Utility Assistant

Getting Started

Start with one location and one bill. You can add more providers, readings, and notes as you go.

1. Add the home or property you want to track.
2. Add or choose the utility provider from the bill.
3. Enter the bill dates, total, line items, and meter readings.
4. Review Today for the most useful current insights.

Locations

A location is the home or property whose utility bills you want to understand. Give it a practical name, such as Home or Rental House.

Adding a ZIP code lets the app retrieve weather history for that location, which helps explain heating and cooling changes.

Providers

Providers are the utility companies or services shown on your bills. You do not need to enter every provider up front. Add providers as you add bills.

Examples include electric, water, gas, trash, sewer, and yard waste providers.

Bills

Use New Bill to enter a utility bill. If you already have providers, the app lets you choose one. If you do not, it skips that choice and takes you straight into bill entry.

Useful bill details include:

• billing period
• statement date and due date
• total amount
• line items from the bill
• meter readings shown on the bill
• notes that may explain the bill later

The closer the app matches the real bill, the more useful the insights become.

Meter Readings

Meter readings can come from bills or from manual readings you enter yourself. Bill readings are useful because each metered line item can include a starting and ending reading.

Meter resets and replacements are treated carefully. When a reset or replacement occurs, the chart should show each side of that change without drawing a misleading connection across the reset.

Today & Insights

Today shows the most useful current information first. Insights are designed to explain what changed and why it may matter.

Insights may call out:

• a bill that changed from the previous bill
• usage that rose or fell
• a recurring charge that changed after months at one price
• weather that may help explain heating or cooling usage
• the latest meter readings

Timeline

Timeline puts bills, weather, and meter readings together so patterns are easier to see.

Use it to answer questions like:

• Did usage rise when the weather changed?
• Did the bill increase because of usage, a fee, or a rate change?
• Did a meter reset or replacement affect readings?
• Are manual readings consistent with bill readings?

You can tap meter reading points to see the underlying data.

Events

Events are notes that explain changes outside the bill itself. They help future-you remember why something looked different.

Common examples include:

• new appliance
• guests staying at the house
• irrigation turned on
• thermostat change
• rate plan change
• leak repair
• occupancy change

Backups & iCloud

Utility Assistant stores data on your device and can sync through your private iCloud database when iCloud is available.

The app also supports export and import. Export a backup before major app updates, device changes, or replacing app data through import.

Help & Feedback

The Help screen includes links to request features or report bugs by email. Feedback goes tofeedback@smalltechstack.com.

Feedback emails may include basic app and device context so issues are easier to understand.

Privacy

Utility Assistant does not include advertising, third-party tracking, or a separate Small Tech Stack account system.

Read the fullprivacy policyor contact hello@smalltechstack.com.