Measuring components are the parts of a device that record measurements of usage or demand. There are four types of measuring components: physical, standalone, scratchpad, and TOU. Physical measuring components are associated with a physical device and reference a device configuration. Standalone measuring components are not associated with a physical device and do not reference a device configuration. Scratchpad measuring components are used to store intermediate or temporary measurements that are not intended for billing or analysis. TOU measuring components are used to store time-of-use measurements that are derived from other measuring components. Scalar measuring components are a subtype of physical or standalone measuring components that contain a single measurement for an arbitrary period of time. They have attributes such as seconds-per-interval (SPI), which defines the duration of each interval in seconds, and auto-read, which indicates whether the measuring component is read automatically or manually. The terms register and channel are synonyms for measuring component and are used interchangeably in the application and documentation. References: Measuring Components, About Measuring Components, Scalar Measuring Components