Electricity reconciliation checklist: source bills, room readings and an allocation example
HouseHu · Updated
For landlords and people helping maintain rental records. Prepare a review pack that traces the source bill, meters and leases before deciding whether tenant charges are ready. This is a business checklist and arithmetic example, not a determination of permitted charges under an individual lease or a statutory electricity rate. Complete interface guides are linked below.
Fix the source: one bill, one property month and one room list
Collect the source electricity bill, actual service dates, total amount, covered rooms, meter identifiers and reading dates. Keep electricity costs, allocations, tenant bills and actual receipts as separate records rather than retaining only a total.
- Confirm the property and service period on the source bill. Do not assign an entire bill to a month solely by its payment date.
- For a two-month bill or a period that differs from the meter readings, reconcile each month manually. HouseHu does not automatically split months or import utility-company bills.
- List every covered room, including rooms with verified zero usage. Distinguish a missing reading from a genuine zero.
- The worked example assumes one complete month, matching meters and coverage, with no fixed-rate rooms, discounts, additional charges or period adjustments.
Usage checklist: support every reading difference
Usage equals the current reading minus the previous reading. Keep meter photographs or other traceable evidence, dates and a reviewer for each room. Missing, unreadable or replaced meters remain exceptions; do not enter zero merely to complete the list.
- Does the previous reading match the same meter’s last verified current reading? Are both values in kWh?
- A current reading below the previous reading, meter replacement, reset or unusual usage requires source checks. Do not treat negative or guessed usage as a tenant charge.
- Does each room and month match its source bill? Do not count the same room-month twice.
- A mid-month tenant change or missing handover reading requires actual usage and responsibility checks, rather than estimating usage by occupied days.
Worked example: allocate NT$2,400 over 600 kWh
Assume a source bill of NT$2,400 for one complete month covers rooms 101, 102 and 103. Every room has a verified reading and uses proportional allocation. There are no meter replacements, tenant handovers, fixed-rate rooms or additional adjustments. This demonstrates data reconciliation, not the contractual basis for charging an individual tenant.
| Room | Previous reading | Current reading | Usage | Allocated amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | 1,000 | 1,200 | 200 | 800 |
| 102 | 2,000 | 2,100 | 100 | 400 |
| 103 | 3,000 | 3,300 | 300 | 1,200 |
| Total | — | — | 600 | 2,400 |
- Total usage = 200 + 100 + 300 = 600 kWh.
- Room 101 = 2,400 × 200 ÷ 600 = NT$800; room 102 = 2,400 × 100 ÷ 600 = NT$400; room 103 = 2,400 × 300 ÷ 600 = NT$1,200.
- Allocated total = 800 + 400 + 1,200 = NT$2,400. Check coverage separately: all three rooms have readings, or 3 of 3.
- The derived rate is 2,400 ÷ 600 = NT$4 per kWh for this dataset only. It is neither a separately agreed rate nor a statutory rate.
- When rounding differences arise, review the saved allocation basis and adjustment for every room before checking the total. Do not replace saved amounts by multiplying usage by a rounded displayed rate.
A matching total still needs a coverage and method check
An allocated total equal to the source bill does not prove completeness. If only some rooms have readings, the full amount can still be allocated to those rooms. Check both the expected room count and completed readings.
- If room 103 is missing, the example remains incomplete at 2 of 3, even when the amounts appear to add up to NT$2,400. Do not close the review or convert it to tenant charges.
- A mix of fixed-rate and allocation rooms cannot use the example’s full-bill-over-600-kWh formula. Review fixed-rate usage and rates first, then the remaining amount and allocation-room usage.
- HouseHu prefers the lease rate for the reading’s billing month, then the tenant rate. An unavailable fixed rate can fall back to allocation. Review the saved rate source rather than only the selected setting name.
- The example does not cover all-zero usage or fixed-rate charges exceeding the source bill. Check meters, settings and allocation evidence before accepting a calculated result.
After calculation, review tenant charges and receipts separately
A saved calculation, source expense and tenant payment bill are related but distinct records. Completing readings does not issue a bill; issuing a bill does not establish receipt; uploaded evidence is not a verified receipt.
- Before conversion, verify readings for every unarchived covered room, a saved calculation and matching source bill, lease, tenant and billing period.
- If a mistake is found after billing or collection, an authorized person reviews the original payment and source expense using the complete correction guide. Do not issue another charge and collect twice.
- This whole-month example cannot automatically split a charge across months, tenants or a same-day handover. Reconcile actual usage before an authorized person prepares matching expenses.
- A company acting as landlord uses its company account. The independent landlord payment-review portal cannot maintain company electricity settings or readings. Features depend on the activated plan and permissions.
Printable handover checklist
Give the reviewer this checklist with the source bill, meter evidence, allocations and unresolved exceptions. Assign a reason, owner and next review date to each difference. Unresolved items remain pending.
- [ ] Source bill, service period, property and source month agree; two-month or cross-month items have been resolved separately.
- [ ] Covered rooms, meter identifiers, previous/current readings and evidence are complete: 3 of 3 in this example.
- [ ] Total usage of 600 kWh and NT$2,400 of allocations trace to the room calculations; methods and rate sources were reviewed.
- [ ] Missing readings, replacements, handovers, mixed methods and rounding were addressed, without hiding differences in zero readings or other costs.
- [ ] Tenant bills, payment submissions and verified receipts remain distinct. Include the version, cutoff, reviewer and unresolved work.