Collecting meter readings from residents: spreadsheet or software?
Short answer
Yes, you can collect meter readings in a spreadsheet, and for a small building where you can reach every owner it is enough. It stops working when readings arrive through several channels, when you spend days chasing the flats that have not sent one, or when a typed figure is wrong and nobody can say where it came from.
Every month or quarter you need the reading of each flat’s water, electricity or heat meter, and the numbers arrive by phone, by chat and on slips of paper. A sheet with one row per reading keeps them in one place.
The task: get a reading from every meter on time, catch a figure that cannot be right, and keep the history so that a dispute can be settled.
A meter reading sheet you can copy
Use one row per meter per reading, not one row per flat. A flat has several meters, and keeping the previous reading beside the new one is what lets you check it.
| Unit | Meter | Type | Previous | Current | Consumption | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12A | CW-4471 | Cold water | 118 | 124 | 6 | 2026-10-01 | Message |
| 12A | EL-0932 | Electricity | 20410 | 20586 | 176 | 2026-10-02 | Technician visit |
| 14C | CW-5120 | Cold water | 342 | 351 | 9 | 2026-10-03 | Phone |
| 14C | HW-5121 | Hot water | 210 | 215 | 5 | 2026-10-03 | Paper slip |
Paste into cell A1 of a new sheet (tab-separated):
Unit Meter Type Previous Current Consumption Date Source 12A CW-4471 Cold water 118 124 =E2-D2 2026-10-01 Message 12A EL-0932 Electricity 20410 20586 =E3-D3 2026-10-02 Technician visit 14C CW-5120 Cold water 342 351 =E4-D4 2026-10-03 Phone 14C HW-5121 Hot water 210 215 =E5-D5 2026-10-03 Paper slip
Consumption = Current − Previous (=E2-D2). Add a check column that flags a negative figure or one far above the last period, and write the reading period (for example the 20th to the 25th) above the table. Keep each meter’s next verification date on a second tab, so you can see which meters are due.
Signs you have outgrown the sheet
One of these is a reason to look. Three together mean the sheet now costs you more than a tool would.
- 1
Readings come by phone, chat and paper
Each channel needs someone to type the figure in. A reading sent to a messenger and never entered is a reading you do not have.
- 2
You chase the same flats every month
Finding out who has not sent a reading is a manual comparison against the full list, and the same people are always on it.
- 3
A wrong figure goes unnoticed
A typo, a swapped meter or a reading lower than the last one stays in the sheet until a calculation looks odd. Catching it on entry costs less than catching it later.
- 4
Residents cannot enter their own reading
Without a place where the owner types it in, every reading passes through you or a caretaker.
- 5
Nobody tracks verification dates
A meter’s next verification date sits in a notes column and passes unnoticed until a dispute.
- 6
You are asked where a figure came from
When an owner disputes a reading, you need the date, the meter and how it was submitted. A column of free-text notes is a weak record.
The same task in Unitify
Start on the Free plan ($0 / apartment / month). A plan, not a trial. No card, no expiry. The pricing page lists what each plan includes.
- 1
Load the meters
Import meters and their readings from an Excel or CSV file: address, unit, meter number, type, number of tariffs, verification dates. Or add a meter by hand.
- 2
Residents send their own reading
An owner opens their meter in the resident app and enters the figure. Readings you take by phone or on a visit, you enter yourself.
- 3
Every reading keeps its source
Each reading carries its date, its meter and the channel it came from, such as the resident app, an import, a call or a visit. A reading dated in the future is refused, and so is an app reading for an archived meter or one past its next verification date. You can set a reading period for each building, for example the 20th to the 25th; the app refuses a reading dated after its last day.
- 4
One log, and an export
The meters and readings log lists every reading by unit, with the history of each meter. Export the readings to Excel for your own calculations.
The pricing page lists what each plan includes: Free is $0 / apartment / month, Base is $1 and Pro is $3. Prices follow the live pricing page, which shows euro excluding VAT in Europe.
What Unitify does not do here
- It does not chase residents for you. Asking the flats that have not sent a reading stays with you.
- Automatic reading of smart meters needs an integration set up under a project. Out of the box, readings are typed in, imported or sent by residents.
- This guide covers collecting readings. What each flat is charged for its consumption is a separate task.
- It is built for owner-occupied buildings run by an association or a management company, not for a landlord reading sub-meters of tenants.
Meter readings: questions
Can I collect meter readings in Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. One row per meter per reading, with the previous and the current figure, the date and where it came from, is enough for a small building where you can reach every owner. It breaks down with several channels, many flats to chase and no check on a wrong figure.
What should a meter reading sheet contain?
Unit, meter number, type, the previous and the current reading, consumption, the date and the source. Keep the verification date on a second tab.
Can residents send their own readings in Unitify?
Yes, in the resident app, for their own meters. The app refuses a reading dated in the future and a reading for an archived meter or one whose verification date has passed.
Can I import meters and readings from a file?
Yes, from an Excel or CSV file with the unit, meter number, type, number of tariffs and the readings. The readings export to Excel as well.
Does Unitify remind residents to send readings?
Do not plan on automatic reminders. Following up with the flats that have not sent a reading stays with you.
Keep reading
Try it on one building
Sign up for the free plan, add one building and move one task over. Or book a demo if you want to see it on your own building first.