Fee calculation system, fee calculation method, and computer program

Abstract

To provide a technique for reducing the risk of fluctuations in electricity charges for electricity users.SOLUTION: A charge calculation system 16 according to the present invention acquires information relating to an amount of electricity a customer used. The charge calculation system 16, based on a market price of electricity upon use of electricity and a use amount of electricity, calculates a charge of electricity to the customer for a unit period. The charge calculation system 16 calculates, as a charge amount to the customer during a certain unit period, the amount obtained by dividing and summing the electricity charges for each of a predetermined number of unit periods prior to the unit period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to data processing technology, and in particular to a fee calculation system, a fee calculation method, and a computer program. [Background technology]

[0002] Following the full liberalization of the electricity retail market, many businesses (so-called retail electricity businesses) have entered the electricity retail industry. Among the electricity rate plans offered to consumers by retail electricity businesses are rate plans linked to the wholesale electricity trading market. Among such market-linked rate plans, for example, there is a rate plan in which the unit price per 30 minutes (in other words, the electricity rate unit price) fluctuates in accordance with the market price in the wholesale electricity trading market, and the rate is calculated according to the amount of electricity used (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-074143 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of market-linked metered rates, there is a risk that electricity rates will fluctuate significantly (typically electricity rates will rise in summer and winter) due to seasonal fluctuations in usage and fluctuations in market prices. One objective of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that reduces the risk of fluctuations in electricity rates for electricity users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, a fee calculation system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a customer's electricity usage, a usage fee calculation unit that calculates the customer's electricity usage fee for a unit period based on the market price of electricity and the usage amount according to the time the electricity was used, and a billing amount calculation unit that calculates the total amount of the electricity usage fee divided for each of a predetermined number of unit periods prior to the unit period as the amount to be billed to the customer for a certain unit period.

[0006] Another aspect of the present invention is a fee calculation method, which is executed by a computer to acquire information on the amount of electricity used by a customer, calculate the electricity usage fee for the customer in a unit period based on the market price of electricity at the time of electricity usage and the amount of electricity used, and calculate, as the amount billed to the customer in a certain unit period, the total of the amounts obtained by dividing the electricity usage fee for each of a predetermined number of unit periods prior to the unit period.

[0007] In addition, any combination of the above components, and any conversion of the expressions of the present disclosure between an apparatus, a computer program, a recording medium on which a computer program is readably recorded, etc. are also valid as aspects of the present disclosure. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the technology disclosed herein, the risk of fluctuations in electricity charges can be reduced for electricity users. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electric power company system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing functional blocks of the fee calculation system of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of setting a cancellation adjustment fee in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the fee calculation system. [Diagram 5]1 is a diagram showing the trends in electricity charges, billed amounts, and settlement amounts for a certain customer. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the amount billed to a customer, corresponding to FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the amount billed to a customer, corresponding to FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of detailed information. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of detailed information. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of detailed information. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of detailed information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The technology of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings based on preferred embodiments. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In addition, when terms such as "first" and "second" are used in this specification or claims, unless otherwise specified, they do not represent any order or importance, but are intended to distinguish one configuration from another.

[0011] An overview of an embodiment will be described. In the embodiment, a fee calculation system for a retail electricity supplier is proposed. The fee calculation system of the embodiment realizes a fee system that is completely linked to the market and smooths out seasonal fluctuations.

[0012] A fully market-linked tariff is a pay-as-you-go tariff system with no base charge. The electricity usage charge for each month is calculated using the following formula 1. Electricity usage fee for month N = Σ{(market price × usage amount + network usage fee for each district + profit) for every 30 minutes in month N-1} (Equation 1)

[0013] The market price of Equation 1 is the trading price of electricity in the wholesale electricity market (Japan Electric Power Exchange: JEPX), specifically the previous day's spot price every 30 minutes. Also, the market price of Equation 1 is the market price when electricity is used. The network usage fee can also be said to be the entrusted fee, which is the amount set by the general power transmission and distribution operator as the usage fee for the power transmission and distribution network used by the retail electricity business operator. The profit is the amount set by the retail electricity business operator. The profit may occur only when electricity is used.

[0014] The advantages for users with fully market-linked tariffs are that they pay only for the electricity they use, which is transparent, and there is no basic fee that had to be paid even when not using electricity before. On the other hand, the disadvantages for users with fully market-linked tariffs are the risk that the electricity bill fluctuates greatly due to seasonal variations in usage and market price fluctuations (typically, the electricity bills in summer and winter soar).

[0015] The seasonal variation leveling tariff is a tariff system that bills the monthly electricity bill in multiple installments (for example, 3 to 6 times). When billing the monthly electricity bill in 6 installments, the billed amount of the electricity bill for a certain month (month N) is obtained by the following Equation 2. Billed amount for month N = 1 / 6 of the electricity usage fee for month N - 6 + 1 / 6 of the electricity usage fee for month N - 5 + 1 / 6 of the electricity usage fee for month N - 4 + 1 / 6 of the electricity usage fee for month N - 3 + 1 / 6 of the electricity usage fee for month N - 2 + 1 / 6 of the electricity usage fee for month N - 1 ··· (Equation 2)

[0016] When billing the monthly electricity bill in 3 installments, the billed amount of the electricity bill for a certain month (month N) is obtained by the following Equation 3. Billed amount for month N = 1 / 3 of the electricity usage fee for month N - 3 + 1 / 3 of the electricity usage fee for month N - 2 + 1 / 3 of the electricity usage fee for month N - 1 ··· (Equation 3)

[0017] The introduction of seasonally levelized tariffs has the benefit for users of reducing the risk of temporary increases in electricity bills due to increased electricity usage in summer and winter or rising market prices for electricity.

[0018] However, the disadvantage of seasonally-variable levelized tariffs for users is that the settlement amount at the time of contract termination may be large, and for retail electricity suppliers, the disadvantage is that unpaid amounts may accumulate, increasing the risk of collection.

[0019] Therefore, the fee calculation system of the embodiment introduces a "cancellation adjustment fee." The cancellation adjustment fee is money to be offset against remaining unpaid electricity charges when electricity usage is canceled in the future (or the number of installments is changed). Specifically, the user is required to pay the cancellation adjustment fee in the month when the electricity bill burden is low at the start of use, and when the contract is canceled or the number of installments is changed in the future, the cancellation adjustment fee that has already been paid is offset against the unpaid amount.

[0020] The introduction of the cancellation adjustment fee has the advantage for users that it reduces the risk of increased electricity bills when contracts are cancelled, and for electricity retailers, it reduces the risk of not being able to collect unpaid amounts.

[0021] In this embodiment, the unit period for calculating the electricity usage fee and the unit period for calculating the billing amount are both one month. As a variation, the unit period may be any period that is determined in advance. For example, the unit period may be a period shorter than one month (e.g., 20 days) or a period longer than one month (e.g., two months).

[0022] The system according to the embodiment will be described in detail. Fig. 1 shows the configuration of an electric power supplier system 10 according to the embodiment. The electric power supplier system 10 is a corporate information system of a retail electric power supplier. The electric power supplier system 10 includes a customer management system 12, a cross-regional organization for transmission to overseas power suppliers system 14, a fee calculation system 16, an EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) server 18, and a web system 20.

[0023] The customer management system 12 is an information processing system that manages information on multiple customers of the retail electricity supplier (in other words, multiple users of electricity sold by the retail electricity supplier). The cross-regional organization system for transmission of electricity 14 includes a system for smoothly switching electricity, a system for providing meter reading information provided by the electricity distribution supplier, and a system for providing the market price of electricity.

[0024] The fee calculation system 16 is an information processing system that calculates electricity usage fees and billing amounts for each of a plurality of customers of the retail electricity supplier. The fee calculation system 16 will be described in detail later.

[0025] The EDI server 18 is an information processing system that executes billing processing for electricity charges. The web system 20 is an information processing system that provides a customer portal site and transmits and receives data to and from customer terminals. In the embodiment, the web system 20 provides a web page showing detailed information on electricity charges to the customer terminals.

[0026] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the fee calculation system 16 in Figure 1. The multiple functional blocks shown in the block diagram in this specification can be configured in hardware with circuit blocks, memory, and other LSIs, and are realized in software by a computer processor (such as a CPU) executing a program loaded into memory. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms using only hardware, only software, or a combination of both, and are not limited to any one of them.

[0027] The processing unit 30 executes various data processing related to fee calculation. The processing unit 30 may be realized by a processor of a computer constituting the fee calculation system 16. The storage unit 32 stores data referenced or updated by the processing unit 30. The communication unit 34 communicates with external devices according to a predetermined communication protocol. The processing unit 30 transmits and receives data to and from the customer management system 12 and the web system 20 via the communication unit 34.

[0028] The storage unit 32 includes a customer attribute storage unit 36, an electricity usage amount storage unit 38, a usage fee storage unit 40, a billed amount storage unit 42, a settlement amount storage unit 44, and a details storage unit 46. The data stored in each of these storage units all includes a customer ID, and are associated with each other by the customer ID.

[0029] The customer attribute storage unit 36 ​​stores attribute information on each of a plurality of customers. This attribute information includes at least the customer ID, the number of instalments of the charge, and the date of commencement of use (or the date of change in the number of instalments). In the embodiment, the customer can select one of a plurality of predetermined patterns for the number of instalments of the charge. For example, the system may be configured so that the customer can select one of 0 instalments (lump sum instalment without instalments), 3 instalments, or 6 instalments. The fee calculation system 16 may receive the number of instalments selected by the customer and transmitted from the customer terminal via the web system 20 and the customer management system 12, and store it in the customer attribute storage unit 36.

[0030] The electricity usage memory unit 38 stores data indicating the amount of electricity used by each customer each month (every 30 minutes in this embodiment). The unit of electricity usage is, for example, kilowatt-hours (kWh). The usage fee memory unit 40 stores data indicating the electricity usage fee of each customer each month. The billing amount memory unit 42 stores data indicating the electricity bill amount for each customer each month.

[0031] The settlement amount storage unit 44 stores data indicating the settlement amount associated with the cancellation for each customer. The settlement amount is the unpaid electricity bill minus the cancellation adjustment fee that has already been paid. The details storage unit 46 stores electricity bill details for each customer. The details information includes the billed amount for a certain month, and the electricity usage fees and electricity usage amounts for multiple months that are included in the billed amount.

[0032] The processing unit 30 includes an electricity usage acquisition unit 50, a usage fee calculation unit 52, a billing amount calculation unit 54, a settlement amount calculation unit 56, a statement generation unit 58, and a fee information output unit 60. The functions of these multiple functional blocks may be implemented in a computer program (also referred to here as a "fee calculation program"). The fee calculation program may be installed in the storage of a computer constituting the fee calculation system 16 via a recording medium or a network. The processor (CPU, etc.) of the computer may fulfill the functions of the multiple functional blocks by reading the fee calculation program into main memory and executing it.

[0033] The electricity usage acquisition unit 50 acquires information on the electricity usage of each of a plurality of customers of the retail electricity supplier. The usage fee calculation unit 52 calculates the electricity usage fee of the customer for a unit period (the unit period is one month in the embodiment) based on the market price of electricity according to the time when the electricity was used and the electricity usage amount. In the embodiment, the usage fee calculation unit 52 calculates the electricity usage fee of each customer according to the above formula 1.

[0034] The billing amount calculation unit 54 calculates the total amount of electricity charges divided for a predetermined number of unit periods prior to the unit period as the billing amount to the customer for a certain unit period (a certain month in this embodiment). For example, the billing amount calculation unit 54 calculates the billing amount to a customer who selects six installments according to the above formula 2, and calculates the billing amount to a customer who selects three installments according to the above formula 3.

[0035] The billing amount calculation unit 54 includes the cancellation adjustment fee in the billing amount to each customer. Specifically, the billing amount calculation unit 54 includes the cancellation adjustment fee in the billing amount for each customer for a predetermined period from the start of electricity use (for example, from the start date of use as stipulated in the electricity usage contract) or for a predetermined period from a change in the number of installments.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows an example of setting the cancellation adjustment fee in an embodiment. Month N is the month when electricity usage starts or when the number of installments is changed. X is the number of installments in the electricity bill. The cancellation adjustment fee is set from month N+1 to month N+X-1. For example, if usage starts in April and the number of installments is six, the cancellation adjustment fee is set to the billed amount from May to September. Also, if usage starts in April and the number of installments is three, the cancellation adjustment fee is set to the billed amount for May and June.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 3, the billing amount calculation unit 54 sets the cancellation adjustment fee so that it is largest in the month following the usage start month (billing start month) and gradually decreases. In other words, the billing amount calculation unit 54 reduces the cancellation adjustment fee included in the billing amount the longer it has been since the customer started using electricity. Since the installment billing amount for electricity usage fees is small for the first few months of usage, setting the cancellation adjustment fee in this way makes it easier to level out the billing amount for each month.

[0038] The 2,000 yen in FIG. 3 is a predetermined unit price of the cancellation adjustment fee. The unit price of the cancellation adjustment fee may be determined based on the attributes of the customer. Also, the higher the expected monthly electricity usage fee, the higher the unit price of the cancellation adjustment fee may be set. For example, the unit price of the cancellation adjustment fee for an ordinary household (such as a household with two or more people) may be set to 2,000 yen for six installments and 6,600 yen for three installments. On the other hand, the unit price of the cancellation adjustment fee for a single-person household may be set to 800 yen for six installments and 2,640 yen for three installments.

[0039] As a modified example, the fee calculation system 16 may further include a unit price determination unit that automatically determines the cancellation adjustment fee unit price according to the attribute information of the customer input from the customer terminal. The attribute information of the customer may include information for estimating the amount of electricity used by the customer (e.g., the type of home appliances owned and the number of air conditioners, etc.). The cancellation adjustment fee unit price may be increased as the estimated amount of electricity used by the customer increases, for example, the number of air conditioners increases. The unit price determination unit may store the determined cancellation adjustment fee unit price for each customer in the customer attribute storage unit 36. The billing amount calculation unit 54 may use the cancellation adjustment fee unit price of a certain customer stored in the customer attribute storage unit 36 ​​to calculate the cancellation adjustment fee to be included in the billing amount to the customer.

[0040] 2, the settlement amount calculation unit 56 calculates the settlement amount at the time of cancellation for each customer. Specifically, the settlement amount calculation unit 56 calculates the difference between the amount of uncollected electricity charges and the cancellation adjustment fee that has already been paid as the settlement amount.

[0041] The statement generation unit 58 generates statement information of the amount billed to the customer for a certain unit period. The statement information includes the divided amounts of the electricity usage fee for each of a predetermined number of unit periods (i.e., a plurality of unit periods that are the subject of the divided bill) prior to the unit period. For example, if the bill is divided six times, the statement information for October includes the billed amount for October as well as one-sixth of the electricity usage fee for each month from April to September.

[0042] The fee information output unit 60 transmits the amount to be charged to each customer calculated by the billing amount calculation unit 54 and detailed information regarding the amount to be charged to the customer management system 12.

[0043] The fee calculation system 16 may be realized by one information processing device, or may be realized by a plurality of information processing devices communicating with each other and cooperating with each other. In the latter case, the functions of the fee calculation system 16 may be distributed and implemented in a plurality of information devices.

[0044] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the fee calculation system 16. Hereinafter, the operation of the electric power company system 10 of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0045] The customer management system 12 periodically acquires data on the market price (in other words, the electricity trading price) of the wholesale electricity trading market for every 30 minutes of the previous day from the cross-regional organization system 14, and transmits the acquired market price data to the fee calculation system 16. The fee calculation system 16 stores the market price data of the wholesale electricity trading market for every 30 minutes of each day.

[0046] Furthermore, the customer management system 12 periodically acquires meter reading information of each customer, which indicates the amount of electricity usage of each of the retail electricity supplier's multiple customers, from the cross-regional organization system 14. The customer management system 12 transmits the acquired meter reading information of each customer to the fee calculation system 16. The electricity usage acquisition unit 50 of the fee calculation system 16 acquires the meter reading information of each customer, and stores data indicating the amount of electricity usage per 30 minutes of each customer, which is indicated by the meter reading information, in the electricity usage storage unit 38 (S10).

[0047] The processing from S12 onwards is executed when it is time to calculate the fee. The month for which the fee is calculated is hereinafter also referred to as the "target month". As shown in Equation 1, the fee calculation unit 52 of the fee calculation system 16 calculates the electricity usage fee for each customer for the target month based on the market price for every 30 minutes in the wholesale electricity trading market and the electricity usage amount for every 30 minutes of each customer (S12). The fee calculation unit 52 stores the data on the electricity usage fee for each customer in the fee storage unit 40.

[0048] The billing amount calculation unit 54 of the fee calculation system 16 calculates the billing amount for each customer according to the number of installments set for each customer, which is stored in the customer attribute storage unit 36 ​​(S14). The billing amount calculation unit 54 stores data on the amount billed to each customer in the billing amount storage unit 42.

[0049] For example, if the number of installments is six, billing amount calculation unit 54 calculates the billing amount for the target month as the total of one-sixth of the electricity usage charges for each month from (target month - June) to (target month - January), as shown in formula 2. If the target month is within five months from the start of use month (or the month when the number of installments is changed), billing amount calculation unit 54 adds a cancellation adjustment fee according to the time elapsed since the start of use month to the billing amount, as shown in FIG.

[0050] On the other hand, if the number of installments is three, billing amount calculation unit 54 calculates the total of one-third of the electricity usage charges for each month from (target month - March) to (target month - January) as the billing amount for the target month. If the target month is within two months of the usage start month (or the month when the number of installments is changed), billing amount calculation unit 54 adds a cancellation adjustment fee according to the time elapsed since the usage start month to the billing amount. Billing amount calculation unit 54 also stores the amount of the cancellation adjustment fee in billing amount storage unit 42.

[0051] The settlement amount calculation unit 56 of the fee calculation system 16 calculates the unpaid amount for each customer. For example, if the number of installments is six, the unpaid amount is the sum of one-sixth of the electricity usage fee for the target month - May, two-sixths of the electricity usage fee for the target month - April, three-sixths of the electricity usage fee for the target month - March, four-sixths of the electricity usage fee for the target month - February, and five-sixths of the electricity usage fee for the target month - January. If the number of installments is three, the unpaid amount is the sum of one-third of the electricity usage fee for the target month - February, and two-thirds of the electricity usage fee for the target month - January.

[0052] The settlement amount calculation unit 56 calculates, for each customer, the difference between the uncollected amount and the cumulative amount of the cancellation adjustment fee already paid (already billed) stored in the billing amount storage unit 42 as the cancellation settlement amount (S16). The settlement amount calculation unit 56 stores data on the cancellation settlement amount for each customer in the settlement amount storage unit 44.

[0053] FIG. 5 shows the trends in electricity usage charges, billed amount, and settlement amount for a certain customer. The electricity usage charge record in FIG. 5 is stored in the usage charge memory unit 40 of the fee calculation system 16. The records of the installment bill, cancellation adjustment fee, unpaid amount recovery, and billed amount in FIG. 5 are stored in the billed amount memory unit 42 of the fee calculation system 16. The record of the unpaid-adjustment fee (settlement amount) in FIG. 5 is stored in the settlement amount memory unit 44 of the fee calculation system 16. The value of the unpaid-adjustment fee (settlement amount) for each month can be said to be the settlement amount that would be billed for that month if the contract was canceled the previous month.

[0054] The customer in FIG. 5 signed a contract (started using electricity) for six installments in April 2022. The billing amount calculation unit 54 of the fee calculation system 16 includes a cancellation adjustment fee (unit price 2,000 yen) corresponding to the six installments in the billing amount for the five months from May to September 2022.

[0055] The customer changed the number of installments to three in April 2023. The settlement amount calculation unit 56 of the fee calculation system 16 calculates the difference between the uncollected electricity fee and the cancellation adjustment fee already paid (the cancellation adjustment fee corresponding to six installments) as the settlement amount of 5,167 yen. In addition, the billing amount calculation unit 54 of the fee calculation system 16 includes the cancellation adjustment fee (unit price 6,600 yen) corresponding to three installments in the billing amount for the two months from May to June 2023.

[0056] The customer canceled the contract in September 2023. The settlement amount calculation unit 56 of the fee calculation system 16 calculates the difference between the uncollected electricity fee and the cancellation adjustment fee already paid (the cancellation adjustment fee corresponding to three installments) as the settlement amount, i.e., -3,133 yen (a refund of 3,133 yen).

[0057] Figure 6 shows an example of billing amounts to customers corresponding to Figure 5. The dashed line graph shows the change in billing amount when there is no installment billing (no leveling). The solid line graph shows the change in billing amount when there are six installments and no cancellation adjustment fee. Without installment billing, billing amounts are higher in summer and winter, but by setting the number of installments to six, such seasonal fluctuations can be suppressed and the billing amount for each month can be leveled out. However, when canceling a contract or changing the number of installments, the unpaid electricity bill is charged all at once, causing the billing amount to soar.

[0058] Figure 7 also shows an example of the amounts billed to customers, corresponding to Figure 5. The dashed line graph, like Figure 6, shows the progress of the billed amount when there are no installment bills (no leveling). The solid line graph shows the progress of the billed amount when there are six installments and a cancellation adjustment fee is included. The cancellation adjustment fee is collected in advance and is offset against unpaid electricity charges when the contract is cancelled or the number of installments is changed, which makes it possible to prevent the billed amount from rising sharply when the contract is cancelled or the number of installments is changed.

[0059] Returning to Fig. 4, the statement generation unit 58 of the fee calculation system 16 references the electricity usage storage unit 38, the usage fee storage unit 40, the billed amount storage unit 42, and the settlement amount storage unit 44 to generate statement information for each customer and store it in the statement storage unit 46 (S18). In an embodiment, the statement generation unit 58 sets the billed amount and its breakdown (including the electricity usage and the electricity usage fee), and the settlement amount in the event of cancellation, in the statement information. The fee information output unit 60 of the fee calculation system 16 transmits fee information for each customer, including the billed amount and statement information for each customer, to the customer management system 12 (S20).

[0060] The customer management system 12 transmits data on the amount billed to each customer to the EDI server 18. The EDI server 18 executes a process of billing each customer for the amount billed. This process may include, for example, a process of transferring money for the amount billed to a certain customer from the account of a certain customer to the account of the retail electricity supplier in cooperation with a financial institution's system.

[0061] Furthermore, the customer management system 12 stores the detailed information of each customer transmitted from the fee calculation system 16. When the web system 20 receives a request to view detailed information from a customer terminal of a certain customer, it obtains the detailed information of that customer from the customer management system 12 or the fee calculation system 16, and transmits the detailed information to the customer terminal that made the request.

[0062] FIG. 8 shows an example of detailed information. Detailed information 70 in FIG. 8 is detailed information for June 2022 based on the data for June 2022 shown in FIG. 5(A). Detailed information 70 includes the billed amount, its breakdown, and the amount of the cancellation adjustment fee. The breakdown includes one-sixth of the electricity usage fee for each month from the billing month up to six months prior. The breakdown further includes one-sixth of the electricity usage amount for each month from the billing month up to six months prior, which was the basis for the electricity usage fee.

[0063] The statement generation unit 58 of the fee calculation system 16 obtains the settlement amount for this month in the case of cancellation in the previous month from the settlement amount storage unit 44, and further sets it in the statement information 70. For example, the statement information for June 2022 shown in FIG. 8 indicates the settlement amount to be charged in June if the contract is cancelled in May (a refund of 8,500 yen in FIG. 8).

[0064] 9 to 11 also show examples of detailed information. Detailed information 70 in FIG. 9 is detailed information for October 2022 based on the data for October 2022 shown in FIG. 5(B). Detailed information 70 in FIG. 10 is detailed information for June 2023 based on the data for June 2023 after the number of installments is changed to three times, as shown in FIG. 5(C).

[0065] The detailed information 70 in FIG. 11 is detailed information for October 2023 based on the data for October 2023 after cancellation shown in FIG. 5(C). In the detailed information 70 for October 2023, 14,533 yen is billed, which is the offset of the installment bill of 17,667 yen and the settlement amount of 3,133 yen obtained by deducting the cancellation adjustment fee from the unpaid electricity bill.

[0066] According to the fee calculation system 16 of the embodiment, a completely market-linked electricity usage fee without a basic fee can be used, thereby realizing a highly transparent electricity usage fee. In addition, by dividing the electricity usage fee into three or six installments, the risk of the electricity usage fee temporarily increasing can be reduced. For example, dividing the electricity usage fee into six installments can effectively prevent the increase in the payment amount in summer and winter. Furthermore, by providing a cancellation adjustment fee to offset uncollected amounts, the risk of the billed amount increasing at the time of cancellation or change in the number of installments can be reduced. By providing a cancellation adjustment fee, the flexibility of the customer to cancel the contract and the reduction of unpaid amounts can be achieved for the electricity retailer.

[0067] In addition, according to the fee calculation system 16 of the embodiment, by providing the customer with detailed information including the electricity usage fee and electricity usage amount for each month that constitutes the billed amount, the breakdown of the billed amount can be presented to the customer in an easy-to-understand manner. Furthermore, by including the settlement amount in the event of cancellation in the detailed information, it is possible to support the customer's decision-making regarding cancellation of electricity usage or change of the number of installments.

[0068] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. The embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component or each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0069] A modified example will be described. Here, we propose a smart remote control that is highly compatible with the fully market-linked electricity rates of the embodiment. This smart remote control is a remote control that can control the operation (on / off, operation mode, etc.) of multiple home appliances such as air conditioners, lighting appliances, refrigerators, etc. In addition, this smart remote control can communicate with a user's smartphone, and controls the operation of multiple home appliances according to instructions (remote control) from the user's smartphone.

[0070] The smart remote control periodically and repeatedly acquires the latest wholesale electricity market price. The smart remote control may be installed in a room where an air conditioner is installed and may have a built-in temperature sensor that detects the temperature in the room. The smart remote control may start the air conditioner in cooling mode when the market price of electricity is equal to or lower than a predetermined value and the room temperature exceeds a set temperature. The smart remote control may also increase the set temperature of the refrigerator when the market price of electricity exceeds the predetermined value and decrease the set temperature of the refrigerator when the market price of electricity is equal to or lower than the predetermined value.

[0071] Any combination of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present disclosure. A new embodiment resulting from the combination has the effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications. In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the functions to be performed by each component described in the claims can be realized by each component shown in the embodiments and modifications alone or in cooperation with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10 electric utility system, 16 fee calculation system, 50 electricity usage acquisition unit, 52 usage fee calculation unit, 54 billing amount calculation unit, 56 settlement amount calculation unit, 58 statement generation unit, 60 fee information output unit.

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the amount of electricity used by a customer; a usage fee calculation unit that calculates an electricity usage fee for the customer during a unit period based on the market price of electricity at the time the electricity is used and the amount of electricity used; a billing amount calculation unit that calculates, as a billing amount to be charged to the customer in a certain unit period, an amount obtained by dividing and totaling the electricity usage fee in each of a predetermined number of unit periods prior to the certain unit period; A fee calculation system comprising:

2. The billing amount calculation unit calculates a total of unpaid amounts based on the number of installments of the electricity usage fee in each of the predetermined number of unit periods prior to the certain unit period as an unpaid amount from the customer, the billing amount calculation unit includes a cancellation adjustment fee, which is a cancellation adjustment fee to be offset against an unpaid amount from the customer when the customer cancels the use of electricity and is determined based on the number of installments, in the billing amount to be paid to the customer for a predetermined period from the start of the customer's use of electricity; The fee calculation system according to claim 1 .

3. The billing amount calculation unit reduces the amount of the cancellation adjustment fee to be included in the billing amount to the customer as the time that has elapsed since the customer started using electricity increases. The fee calculation system according to claim 2.

4. a statement generating unit that generates statement information of the amount billed to the customer in the certain unit period, the statement information including a divided amount of the electricity usage fee in each of the predetermined number of unit periods; A fee calculation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. Obtain information about customers' electricity usage, Calculating an electricity usage fee for the customer for a unit period based on the market price of electricity at the time the electricity was used and the amount of electricity used; Calculating the total amount of the electricity usage fee divided for each of a predetermined number of unit periods prior to the unit period as the amount to be billed to the customer for the unit period; A computer-implemented fee calculation method.

6. Obtain information about customers' electricity usage, Calculating an electricity usage fee for the customer for a unit period based on the market price of electricity at the time the electricity was used and the amount of electricity used; Calculating the total amount of the electricity usage fee divided for each of a predetermined number of unit periods prior to the unit period as the amount to be billed to the customer for the unit period; A computer program that causes a computer to carry out a task.

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