Overview

A Meter Change Operation is performed when an existing meter is replaced with a new meter while maintaining continuous billing for the customer. Meter replacement may occur due to:

Faulty meters
Damaged meters
Meter upgrades
End-of-life equipment
Calibration issues
Smart meter installations
Regulatory requirements

The Meter Change Operation ensures that consumption is accurately tracked across both the old and new meters without affecting billing continuity.

MCO Handling Strategy

To prevent incorrect billing, the Meter Change Operation marks the billing record as an MCO transaction. When billing is processed:

Negative usage generated due to meter replacement is identified.
Standard consumption calculations are bypassed.
Consumption differences caused by the meter replacement are treated as an adjustment scenario.

Adjustment-Based Resolution

Instead of billing:

120 - 200 = -80

the billing engine treats the difference as a Meter Change Adjustment. The adjustment mechanism ensures: ✓ No negative consumption is billed ✓ Previous meter history remains intact ✓ New meter consumption is preserved ✓ Customer receives an accurate bill

Example Adjustment

Billing Calculation

Description	Value
Previous Reading	200
Current Reading	120
Calculated Usage	-80

Since negative usage is invalid:

Description	Value
Meter Change Adjustment	+80

Adjusted usage becomes:

Actual Usage = 120 Units

or according to configured business rules, the difference may be posted as a Term Bill Adjustment rather than direct usage.

Summary

A Meter Change Operation replaces an existing meter with a new one while preserving consumption history, ensuring accurate billing, continuous service tracking, and a complete audit trail.