What is the plateau/flatliner fix and when should I enable it?
The plateau fix (also called flatliner detection) is an advanced opt-in feature in Data Fix that handles a specific meter communication problem.
The problem it solves
Some meters lose communication temporarily. During the outage, consumption accumulates but is not reported. When communication resumes, all the accumulated consumption arrives as a single massive spike reading. Your chart shows a flat line (plateau) followed by a huge spike — making the data misleading for analysis and billing.
How the engine detects it
- Looks for periods of flat (unchanged) readings lasting at least 10 hours (configurable via "Min flat hours" in advanced settings)
- Followed by a spike that is at least 3x the normal average value (configurable via "Spike threshold" multiplier)
- If both conditions are met, it flags this as a plateau-spike pattern
How the engine fixes it
The spike value is redistributed across the flat period using one of three strategies:
- Linear — Distributes consumption evenly across each time interval in the flat period
- Average — Sets all points in the flat period to the average consumption rate
- Proportional — Distributes weighted by a metric such as historical pattern
When to enable it
- Your meter chart shows long flat periods followed by sudden spikes
- You know the meter had communication issues during that period
- You have verified with physical meter logs that consumption did occur during the flat period
When NOT to enable it
- Your meter legitimately had zero consumption (e.g., building was empty, HVAC was off)
- You are unsure whether the flat readings are real or a communication error
- Enabling it incorrectly will redistribute values that do not need redistribution
Where to configure: Analytics → Data Fix → Advanced options → "Plateau / Flatliner Detection & Fix" checkbox.