Subject: The Handheld Meter-Reading Process Taking utility meter readings with a handheld computer in WinTen is a five-step process. In addition to these five steps, you may also wish to run reports on meter readings and may occasionally need to change your agency s utility rates. To perform these tasks, you will work in both the Tenant Accounts Receivable program (on your desktop computer) and the Meter Reading program (on your handheld computer). For your convenience, a quick start guide is available for each of these seven tasks. This quick start guide outlines the overall process and directs you to each of the seven other quick start guides that are available. For more detailed information, please see the user manual for WinTen Handheld Meter Reading. The Five-Step Meter-Reading Process NOTE: You must perform these steps in order, as follows: Create a meter-reading schedule. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Create a Schedule for Handheld Meter Readings. Download the schedule to the handheld computer. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Download a Meter-Reading Schedule to a Handheld. Use the handheld computer to take the meter readings. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Read Meters with a Handheld Computer. Upload the readings to the Tenant Accounts Receivable program on your network. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Upload Meter Readings from a Handheld. Verify that the readings uploaded successfully. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Verify a Meter-Reading Upload. Additional Options You will likely wish to run reports on meter readings. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Run Meter-Reading Reports. You may occasionally need to change your agency s utility rates. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Change Utility Rates.
Subject: Create a Schedule for Handheld Meter Readings The first step in the meter-reading process is to create a meter-reading schedule. You can create the schedule in the Tenant Accounts Receivable program on the Handheld Schedules tab of the Charges screen. Start the Tenant Accounts Receivable program. Click the Charges button on the Main Menu. The Charges screen opens. Click the Handheld Schedules tab (near the top) on the Charges screen. Click to check the All checkbox (in the middle of the screen) to create one schedule for all units. We strongly recommend creating one schedule for all units. However, you can instead click to select a starting unit (on the left) and an ending unit (on the right), which will create a schedule only for the units within the selected range. Click the Create Schedule button. A message box appears, informing you that you have created the schedule. Click the OK button to close the message box. NOTE: Your next step in the meter-reading process is to download this schedule to the handheld computer. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Download a Meter-Reading Schedule to a Handheld.
Subject: Download a Meter-Reading Schedule to a Handheld The second step in the meter-reading process is to download the schedule to the handheld computer. NOTE: You must create the schedule before you can download it to the handheld. For information and instructions on doing this, please see the following quick start guide: Create a Schedule for Handheld Meter Readings. Connect your handheld computer to your network. Start the Meter Reading program on the handheld computer. Click the Download Schedules icon (the blue down-arrow). A message box appears, informing you that the data has been loaded. Click the OK button to close the message box. NOTE: Your next step in the meter-reading process is to perform the actual meter readings. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Read Meters with a Handheld Computer.
Subject: Read Meters with a Handheld Computer After you have downloaded the meter-reading schedule to the handheld computer, you can take meter readings. This quick start guide gives instructions for taking electricity, water, and gas readings. Skip the steps for any utility type you do not read. NOTE: For information and instructions on downloading a meter-reading schedule to a handheld computer, please see the following quick start guide: Download a Meter- Reading Schedule to a Handheld. Start the Meter Reading program on your handheld computer. Take the handheld computer to the meter you wish to read. Use the bar-code wand to read the bar code on the meter. OR Double-click the unit s record in the Meter Reading program. The Meter Details screen opens for this unit. 9. Use the on-screen keyboard to enter the New Reading for Electricity. Click the Enter key on the on-screen keyboard. OR Click in the New Reading field for Water. Use the on-screen keyboard to enter the New Reading for Water. Click the Enter key on the on-screen keyboard. OR Click in the New Reading field for Gas. Use the on-screen keyboard to enter the New Reading for Gas. Click the Enter key on the on-screen keyboard twice. OR Click the OK button on the Meter Details screen. The Meter Details screen closes. The program has saved the new readings. 10. Repeat steps 2 through 9 to read the meter for each unit. NOTE: After you have read the meters for all units, upload the readings to the Tenant Accounts Receivable program on your network. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Upload Meter Readings from a Handheld.
Subject: Upload Meter Readings from a Handheld After you have taken meter readings with a handheld computer, upload them to the Tenant Accounts Receivable program on your network.! 9. 10. NOTE: For information and instructions on taking meter readings with a handheld, please see the following quick start guide: Read Meters with a Handheld Computer. CAUTION: Do not upload meter readings until you have taken them for all projects. Connect your handheld computer to your network. Start the Meter Reading program on the handheld computer. Click the Upload Meter Readings icon (the yellow up-arrow). A message box appears, informing you that the meter readings have been uploaded. Click the OK button to close the message box. You may now disconnect the handheld computer from the network, if you wish. Start the Tenant Accounts Receivable program on your desktop computer. Click the Charges button on the Main Menu. The Charges screen opens. Click the Meter Readings tab (near the top) on the Charges screen. The Electric, Gas, and/or Water checkboxes (near the upper left) identify the types of utilities marked in Setup as Active Utilities for your agency. Check all utility types for which you are uploading readings. Enter the last date on which you took readings (in the field labeled, What date were the meters read? ). Click the HANDHELD Meter Reading Input button. A Processing message box appears. When the message box closes, the upload is complete. NOTE: Your final step in the meter-reading process is to verify that the readings uploaded successfully. For information and instructions, please see the following quick start guide: Verify a Meter-Reading Upload.
Subject: Verify a Meter-Reading Upload After you have uploaded meter readings from a handheld computer, verify that they uploaded successfully. You can do this by comparing the meter-reading information on the handheld with the information in the Tenant Accounts Receivable program. We recommend that you verify information for two or three tenants, each from a different project. (It is not necessary to check all tenants to verify that the upload was successful.) NOTE: For information and instructions on uploading meter readings from a handheld computer, please see the following quick start guide: Upload Meter Readings from a Handheld. 9. Start the Tenant Accounts Receivable program on your desktop computer and the Meter Reading program on your handheld computer. In the Tenant Accounts Receivable program, click the Tenant button on the Main Menu. The Tenant Search screen opens. Select the Tenant you wish to use for verification. Click the Edit / Review button. The Tenant Edit / Review screen opens. Click the Utilities tab (near the top) on the Tenant Edit / Review screen. The Utilities tab opens on the Main Utilities sub-tab. Note the tenant s meter-reading information. A. The Meter Read Date field (on the right, in the Due in 30 section of the screen) should correspond to the read date of the uploaded meter readings. B. The New Readings for Electric, Gas, and Water (immediately below the Meter Read Date, in the Due in 30 section) should correspond to this tenant s New Reading values on the handheld (see step 8, below). In the Meter Reading program, double-click the record of the same tenant. The Meter Details screen opens. The New Reading values should correspond to this tenant s New Readings on step B, above. In the Meter Reading program, click the Cancel button to close the Meter Details screen. Page 1 of 2
10. 1 In the Tenant Accounts Receivable program, click the Search icon to return to the Tenant Search screen. Repeat steps 3 through 10 to verify information for a total of two or three tenants, each from a different project. Page 2 of 2
Subject: Run Meter-Reading Reports The Tenant Accounts Receivable program allows you to run reports on utility meter readings. These reports are available from the Utility Meter Readings tab of the Reports screen. Start the Tenant Accounts Receivable program. Click the Reports button on the Main Menu. The Reports screen opens. Click the Utility Meter Readings tab (near the top) on the Reports screen. Click in the Utility Reports group to select the type of utility on which to report: Gas, Electric, or Water. Click in the Which Reading? group to select the reading on which to report: Due Now, Due in 30 Days, or Supplemental. Click in the Group By group to select how to group the report: Project Number + Bedroom Size, Bedroom Size + Project Number, Project Number, Bedroom Size, or None. Click the Which Project? drop-down arrow and select a specific project on which to report (or leave this field blank to report on all projects). Click either the Print icon or the Print Preview icon.
Subject: Change Utility Rates If your agency s utility rates (for electricity, gas, and/or water) change, you must edit the rates in the Setup area of the Tenant Accounts Receivable program. Each of your projects has its own utility rate table. You must enter the rate changes for each project separately. 9. Start the Tenant Accounts Receivable program. Click the Setup button on the Main Menu. The Setup screen opens. Click the Utilities tab (near the upper left) on the Setup screen. Click the Rate Tables sub-tab (near the lower left) on the Utilities tab. In the Multiple Rates List (on the left of the screen), click to select the project for which you wish to edit rates. Scroll up or down, if necessary, to locate the project. Click the Edit icon. As needed, tab or click through the rate fields (on the right of the screen), editing the Electric, Gas and/or Water rates for Due Now and/or Due in 30 Days. Click the Save icon. To change rates for multiple projects, repeat steps 5 through 8 as needed.