> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nectarclimate.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Units and conversions

> How Nectar normalizes usage units across your portfolio for consistent reporting.

<Tip>
  Need help in this area? See [Methodology FAQ](/platform/methodology/faq).
</Tip>

Utility bills arrive in whatever units the provider uses — kWh, MWh, therms, CCF, gallons, cubic meters, and more. To give you consistent charts, totals, and exports, Nectar converts all usage into your company's preferred display units.

***

## How it works

Each bill's usage is stored exactly as it appeared on the original document. When Nectar displays or aggregates that data (in analytics, exports, or site dashboards), it converts to your company's preferred unit for that commodity.

| Commodity   | Common bill units        | Default display unit |
| ----------- | ------------------------ | -------------------- |
| Electricity | kWh, MWh                 | kWh                  |
| Gas         | therms, CCF, MCF, m³, GJ | therms               |
| Water       | gallons, CCF, m³, kgal   | gallons              |
| Fuel        | gallons, liters          | gallons              |
| Waste       | tons, lbs, cubic yards   | tons                 |

***

## Company unit preferences

Your company's preferred units are configured in [**Settings > Company > Data Collection**](https://dash.nectarclimate.com/settings/company/data-collection). You can set a preferred unit for each commodity — for example, switching electricity from kWh to MWh if your portfolio operates at large scale.

When you change a unit preference, all analytics views, exports, and aggregations update to reflect the new unit. Historical data is not modified — only how it's displayed.

***

## Where you see converted vs original units

| Context                         | Units shown                         |
| ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| Analytics dashboards and charts | Company preferred units (converted) |
| Site and meter aggregations     | Company preferred units (converted) |
| Data exports (CSV, XLSX)        | Company preferred units (converted) |
| Bill detail view                | Original bill units (as received)   |
| Usage data table on a bill      | Original bill units (as received)   |

If a number looks unexpectedly large or small, check whether the bill arrived in a different unit than your display preference. For example, a bill reporting 5 MWh will display as 5,000 kWh if your company preference is kWh.

***

## Mixed units across bills

It's normal for different bills on the same meter to arrive in different units — for example, one utility may switch from therms to CCF between billing cycles, or a meter may have historical bills in one unit and recent bills in another. Nectar handles this transparently: each bill is stored in its original units, and all values are converted to a common unit before aggregation.

You never need to worry about adding kWh to MWh or gallons to CCF — Nectar does this automatically.

***

## Related pages

* [Calendarization](/platform/methodology/calendarization) — how billing periods are converted to calendar months
* [Cost allocation](/platform/methodology/cost-attribution) — how charges are distributed across meters
* [Settings — Data Collection](/platform/settings/data-collection) — where to change unit preferences
* [Glossary — Unit of measure](/platform/glossary#unit-of-measure-uom)