What is a building local and how does it relate to meters?
A "building local" (also called a "unit" or "area") is a distinct physical space within a building. Think of it as a rentable or trackable zone.
Examples of building locals
- Office Suite 301 (150 m²)
- Ground Floor Retail (200 m²)
- Parking Level B1 (500 m²)
- Storage Room 4B (25 m²)
Key properties
- unit_number: Identifier like "301" or "Retail-A"
- rented_area: Size in square meters
- purpose_type: office, retail, warehouse, residential, common_area, etc.
- start_date/end_date: When the space is available
- is_active: Whether it's currently in use
How locals connect to meters
Meters can be assigned to a specific local using assignment_type = "local" and setting the local_id. This means the meter tracks consumption for that specific space. Common scenarios:
- Each office suite has its own electricity sub-meter
- A retail unit has a dedicated water meter
- A server room has a separate cooling meter
How locals connect to tenants
Tenants are assigned to locals through the tenant allocation system. When a tenant leases Office 301, that local is linked to the tenant. The tenant's share of building costs is calculated based on the total rented area across all their assigned locals.
Why locals matter for cost allocation
The building's total consumption (from building-level meters) is distributed to tenants proportionally based on the total rented area of their assigned locals. If Company A rents 300 m² of a 1,000 m² building, they pay 30% of shared costs (when using area-based allocation).