With a reading schedule, you make sure your manual meters are read on time. When a reading is due, Ento sends an email reminder to the chosen recipients with a direct link, where they can register the reading – also from their phone.
All readings are saved directly on the meter, so the data is included in your reporting and analyses just like data from your other meters.
Before you start
The meter must already be created as a manual meter. If you haven't done this yet, follow the steps in Manual meters first.
To edit a reading schedule, you need a user role that allows you to edit meters. Read more in User permission and access control.
Set up a reading schedule
To set up a reading schedule, follow the steps below.
1. Go to "Settings" → "Manual Meters"
Here you get an overview of all your manual meters, including their reading schedule, status, due date, recipients, last reading and who made it. Use the filters "Active", "All" and "No schedule" to quickly find the meters that don't have a schedule yet.
2. Click "Edit Reading Schedule" on the meter you want to set up
3. Choose the "First due date" – the date of the first reading
4. Choose how often the meter should be read under "Repeats"
- Weekly
- Every two weeks
- Monthly
- Every two months
- Quarterly
- Every six months
- Yearly
Below the field, you can see the next upcoming reading dates, so you can check that the schedule is correct.
5. Select the "Notification recipients" who should receive the reminder
Only people with access to all selected sites are shown in the list.
6. If someone without an Ento user should read the meter, add their email under "Other email addresses"
Separate multiple addresses with a comma, e.g. [email protected], [email protected].
7. Click "Save"
The schedule is now shown in the overview. The "Status" column shows whether the meter is "On track" or late (e.g. "7 days late"), and the date in the "Due" column turns red when a reading is overdue.
Register a reading
When a reading is due, the recipients receive an email reminder telling them which meter needs to be read, on which site, and when it was due.
1. Open the reminder email and click the button to read the meter
The link opens a page where you can register the reading directly – it works on your phone as well.
2. Enter the value shown on the meter
The field shows the unit for the meter, e.g. "Electricity (kWh)".
3. If needed, open "Advanced" to change the time of the reading or add a comment
The time is prefilled with the current time, so you only need to change it if the meter was read at another time.
4. Click "Save reading"
If there are more readings waiting for you, they are listed under "Pending readings", so you can continue straight to the next meter. When all readings are done, you will see the message "You can close this page".
Send a reminder
If a reading is overdue, a "Send Reminder" button appears next to the meter in "Settings" → "Manual Meters". Click "Send Reminder" and confirm with "OK" to send the reminder to the recipients again.
See the registered readings
Go to "Settings" → "Manual Meters" and click "Readings" on the meter. Here you can see all registered readings with time and value. Under "Audit" you can see who registered each reading and when.
You can also register a reading directly in Ento under "Register Reading". Choose the time, enter the value and click "Register". Click "+ Add row" to register several readings at once.
Good to know
- You can change the schedule, frequency or recipients at any time by clicking "Edit Reading Schedule" again.
- Meters without a schedule show "No schedule" in the overview. Use the "No schedule" filter to find them.
- Click "Download" in the overview to export the list of manual meters and their schedules.
- If you have larger amounts of historical data, you can upload it instead of registering it reading by reading. Read more in Upload of manual data.