Validation and estimation set overrides

For service points that are configured using program based configuration (PBC), validation and estimation sets are assigned through the program. All service point instances with the same program will then inherit the same VE sets.

For certain scenarios, however, you may need to assign a new VE set temporarily, to only one service point or only a subset of these PBC service points. For example, in the event of natural disasters such as storms, floods, or wildfire, the affected areas are likely to suffer from significant damages, and meters in those areas would stop communicating.

The utility in the affected area can activate a new VE set temporarily, so that the affected service points are assumed to have zero (0) consumption, because the houses may have burned down or submerged in the flood. The reading gaps can then be estimated based on this assumption, so that the billing process can continue during the disaster period.

Another example is the blocked-access scenario. A meter stops communicating, so the utility sends an engineer to read the meter on site. The engineer is unable to access the premises, maybe because the resident locks the gate, or blocks access by putting their dog outside. But while on site, the engineer can see that the house has their Christmas lights on, so there’s clear evidence of energy use. If the situation is not resolved after the utility sends several warning letters, the utility wants to activate a temporary VE set to perform historical estimation for X months until access is granted (or until the meter starts communicating again).

The VE set override functionality enables you to assign a new VE set to a service point without the need to do a program change. The new VE set can have an effective start date and end date, so that during this specified effective period, the new VE set will override the original VE set that the service point inherited from the PBC program.

The VE set override functionality applies to PBC-based service points and can be done from:

  • the IEE user interface
  • Program Based Configuration (PBC) API
    • XML import
    • Web service
  • ISAIM

The following IEE functionality supports VE set override:

  • PBC Configuration Maintenance UI
  • Program Based Configuration (PBC) API
  • ISAIM Configuration Services