Member Forum

Connect with fellow auditors, share findings, and ask questions.

Topic Threads Last Activity

Welcome & Introductions Introduce yourself to the AAUBA community and meet fellow certified utility bill auditors.

245

4 months ago

Getting Your First Client Strategies, scripts, and stories about landing your first paying client as a utility bill auditor.

110

4 months ago

Rate Classification Errors Identifying and correcting accounts placed on the wrong utility rate schedule.

138

1 month ago

Demand Charges & Ratchet Clauses Understanding, auditing, and disputing demand charges and ratchet provisions.

2 months ago

Meter Multiplier Errors CT ratio mistakes, multiplier errors, and meter configuration billing discrepancies.

121

4 months ago

Reading Tariffs & Rate Schedules How to locate, read, and apply utility tariff documents and rate schedules.

141

4 months ago

LOA & Data Collection Tips Best practices for Letters of Authorization and gathering billing records from utilities.

5 months ago

Tools & Technology Software, AI, automation, and other tools that support the audit workflow — and how to use them responsibly.

2 months ago

Contingency Fee Structures Setting your fee, structuring agreements, and managing contingency-based engagements.

3 months ago

Tax Exemptions & Sales Tax Errors Sales tax exemptions for nonprofits, manufacturers, and agricultural accounts.

1 month ago

Estimated Bills & Meter Reading Errors Billing based on estimates, missed reads, and correcting erroneous meter data.

4 months ago

Time-of-Use Rate Errors TOU schedule misapplication, window errors, and interval data analysis.

5 months ago

Billing Period & Proration Errors Short or long billing periods, proration mistakes, and period overlap charges.

4 months ago

Power Factor Penalties Power factor measurement errors, correction equipment, and penalty disputes.

2 months ago

Riders, Surcharges & Adjustment Clauses Fuel adjustment clauses, infrastructure riders, and unauthorized surcharges.

4 months ago

Deregulated Market Auditing Auditing supply and delivery charges in deregulated electricity markets.

4 months ago

Audit Methodology & Workflow Structured approaches to conducting thorough and efficient utility bill audits.

110

4 months ago

Client Presentations & Reports How to present findings professionally and communicate value to clients.

1 month ago

Filing Claims & Disputing with Utilities The dispute process from first contact through PUC complaint and resolution.

103

4 months ago

Small Commercial Accounts Strategies and findings for smaller commercial clients with modest utility spend.

105

5 months ago

Industrial & Manufacturing Accounts High-value auditing for industrial facilities with complex load profiles.

102

4 months ago

Multi-Site & Portfolio Audits Managing engagements across multiple locations and utility territories.

4 months ago

Healthcare & Institutional Accounts Hospitals, schools, government buildings, and other institutional clients.

3 months ago

Interval Data & Load Profile Analysis Working with 15-minute interval data to identify demand and TOU errors.

4 months ago

Benchmarking & Usage Analysis Comparing client usage against industry benchmarks to identify anomalies.

1 month ago

Ethics & Professional Conduct Professional standards, conflict of interest, and CUBA certification obligations.

3 months ago

Working with Energy Brokers Navigating relationships with brokers, consultants, and energy advisors.

20 days ago

Marketing Your Practice Building your brand, generating leads, and growing your auditing practice.

4 months ago

Building & Scaling Your Business Hiring, systems, processes, and strategies for growing beyond solo practice.

4 months ago

Software, Tools & Technology Tools, spreadsheets, and software that help auditors work more efficiently.

5 months ago

Natural Gas & Water Bill Auditing Auditing natural gas and water utility bills beyond electric accounts.

4 months ago

Utility Company Relationships Building productive relationships with utility billing and regulatory staff.

4 months ago

War Stories & Big Wins Share your largest recoveries, most complex disputes, and memorable cases.

3 months ago

Common Mistakes & Lessons Learned Errors auditors make and the lessons that came from them.

22 days ago

Continuing Education & Industry News Regulatory changes, rate case filings, and industry developments.

3 months ago

Off-Topic & General Discussion Anything not covered elsewhere — business, life, and community.

3 months ago

Old Mechanical Meters vs AMI / Smart Meters How smart meter technology affects billing accuracy and audit methodology.

3 months ago

HVAC Systems & Demand Spikes How HVAC startup and operation creates demand charge exposure.

7 months ago

Commercial Lease Pass-Through Audits Auditing utility cost pass-throughs in commercial lease agreements.

3 months ago

Errors & Omissions Insurance E&O coverage for utility auditors — what you need and where to get it.

1 month ago

Backbilling Limits by State State-by-state rules on how far back utilities can recover underbillings.

6 months ago

Apartments & Master Metering Master-metered residential and commercial apartment utility billing.

10 months ago

Client Engagement Agreements Drafting, negotiating, and enforcing your engagement agreement and LOA.

9 months ago

Solar, Net Metering & Distributed Generation Billing accuracy for clients with solar, battery storage, and on-site generation.

5 months ago

Primary vs Secondary Voltage Discounts Service voltage classification and the rate impact of customer-owned transformers.

3 months ago

Franchise Fees & Unauthorized Charges Identifying and recovering franchise fees and other unauthorized billing items.

2 months ago

Statute of Limitations & Old Cases How far back can you recover? Statutes of limitations by utility and state.

11 months ago

Training & Mentoring Junior Auditors Building the next generation of CUBA-certified auditors.

9 months ago

Telecom & Broadband Bill Auditing Expanding your practice into telecom and broadband billing errors.

4 months ago

2025-2026 Rate Increases & What They Mean How recent rate filings and increases create new audit opportunities.

2 months ago