Case Study

How KOTS Automated Utility Revenue Management Across 1500+ Flats Using Qube Smart Meters

Qube Team
5 min read
Case StudyAutomated BillingSmart MeteringDG ChargesRevenue RecoveryRental Housing
High-rise rental apartments with evening city lights

How KOTS Automated Utility Revenue Management Across 1500+ Flats Using Qube Smart Meters

KOTS Renting Pvt Ltd operates 1500+ rental flats across Bangalore, managing a large, distributed portfolio with complex electricity billing requirements. As the portfolio grew, the limitations of manual or semi-digital billing became increasingly visible—delayed payments, inaccurate DG recovery, lack of transparency, and operational bottlenecks.

The KOTS team needed a reliable, scalable system capable of automating their entire utility revenue lifecycle, from metering to billing to payment settlement.

Qube delivered exactly that.


Background

Managing 1500+ flats spread across multiple buildings requires:

  • Accurate energy measurement
  • Automated billing aligned with government slabs
  • Transparent consumption data for tenants
  • Recovery of DG (Diesel Generator) charges
  • Multi-building reconciliation
  • Daily settlement visibility

Traditional sub-meters or standalone solutions failed because they lacked:

  • DG mode detection
  • Multi-slab billing support
  • Real-time consumption insights
  • Automated collection and reconciliation
  • Role-based team management

KOTS needed a meter + billing platform + financial system, not just a meter.


Key Challenges

1. Complex DISCOM Slab-Based Billing

KOTS properties operate under multi-slab DISCOM tariff structures. Manual slab calculation across 1500+ units was:

  • Time-consuming
  • Error-prone
  • Inconsistent across buildings
  • Difficult to audit

KOTS needed a billing engine that could accurately compute complex slabs automatically.


2. DG Charge Recovery

Like most rental buildings, KOTS uses Diesel Generators during power cuts.

The problem:

  • DG units must be billed at a higher tariff
  • Tenants rarely trust manual DG calculations
  • Manual DG tracking leads to disputes and revenue leakage

Qube meters automatically detect DG mode and apply the right tariff instantly.


3. Fragmented Billing & Collection Workflow

Before Qube:

  • Meter readings were collected manually
  • Bills were generated in Excel/WhatsApp
  • Collections were decentralized
  • Reconciliation happened monthly (often delayed)

For 1500+ flats, this was unsustainable.


4. Cash Flow Issues Due to Delayed Settlements

Payments from tenants flowed through various channels and accounts.

KOTS needed:

  • A single financial dashboard
  • Daily settlement visibility
  • Zero-delay reconciliation
  • Automated tracking of dues and collections

Why KOTS Chose Qube

The decision was driven by Qube's ability to unify the entire utility lifecycle:

✓ Multi-slab billing engine

Matches DISCOM slabs perfectly.

✓ Automatic DG sensing

Applies higher DG tariff instantly—no manual input.

✓ Automated late fees + disconnection rules

Ensures timely payments.

✓ Daily bank settlement dashboard

Real-time clarity into cash flow.

✓ Centralized platform for all buildings

Manage 1500+ units from one screen.

✓ Team permissions & collaborative workflows

On-site teams, finance teams, and managers all work in one system.


Implementation Timeline

Phase 1: Deployment Across Buildings

KOTS installed Qube smart meters across all rental units—single-phase and three-phase depending on room requirements.

Key benefits:

  • Installation completed by local electricians
  • Zero wiring changes
  • Devices connected instantly via WiFi/Cellular

Phase 2: Tariff Mapping

Qube configured:

  • Slab-based DISCOM tariffs
  • DG tariffs
  • Late fee rules
  • Disconnection schedules
  • Common-area charge allocation

This ensured complete automation post-launch.


Phase 3: Team Onboarding

KOTS added:

  • Property managers
  • Finance team
  • Support staff

Using Qube’s role-based permission system.


Phase 4: Go-Live

All 1500+ meters went live with:

  • Automated billing
  • Real-time consumption
  • Online collections
  • Daily reconciliations

Results

1. 100% Revenue Recovery

Before Qube:

  • DG charges were under-recovered
  • Slab calculations were inaccurate
  • Tenants regularly delayed payments

After Qube:

  • Every unit consumed is billed accurately
  • DG tariffs applied correctly
  • Automatic late fees and disconnection rules eliminate delays

This resulted in complete revenue assurance across all buildings.


2. Full Automation of DISCOM Slab-Based Billing

KOTS no longer performs manual calculations. Qube’s billing engine automatically:

  • Maps units into slab buckets
  • Calculates slab-wise charges
  • Applies taxes and DG tariffs
  • Generates final itemized bills

Accuracy is guaranteed across 1500+ flats.


3. Real-Time Financial Transparency

KOTS gets:

  • Daily bank settlement status
  • Live collection dashboards
  • Outstanding dues tracking
  • Historical reports for audits

Cash flow visibility improved dramatically.


4. DG Charge Recovery Accuracy

With DG detection built directly into the meter:

  • Higher DG tariff applies instantly
  • Zero disputes
  • Zero leakages
  • Accurate reporting

5. Centralized Management of All Buildings

KOTS now manages:

  • 1500+ meters
  • Multiple buildings
  • Multiple teams

All from one dashboard with real-time updates every 5 seconds.


Key Learnings

  1. Automation eliminates errors Removing manual intervention ensures consistent billing and collection.

  2. Transparency reduces disputes Tenants trust data—they pay without delay when usage is visible.

  3. DG detection is critical Without automated DG billing, large portfolios lose significant revenue.

  4. Slab-based billing must be software-driven Manual slab calculations are practically impossible at KOTS-scale.

  5. Centralized reconciliation saves hours Daily settlement visibility reduces workload for finance teams.


Further Reading

Related Case Studies & Guides:

These links help build topical authority around “energy billing automation”.


Conclusion

KOTS Renting Pvt Ltd transformed its utility revenue infrastructure by adopting Qube’s smart metering and billing platform. With automated slab-based billing, DG detection, real-time dashboards, online collections, and daily bank reconciliation, KOTS achieved 100% revenue recovery across 1500+ flats—with significantly less operational effort.

Qube provides the automation backbone required for modern rental housing operators to scale confidently.

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Qube Team (@qube-team)

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