SYNTHETIC INTERVAL DATA AND RATE EXERCISE
Yenra | Updated September 7, 2026
Article: https://yenra.com/smart-electric-meters/

Practice interval arithmetic without sharing account data. All data and
rates are fictional. Currency is USD. One hour only, not a real tariff.
Times are interval START in local time on a day without a daylight-saving
change. Each row is energy for 15 minutes, not a cumulative reading.

START | DURATION MIN | ENERGY KWH | RATE USD/KWH
17:00 | 15           | 0.50       | 0.30
17:15 | 15           | 0.75       | 0.30
17:30 | 15           | 0.25       | 0.10
17:45 | 15           | 0.50       | 0.10

EXERCISE
1. Sum energy: ___________________________________________ kWh
2. Divide first-row energy by 0.25 hours: _________________ kW average
3. Sum energy x applicable rate: __________________________ USD
4. Price the same energy at a flat 0.20 USD/kWh: ___________ USD
5. Shift 0.50 kWh from the expensive period to the cheaper period.
   Total energy: _______ Price reduction: ______ New cost: ______

ANSWERS
1. 2.00 kWh.
2. 2 kW average. This does not measure instantaneous peak demand.
3. (1.25 x 0.30) + (0.75 x 0.10) = $0.45.
4. 2.00 x 0.20 = $0.40.
5. Energy stays 2.00 kWh. Reduction = 0.50 x (0.30 - 0.10) = $0.10.
   New time-of-use cost = $0.35.
Only suitable flexible loads may be moved; keep essential use available.

APPLYING THE METHOD TO REAL DATA
Keep the original export. Identify service, units, interval length,
timestamp start/end convention, timezone, estimated/missing values,
and import/export/cumulative versus interval register definitions.
Use a full representative period and the complete actual tariff,
including seasonal/weekend/holiday periods, tiers, demand, fixed charges,
minimums, export treatment and taxes. Preserve precision until the
required rounding step. Missing data is not automatically zero.
Compare totals against the exact billing period before changing rates.
Data definitions/reference: https://www.pge.com/en/save-energy-and-money/energy-usage-and-tips/understand-my-usage/energy-data-hub.html