Enter your customer's electricity usage so Aurora can calculate system offset and estimate their bill savings. You enter usage once per project, on the project's Energy usage page or in Sales Mode, and every design on the project uses it.
In this article:
- Before you begin
- Choosing an input method
- Entering usage on the Energy usage page
- Entering usage in Sales Mode
- Commercial projects
- Result
- FAQ
- Related articles
Before you begin
- Set the project's utility rates first. If you enter usage in dollars, Aurora converts it to kWh using the Current rate. See Selecting utility rates for a project.
- Gather the customer's recent electricity bills, or their interval data if they have it.
- To change usage in Sales Mode, your role needs Edit access for the Energy usage permission. An admin can set this in Settings under Roles.
Choosing an input method
The Input method dropdown controls how you enter usage. Choose the option that matches the data you have:
- Monthly average: Enter one typical month. Aurora uses that value for every month of the year.
- Monthly estimate (1-12 months): Enter one or more months from the customer's bills. Aurora estimates the rest.
- Monthly estimate with existing system: Use this for a project that already has solar. See PV and Battery Add-On Projects (aka Retrofits).
- Annual energy estimate: Enter the customer's yearly total in kWh. Aurora spreads it across the months.
- Interval data: Paste meter readings taken every 15, 30, or 60 minutes.
- UtilityAPI: Import interval data from a connected UtilityAPI account.
For both interval options, see Adding interval data to a project. In the US and Germany, Aurora estimates the months you don't enter from a typical load profile for the project's location. To learn more, see Consumption profiles: how Aurora models hourly usage.
Tip: You can also upload a customer's electricity bill to fill in usage automatically. See Uploading a utility bill to fill in energy usage.
Entering usage on the Energy usage page
Use the project's Energy usage page to enter usage before or after you create designs. These steps take you from the project to a full year of usage.
- Open the project and click Energy usage.
- Under Input method, select how you'll enter usage.
- If Input units appears, select kWh or $ before you enter any values. If you select $, enter only the energy charges from each bill, not fixed charges or taxes.
- Enter the customer's usage. For Monthly estimate (1-12 months), enter every month you have a bill for. Aurora keeps the months you enter, fills in the rest with estimates shown in lighter text, and updates the estimates each time you add a month.
- If Location or Usage pattern appears, check the selection, because it changes how Aurora estimates the months you don't enter. Location lists weather stations near the project, and Aurora selects the nearest one. Choose a different station if that one doesn't fit the project's location. Usage pattern also offers patterns under Lifestyle based. See Lifestyle Consumption Patterns.
Note: The Energy usage page keeps your changes as you go, so there's no Save button.
To add or change the customer's appliances, click Edit existing appliances.
Entering usage in Sales Mode
If you're already in a proposal, you can enter or change usage without leaving Sales Mode. Changes you save here also update the project's Energy usage page.
- In the Sales Mode top bar, click Project details.
- On the Energy usage tab, click Edit energy profile.
- Select an Input method and enter the usage the same way you would on the project's Energy usage page.
- Click Save profile.
- Click Done to close Project details.
Commercial projects
Commercial projects use the same input methods as residential projects. Instead of Location or Usage pattern, they have a Building type dropdown with 16 options, such as Retail, Small Office, and Warehouse. Aurora uses the building type to estimate usage when you don't have a full year of data, so choose the type closest to the customer's building. Commercial projects don't have Edit existing appliances.
Result
The Today's energy usage and Today's energy bill charts update with the new usage. Every design on the project uses it, and Aurora re-simulates each design the next time you open it. The same happens when you change Location, Usage pattern, or Building type.
FAQ
Where did the energy usage icon go in Sales Mode?
Energy usage is now under Project details in the Sales Mode top bar. The plug icon now opens Home electrification.
Why did my usage change when I switched input methods or units?
Aurora keeps separate values for each input method and each unit, and uses the ones that are selected. Switch back to see your earlier values.
The month fields don't match the chart. What's wrong?
Refresh the page. After you switch input methods or upload a bill, the month fields sometimes don't update until you refresh.
Does the Energy usage permission stop someone from changing usage?
Only in Sales Mode. Someone without Edit access can still change usage on the project's Energy usage page.