Charge type: Contract

The contract block charge is similar to regular Charge type: Energy and Charge type: Demand charge types in that you can specify different charge amounts for each season or block.

However, the contract block charge allows you to remove the block from the load for pricing purposes. You can also provide a contract start and end date for each block, as well as include multiple prices and price types (e.g., real-time price, energy price, demand price).

Note: Be consistent with the billing determinant unit of measure when creating block and residual charges.

Configuring a Contract Charge

1. Go to Rate Modeler > Create or Edit > Rate.

2. Select the Charges tab.

3. Right-click in the tree pane and select Add Charge.

4. Select Contract from the dropdown menu.

5. Enter a Name and Description for the new charge and click OK.

6. Select the Class or classes to assign this charge to.

7. Enter the Charge Amount Effective Date.

8. Click OK.

9. In the tree, click the name of the charge you just created (at the top level of the hierarchy).

10. Select a Prorate Type. If a billing period crosses an effective date, the proration type determines how the charge is applied.

    • Use End Date Price. A single billing determinant results. The charge that was current on the billing period’s end date is applied.

    • Use Start Date Price. A single billing determinant results. The charge that was current on the billing period’s start date is applied.

    • Effective Date. A single billing determinant results. This is the sum of two charge results, one for the billing period ranges before the effective dates, and one for after.

    • Use Separate Determinants. Two billing determinants result, one for each effective date range.

11. Select the Report Type for this charge.

    • Reportable. Charge results appear in reports.

    • Not Reportable. Charge results do not appear in reports.

12. Select the Contract Type for this charge (e.g., Energy).

13. If applicable, select the Apply Charge schedule.

14. Enter a Start Date and End Date for this contract charge.

15. In the tree, select the season or block you just assigned to this contract charge. (If necessary, double-click entries in the tree under the new energy charge to expand and view sub-items.)

16. (Optional) Enter a Contract Block Size. This is the amount of energy or demand you've contracted to use from the supplier (e.g., 50,000 kWh).

17. Right-click a row in the Contract Block Prices grid and select Add Contract Price.

18. Select the Charge Type (e.g., Energy, Demand, Real-Time Price).

19. Enter a Price.

20. (Optional) For real-time price types, select whether to use the Minimum or Maximum values stipulated by the tariff or rate schedule.

21. (Optional) For real-time price types, enter amounts for Minimum or Maximum values.

    When you set minimum and maximum values here, they override the real time price values for any given interval. For example, you set a minimum value of $0.015/kWh. At some point in time, a real time price interval drops to 0.003. In this case, the rate will use the defined minimum value of 0.015 for that interval rather than 0.003. Maximum works in reverse. If you define the maximum as $1.50/kWh, and an interval goes to $2.55/kWh, then Rate Modeler uses the maximum amount defined ($1.50/kWh) for that interval or intervals.

22. Click Save from the toolbar.

23. (Optional) Right-click items in the tree to add more attributes at that level, or to modify or delete existing attributes.