Chuck B from Cincinnati, OH. Duke Energy Ohio territory. I have been working on a large audit that has taken longer than expected — the client has 8 locations and the dispute process has been slow. My original LOA was signed 14 months ago. When I called Duke for updated billing data on one of the locations, they told me the LOA expired after 12 months and they need a new one. I had no idea LOAs could expire. My LOA does not have an expiration date printed on it but apparently Duke internal policy is to expire all third-party authorizations after 12 months regardless of what the LOA says.
LOA expired after 12 months — utility will not release more data
Chuck, LOA expiration is a real issue and it varies by utility. Some honor the duration stated on the LOA. Others have internal policies that override whatever you wrote. Duke 12-month policy is common among larger utilities. The fix going forward: always specify a 24-month duration on the LOA AND build a calendar reminder to renew LOAs at 11 months. Do not wait for the utility to tell you it expired.
Randy, the 11-month renewal reminder is a great practice. For the current situation, I need the client to sign a new LOA covering the same 8 accounts. The client is cooperative but he is a busy guy — getting a signature meeting on the calendar takes 2-3 weeks. Meanwhile the dispute process is stalled.
Chuck, DocuSign. Send the renewal LOA via DocuSign and the client can sign it on his phone in 30 seconds. I send LOA renewals by DocuSign now and most clients sign within 24 hours. No meeting required.
Rob, good call. Sent the DocuSign renewal this morning. Client signed by lunchtime. Forwarding to Duke now. Should be reactivated within a week.
Quick resolution. The broader lesson: treat LOA management as an administrative process, not a one-time event. Build a tracking spreadsheet with LOA dates, expiration dates, and renewal reminders. For long-term monitoring clients especially, the LOA renewal is as important as the bill review itself. No LOA means no data which means no audit.