This guide will help you determine whether to enroll your accounts as ONLINE or OFFLINE in Utility Sync. Both are options to automate the processing of your data into Measurabl for electric, fuel, and water meter meter; the determinant being your accessibility to an online utility portal with PDF invoices available.
ONLINE UTILITY SYNC
Online Utility Sync is recommended if you have access to the username and password for the provider's utility portal. Once the account is enrolled in Measurabl as online, we pull all available new and historical data directly into Measurabl.
Note: Please make sure the username/password is always up to date in our system so we can continue to pull in new data.
The below information is required when setting up an ONLINE Utility Sync account in Measurabl:
- Utility provider name
- Utility provider's online portal website address
- Username & password
- Security questions (if applicable)
- Utility account number(s)
OFFLINE UTILITY SYNC
Offline Utility Sync is used for utilities which you’re unable to access PDF invoices via an online portal. This option is only partially automated, and will require you to upload PDF invoices directly into Measurabl for your accounts.
The below information is required when setting up an OFFLINE Utility Sync account in Measurabl:
- Utility provider name
- Account number(s)
- Access to PDF invoices
The PDF invoices must include the following:
- Account number
- Start/end dates of meter readings
- Usage/ consumption
- Only ONE utility bill per PDF file (1 bill may have multiple pages, but please ensure it is combined into 1 PDF file)
- Scan quality of at least 300 dpi
Once the account is enrolled, you will have to periodically (each month, quarter, etc.) upload bills into Measurabl using the drag and drop process. For further instruction on how to upload your invoices, refer to this guide.
FAQs
What about switching from offline to online, how do I do that?
If you currently have an offline account, and would like to switch over to an online account, please follow the steps below (you can also fill out the bulk spreadsheet mentioned above if you have many you would like the switch):
- Click on the 'Utility Sync' tab.
- Type in & select the site with the account you want to switch over.
- Click into the account which you will be switching over to double check the account number and other account details.
- Go back to the previous page. Click on '+ Add Utility Provider' in the top right corner.
- Make sure the 'Online' field is toggled to 'YES'.
- Fill out the required fields for the account (provider, username, password, account number(s), and any security question (if applicable)).
NOTE: Be sure to add in the same information (service provider & account number(s)) that you checked on the offline account page. Once the service provider is typed in, it will automatically fill the service provider URL. - Click 'Save' when complete.
- After submitting, it will direct you to the new online account page that you just switched. Congrats, you have successfully switched your account(s) from offline > online!
NOTE: New data will be delivered to Measurabl within 3 weeks.
Can I change my accounts from offline to online?
If you currently have an online account, and would like to switch over to an offline account, please follow the steps in the above FAQ, except select 'offline' when setting up the new account(s).
What if I have a lot of accounts I need to switch?
If you have a lot of accounts you need to switch over, feel free to use our Utility Sync Accounts Bulk Upload template.
- To access the template, please refer to our Bulk Upload Templates article.
- Once you are in the spreadsheet, fill out the required columns for whichever type you are switching over to.
- If you're switching to offline, the following fields are required:
- Site ID = Site Name
- Provider Name = Service Provider
- Account Number = Account Number (Include spaces, hyphens. etc.)
- Offline Account = True/False
- If you're switching to online, the following fields are required:
- Site ID = Site Name
- Provider Name = Service Provider
- Account Number = Account Number (Include spaces, hyphens. etc.)
- Offline Account = True/False
- Utility URL = The URL to access the online portal of the provider
- Username = Username to access the online portal
- Password = Password to access the online portal
- If you're switching to offline, the following fields are required:
- You may add multiple accounts on this spreadsheet. Be sure to fill out the required columns for each account you put.
- Send back the completed spreadsheet to us!
Feel free to reach out to our support team with any additional questions or concerns. Make sure to include the property, account, and further details on your request.