Resetting meter counts without charging the customer

If you want to set the old count at the start of the month to be a particular count, then enter a meter count run and reset the count as at the last day of the prior month. The new reset count will flow through as the old count in the current month when you do your next meter count run.
You are not trying to charge a reset count only correct the count itself for a meter.

The idea of a cycle is around ensuring that everything within that count cycle gets charged.

If you are doing a meter count run for 'reset' purposes only, you would normally not extract a meter count for a count cycle but for the machines in question.

You would normally do your resets as one meter count run, no count cycle and no need to charge it.
You would then extract another meter count run, include count cycles if relevant and charge that one.

The best process for now would be date the meter count run (when it's initially opened) to the date up to which you wish to consider counts (typically the date you would be charging). For example, if you expect you'll charge on the 15th and you are starting the count on the 10th, date it the 15th so that all counts up to the 15th are accepted.

The meter count run cycle is what actions the meter count run.

The purpose of a count cycle, is to ensure that everything that is counted is charged. The system is designed with expectations to use count cycles. 
By not following procedure can cause meters to not be counted and charged.

When you extract a meter count run for a meter count cycle, whether or not you have counts for those meters, the charge run will be for every machine on that count cycle.

If you extract a meter count run with no count cycle but a criteria, the charge run will be only for the machines within that meter count run.

Rule: If you have a meter count run for one cycle and you have completed that count cycle but not counted all the meters, extract another meter count run for the same count cycle with the check box ticked for field 'only meters not counted'. Then charge the latest meter count run for that count cycle.

Ensure to date the second and corresponding meter count runs, the day after the first count run for that one cycle for that one period if you should require to count the cycle more than once in a month.

If however, you delete certain machines from within a count cycle and then you wish to count those meters, extract the meter count run without a count cycle and add those machines with a criteria then charge it.