Your utility bills add up. That doesn't make them right.
Discovery Energy audits the electric and gas bills of multi-site companies against the tariffs that should govern them, recovers what was overcharged, and keeps every account correct after the audit ends. No upfront fee.
Why bills that look right are often wrong
Every service address gets its own bill, and every utility bills under its own tariffs, riders and state rules. A bill can be arithmetically perfect and still be calculated on the wrong rate class, the wrong meter multiplier, the wrong season or under the wrong corporate classification.
Utilities rarely correct these on their own. Accounts payable checks that a bill was approved and paid, not that it was calculated correctly. So errors run for years, and across dozens or hundreds of sites they compound.
- Typical recovery
- 3% to 15% of annual utility spend
- Bills reviewed
- 36 to 48 months of history
- Upfront fee
- None. Paid only from results
- Coverage
- Regulated and deregulated markets, US and Canada
- Try first
- 15-account pilot audit
- In business
- Since 2000, tens of thousands of utility accounts audited
Canonical figures: company facts.
One firm for every line of the utility bill
Most companies split this work between an auditor, a broker, a bill-pay vendor and a software tool. The gaps between them are where money leaks. We run all of it against one account inventory.
- AuditUtility bill auditsTest every account against its tariff, rate class, meter setup, riders and classification. Recover past overcharges and fix future bills.
- ProcureEnergy procurementCompetitive electricity and natural gas RFPs in every deregulated market, timed with our monthly buy or wait guidance.
- PayUtility bill payEvery bill received, reviewed before payment, paid on time and coded to your cost centers and GL accounts.
- ReportTaraBase reportingDashboards for savings, usage, contracts, bills and Scope 1 and 2 data, from the meter to the CFO.
- PortfolioMulti-site energy managementAll of the above for 10 to 1,000+ facilities, including sites you acquire next quarter.
- RenewRenewable advisoryRECs, PPAs and on-site solar judged on financial merit first, tracked with the rest of your energy data.
These services form one discipline we call Utility Cost Intelligence: collect, validate, audit, optimize, procure, benchmark, monitor and report.
Recovered, to the cent
We publish results the way a utility would have to: exact amounts, the error that caused them, and whether they are one-time refunds or savings that repeat every month.
| Client | What was wrong | Recovered |
|---|---|---|
| National steel company | 17 accounts on the wrong rate class in 7 states, found behind an existing energy manager. Plus $150K+ a year in new savings. | $374,326.20 |
| Protein processing plant, Missouri | Summer rates billed weeks before the tariff allowed, in two separate years. | $166,957.55 |
| Diversified agribusiness | A demand meter stuck for months and a wrong rate schedule. Plus about $120K a year from a rider opt-out. | $117,412.14 |
| Global chemical distributor, 215+ sites | 1,000+ accounts with 87 providers brought into one system, audited continuously. | $300,000+ refunds $500,000+ a year |
How an audit runs
Authorize
You sign a letter of authorization and share recent bills. We pull the history from each utility.
Test
Every account is checked against its tariff, rate class, meter multiplier, demand, riders and classification.
Recover
You approve each claim. We file it with the utility and handle the dispute until the credit or check arrives.
Keep it right
Corrected rates repeat every month. Ongoing monitoring catches the next error before it compounds.
Initial findings usually arrive in 30 to 60 days. Formal refunds take a further 60 to 120 days, depending on the utility.
Built for companies with many meters
Our clients are multi-site commercial and industrial organizations: manufacturers, chemical distributors, food and protein processors, agribusinesses, steel and metals producers, logistics and cold-storage operators. The more sites, utilities and load profiles you have, the more places errors hide.
The work is approved by finance and run with operations. CFOs and controllers see verified savings against an agreed baseline; plant and facilities teams never pause operations.
Questions buyers ask
What does Discovery Energy do?
Discovery Energy Utility Audits audits electricity and natural gas bills for multi-site commercial and industrial organizations, recovers overcharges from utilities, moves accounts to the correct rates, buys energy competitively where markets allow, pays and codes utility bills, and reports results in its TaraBase platform. It has worked since 2000 across the US and Canada.
How much does a utility bill audit cost?
Nothing upfront. Discovery is paid a contingency fee, usually 15% to 50% of refunds and verified savings, only when the client actually receives them. If nothing is found, the client owes nothing. See pricing.
How much do utility bill audits usually recover?
Across audits since 2000, recoveries have most often equaled 3% to 15% of annual utility spend, and results depend on the utilities, rate structures and billing history involved.
Can we hire Discovery for an audit only?
Yes. An audit is a stand-alone engagement with no procurement required, and every fee, including any supplier commission on optional procurement, is disclosed in advance. See independence and compensation.
We already have an energy manager or broker. Is an audit still worth it?
Often, yes. Discovery's independent audit at a national steel company ran behind an existing energy-management contract and still recovered $374,326.20 in refunds plus more than $150,000 a year in new savings. Brokers buy supply; few test every account against its tariff.
Find out what your bills should have cost.
Send one recent bill per site, or a list of accounts. We tell you where we expect findings before you sign anything. No upfront audit fee.