Research question
How can a utility compare consumer behavior across prepaid and postpaid metering without treating recharges as measured consumption?
Approach
Construct a consumer-month panel, normalize feeder and tariff categories, label observed postpaid energy separately from reconstructed prepaid usage, and compare seasonal and peer-group behavior.
Contribution
A reproducible route from routine workbooks to consumption profiles and data-quality screening.
Evidence & limitations
Observed billing records and reconstructed prepaid values have different uncertainty. Entity collisions and aggregation need reconciliation. Behavioral patterns alone do not establish causal drivers.
Next step
Complete identity reconciliation and strengthen independent validation of reconstructed prepaid usage.
Methodology stages
01 / Billing & vending
02 / Panel & source labels
03 / Peer-group profiles
04 / Research screening