BillSense AI user guide

Use this guide if you are a utility customer service representative or support agent assisting customers with billing inquiries. It covers the main features and workflows in BillSense AI.

Insights Dashboard

The Insights dashboard displays the current billing period summary and identifies the factors that affected the bill.

View the Bill Summary

1. Check the Total Amount

   The bill total appears at the top of the dashboard with the billing period dates.

2. Review the Comparisons

   Green arrows indicate a decrease. The display shows percentage and dollar changes compared to the previous month and the same month last year.

3. Read Quick Usage Insights

   The panel on the right highlights the largest bill changes and compares the customer's usage against similar homes in the same ZIP code.

Understand Bill Changes

The Top Factors That Changed section explains what caused the bill to increase or decrease.

How Your Usage Changed

This panel shows factors the customer can control:

Category	Description
Always On	Devices drawing power continuously in standby mode
Heating and Cooling	HVAC system energy consumption
Kitchen	Cooking appliances and kitchen equipment
All Other Contributors	Aggregated smaller usage categories

Beyond Your Control

This panel shows external factors:

Factor	Description
Fixed Charges	Base charges and service fees
Bill Length Difference	Impact of varying billing cycle lengths
Warmer/Colder Weather	Temperature-related usage adjustments

Review the Energy Health Report

The Energy Health Report assesses the customer's energy performance across categories.

1. Identify Top Contributors

   Each category shows the customer's cost and a performance indicator.

2. Interpret the Status

   Status	Meaning
   Doing Well	Performance is better than average
   Caution	Performance needs attention
   Room to Improve	Significant improvement opportunity exists
   Normal Range	Performance is within expected parameters

3. Check Peak Usage

   The panel shows usage split between on-peak and off-peak hours. Peak windows vary by utility.

Present Recommendations

The Top Recommendations section displays personalized savings opportunities.

1. Review Each Card

   Each recommendation card shows potential savings, the suggested action, and an explanation.

2. Explain the Savings

   Use the dollar amount shown to quantify the benefit for the customer.

3. Note Dismissed Cards

   Click See Dismissed Cards to view recommendations the customer previously dismissed.

tip

Focus on recommendations with the highest potential savings first. Common high-impact recommendations include sealing ductwork, scheduling electric vehicle (EV) charging during off-peak hours, and replacing HVAC filters.

Usage Section

The Usage section provides detailed breakdowns of energy consumption by category and time.

View Usage by Category

1. Select the Billing Period

   Use the dropdown menu to select the month.

2. Toggle the View

   Click $ for dollar amounts or the energy icon for kWh values.

3. Review the Breakdown

   The left panel shows categories as percentages of the total bill.

Category	Typical Range	Description
Always On	25–35%	Devices drawing power continuously in standby mode
Heating and Cooling	20–35%	HVAC system operations
Everything Else	20–25%	Miscellaneous electrical usage
EV	Varies	Electric vehicle charging
Kitchen	2–5%	Cooking and food storage
Laundry	2–3%	Washer and dryer

Analyze Daily Usage

1. Review the Bar Chart

   Light blue bars show off-peak usage. Dark blue bars show on-peak usage.

2. Check the Temperature Overlay

   The red line shows the correlation between daily temperature and usage.

3. Identify Outlier Days

   Yellow stars mark days with unusual consumption patterns.

4. View the Total Breakdown

   The bottom panel shows the cost split between peak periods. On-peak hours carry higher rates, while off-peak hours carry lower rates. Specific rate values and time windows vary by utility.

note

Usage shown does not include program fees, taxes, supplemental meters, or voluntary programs.

History Section

The History section displays billing data organized by year.

Navigate Bill History

1. View the Timeline

   The bar chart at the top shows monthly bills over time. The current period is highlighted.

2. Expand a Year

   Click a year row to view individual billing periods.

3. Review Bill Details

   Each row shows the month, billing dates, duration, amount, and payment status.

4. Access Bill Actions

   Click the three-dot menu for additional options.

Compare Annual Totals

Year	Purpose
Current year	Shows the year-to-date total
Previous years	Shows complete annual totals for trend analysis

My Home Section

The My Home section stores the customer's appliance information. Accurate appliance data improves recommendation quality.

Update Appliance Details

1. Open My Home

   Click My Home in the left sidebar.

2. Review Each Category

   Scroll through the Heating and Cooling, Cooking, and Green Energy sections.

3. Verify Selections

   Confirm that the selections match the customer's actual appliances.

4. Save Changes

   Changes save automatically when selections are modified.

Heating and cooling options

Option	Description
Electric Furnace	Electric-powered forced air heating
Oil/Natural Gas Furnace	Combustion-based forced air heating
Electric Baseboard	Electric resistance heating
Central or Ductless Heat Pump	Heat pump system
Hybrid/Dual-Fuel System	Combined heat pump and furnace

Electric vehicle configuration

1. Indicate EV Ownership

   Check the Electric Vehicle box if the customer owns an EV.

2. Set the Quantity

   Use the plus and minus buttons to set the number of EVs.

3. Select Charger Type

   Choose from Level 1 (110V), Level 2 (220V), Both, or "I don't charge at home."

caution

EV charger type affects scheduled charging recommendations. Verify this setting if the customer reports inaccurate EV-related suggestions.

My Plan Section

The My Plan section displays the customer's current rate plan and available alternatives.

Review the Current Plan

1. Check the Plan Name

   The current plan appears at the top with the rate type code.

2. Note the Estimated Cost

   The estimated cost under the current plan appears on the right.

3. Read the Description

   The summary explains the plan's on-peak and off-peak windows.

Compare Available Plans

1. Scroll to All Available Plans

   Plans the customer qualifies for appear below the current plan.

2. Review Each Option

   Each plan shows the rate type, description, and estimated savings.

3. Check Eligibility

   A warning message appears if the customer has an active agreement that prevents switching.

Available rate plans vary by utility. Common plan types include:

Plan Type	Best For
Time of Use (TOU)	Customers who can shift usage to off-peak hours
Flat Rate	Customers with consistent usage throughout the day
Tiered Rate	Customers with lower overall consumption
EV-Specific Plans	EV owners who charge overnight

warning

Customers in a 12-month agreement cannot switch plans until the agreement expires. The expiration date appears in the plan card.

Conduct a billing inquiry

Use this workflow to lead a customer through a billing question with BillSense AI. Each step uses one of the sections covered above.

Start the conversation

1. Begin with Insights

   Open the Insights dashboard first to understand the full billing picture.

2. Acknowledge changes

   Note whether the bill increased or decreased compared to previous periods.

3. Identify key factors

   Point out the top contributors to bill changes.

Explain usage patterns

1. Use the charts

   Charts help explain complex usage patterns in a clear, visual format.

2. Highlight peak times

   Explain the cost difference between on-peak and off-peak usage.

3. Show category breakdown

   Use category percentages to illustrate where the customer's energy goes.

Present savings opportunities

1. Quantify the benefit

   Use the dollar amounts shown on recommendation cards.

2. Prioritize high-impact items

   Focus on recommendations with the largest potential savings.

3. Connect to usage data

   Reference specific categories when explaining why a recommendation applies.