KB453 - Indicator setup to track consumptions based on counters

Summary

For reporting and computing (for instance CO2 equivalents of energy consumption), the actual usage per time period needs to be tracked in the system. This information often comes from bills, so that the consumption figure is readily available.

However, in some cases it would be more desirable to enter the (continuously ascending) number of a counter, or the level of a tank and track re-fills at the same time, and to derive the consumption numbers from this information.

Problem when using calculations

The intuitive way to implement this would seem to be by using a simple Reporting Indicator as counter tracker and a calculation to compute the consumption figure. This approach however only works when working with yearly figures. Since the calculation formula is used for calculations on all frequencies (e.g. yearly, quarterly, monthly or weekly values), it can only retrieve indicator values of the very same time index, e.g. the same month of another period is possible if the computed value is monthly, but not the previous month.

Solution with Custom Conversions for Electricity Counters

Create a Reporting Indicator which tracks the consumption, but the input is the counter. A custom conversion will compute the difference between the previous input value and the current input.

Counter initialization value indicator

Create a Reporting Indicator to allow initializing and re-setting the counter value to be used as offset on the consumption. For this example, let's call it "Electricity Counter Reset" (Indicator Code). A suitable setup for this indicator could be:

• Consolidate on Structures: No
• Same reporting frequency as the one to be used by the consumption indicator.
• Time Aggregation: None
• Allow file attachments if you want to collect justification/proof of the reset.
• Reporting Unit: same as the counter unit, for instance "kWh Total" for electricity.
• Indicator Value Constraint formula: coalesce(value, 0) >= 0 (value must be greater than zero, but empty is allowed)
• Indicator Value Plausibility Check formula: value is null or attachments > 0 (require justification/proof when a value is entered)

Now you edit the Indicator Assignments of this indicator and enable this indicator only for the structures which desire to input the counter value instead of the consumption.

Consumption value indicator

Create a Reporting Indicator to implement the counter-to-consumption computation. For this example, let's call it "Electricity Consumption" (Indicator Code). A suitable setup for this indicator could be:

• Consolidate on Structures: Yes
• Time Aggregation: Sum
• Reporting Unit: the desired consumption unit, for instance "kWh" for electricity.
• Allowed Input Units: both the consumption and the counter units, for instance "kWh" and "kWh Total"
• Custom Conversion Formula:
  
  if inputUnit = 'kWh Total' and inputValue is not null then
    inputValue - coalesce("Electricity Counter Reset", previousInputValue)
  else
    inputValue
  end
• Indicator Value Constraint: Greater or equal to 0
• Indicator Value Plausibility Check: Relative 20% to previous 1 value

Solution with Custom Conversions for Fuel Tanks

Fuel tanks are similar to the Electricity counter, but unlike these they are not re-set but instead re-filled.

Tank re-fill amount indicator

Create a Reporting Indicator to allow entering fuel filling. For this example, let's call it "Oil Tank Fill" (Indicator Code). A suitable setup for this indicator could be:

• Consolidate on Structures: Yes
• Same or higher reporting frequency as the one to be used by the consumption indicator.
• Time Aggregation: Sum
• Allow file attachments if you want to collect justification/proof of the filling.
• Reporting Unit: same as the tank unit, for instance "l" (Liters) for oil.
• Indicator Default Value: Set to 0 (nothing to do when the tank was not filled)
• Indicator Value Constraint: Greater or equal to 0
• Indicator Value Plausibility Check formula: value = 0 or attachments > 0 (require justification/proof when a value is entered)

Now you edit the Indicator Assignments of this indicator and enable this indicator only for the structures which have a tank and therefore want to input the tank contents instead of the consumption.

Consumption value indicator

Create a Reporting Indicator to implement the counter-to-consumption computation. For this example, let's call it "Oil Consumption" (Indicator Code). A suitable setup for this indicator could be:

• Consolidate on Structures: Yes
• Time Aggregation: Sum
• Reporting Unit: the desired consumption unit, for instance "l" for oil.
• Custom Conversion Formula:
  
  $fill := number("Oil Tank Fill"),

  if $fill is not null then

    if inputValue >= 0 then

      (previousInputValue + $fill) - inputValue

    else

      NaN

    end

  else

    inputValue

  end
• Indicator Value Constraint: Greater or equal to 0
• Indicator Value Plausibility Check: Relative 20% to previous 1 value