Utility bill audits and tariff reviews
We test every electric and natural gas account you have against the tariff that should govern it, recover what the utility overcharged, and move each account to the rate it qualifies for. You pay nothing unless money comes back.
A utility bill audit is an independent review of historical utility invoices against the utility's published tariffs, rate classes, meter configuration and state billing rules, to find overcharges, recover refunds and lower future bills. Discovery Energy performs these audits on contingency for multi-site commercial and industrial organizations.
What we test on every account
| Check | What goes wrong | Typical result |
|---|---|---|
| Rate class | The account sits on a schedule that no longer matches its load, often since a plant expansion or acquisition. | Refund plus a lower rate every month |
| Tariff dates and seasons | Summer or winter rates applied outside the dates the tariff allows. | One-time credit or refund |
| Meter multiplier | A wrong multiplier, often after a meter exchange, inflates every bill in proportion. | Refund for the affected period |
| Demand and ratchets | Stuck or misread demand, wrong ratchet math, peaks above what the schedule permits. | Refund and corrected demand billing |
| Corporate classification | Accounts carrying charges that do not fit how the business actually operates, often after an account change. | Refund plus lower bills |
| Riders and optional programs | Charges for riders a site can opt out of, or incentives it never enrolled in. | Recurring savings |
| Reads and true-ups | Estimated reads never reconciled, overlapping periods, duplicate charges. | Credits for the duplicated amounts |
What you receive
- A findings report, presented in a meeting, separating one-time refunds, recurring savings and items needing more data.
- For each claim, the tariff sheet, rule or program it relies on and the calculation of what should have been billed.
- Copies of what is filed with the utility, and its response.
- Proof of each refund or credit as it posts, and confirmation on later bills that the correction held.
- Savings measured against a baseline agreed before work starts.
Scope
Commodities audited: electricity and natural gas. Water, sewer and other utility bills can be included in bill pay.
Markets: regulated and deregulated, across the US and Canada.
Start small: a 15-account pilot audit on representative accounts before a full engagement.
Accounts: every account in scope, not a sample.
Engagement: audit-only, or alongside procurement and bill pay. How we stay independent.
Three possible outcomes, all useful
Refunds
When the utility billed incorrectly in the past, we file documented claims for the recoverable period and manage them through to a credit or check.
Ongoing savings
Rate reclassifications, rider opt-outs and corrected classifications lower every future bill. These usually outlast the refund in value.
Confirmation
If every account is already correct, you have documentation that it is, at no cost. That is worth having before a contract renewal, an acquisition or a budget cycle.
Audit-ready claims
Each claim cites the tariff sheet, rule or program it relies on and is reviewed before it is filed. You approve every one.
How the audit runs
Authorize
Sign a letter of authorization and share one bill per site. We pull history and interval data directly from the utilities.
Test every account
Not a sample. Each account against its tariff, meter setup and classification, with TaraBase checking the math.
Approve and file
We present findings in a meeting. You approve; we file and handle every utility conversation.
Recover and correct
Refunds arrive and accounts move to the right rate. Savings are measured against a baseline you agree to.
Who benefits most
Organizations with many locations, several utilities, mixed load profiles or recent acquisitions find the most. So do companies whose accounts have never been independently reviewed, including those already working with an energy manager or broker.
Past clients range from regional credit unions to global manufacturers, with results from hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds to multi-million-dollar savings over several years.
Questions buyers ask
What does a utility bill audit examine?
Every element of the electric and natural gas bill: rate classification, tariff application, meter readings and multipliers, demand charges, riders, corporate classification, and the state rules that govern how the utility must bill. We review 36 to 48 months of history and compare it with the tariffs as written.
How common are billing errors?
More common than most finance teams expect. Many errors are not arithmetic mistakes; the math is right but the basis, such as the rate class or multiplier, is wrong.
How far back can refunds go?
The recoverable period is typically 1 to 5 years, set by each state and utility. Some frameworks allow longer periods when the utility caused the error. We pursue the maximum allowed in each jurisdiction.
Do you audit in regulated states or only deregulated markets?
Both. Rate misclassification, billing-rule violations and corporate classification errors exist in every market. Regulated-state accounts are often the least reviewed because no supplier competition draws attention to them.
Will an audit affect our relationship with the utility?
No. A billing review is a routine inquiry that utilities handle every day. Service is never interrupted, and you approve every claim and account change before it is filed.
What do you need from us to start?
A signed letter of authorization and one recent bill per site, or an account list with service addresses. One bill is enough to start an assessment; about 12 months of bills shows seasonal patterns.
Can we start with a pilot?
Yes. Discovery offers a 15-account pilot audit: pick 15 representative accounts, including your most complex tariffs, and judge the findings before committing the whole portfolio.
How long does an audit take?
Initial findings and simple claims usually arrive in 30 to 60 days. Formal regulatory refunds or rate changes can take a further 60 to 120 days, depending on the utility and jurisdiction.
Our energy manager says they already audit our bills. Should we still engage Discovery?
That was the situation at a national steel company. Auditing was in scope with its incumbent provider; our independent review still found 17 misclassified accounts and $374,326.20 in refunds. See second-opinion audits.
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.