other invoice. |
End reading after merging
After merging, the batch should be open again (if the continuation was open) and the end reading is the current end reading of that continuation - so including readings that came in after the invoice. If technically there was no end reading on the continuation but there are newer readings on the meter, Tillor fills in the end reading with the most recent reading after the connection point (same logic as when a batch is created).
Manually marked as invoiced
Only batches without an invoice link can be made "not invoiced" again manually using the revert icon (on Park > Meters > meter, for settled periods). Batches attached to a real invoice follow the rules above only after you delete that invoice.
Specific situations
Period without consumption
If a reading comes in with the same value as the start (consumption = 0), Tillor automatically adjusts the start date. The period shown only covers the time in which consumption actually took place.
Customer returns
When a customer occupies a terrain again after leaving earlier:
- A completely new batch is created
- The batch does not start where the previous one ended
- You choose a start reading again (or the meter reading at that moment)
Meter linked to several customers
Each customer and meter combination has its own batches. The same terrain can have several occupations (for example different periods), each with its own consumption periods.
Overview in the application
Where you see batches:
- Customers > customer > tab Overview > card Readings: per meter only outstanding periods (orange accent) with the button Invoice consumption at the top.
- Park > Meters > meter > card Consumption: per customer first outstanding periods (orange), below them settled periods (green when linked to an invoice, grey when marked manually).
- Customers > Outstanding Consumption: table of customers who still have consumption to invoice.