Standard request is 24 months but I'm working a big account with Alabama Power where I suspect the rate class has been wrong since at least 2010. That's potentially 4 years of overcharges. Alabama Power sent me 24 months no problem but says they can't provide anything older without a written request to their records department. Has anyone successfully gotten 36 or even 48 months of history from a utility? Is there a trick to it?
Pushing utilities to release 36+ months of billing history
Georgia Power gave me 36 months once but I had to go through their commercial accounts supervisor, not the regular customer service line. The key was explaining that we believed there was a billing error that predated the 24-month window and that providing the extended history would help resolve it faster. When you frame it as helping them identify and correct their own mistake, they're more cooperative. It took about 3 weeks longer than a standard request though.
In Tennessee, TVA distributors like Nashville Electric Service will go back further if you ask nicely. I've gotten 48 months from NES. Smaller utilities tend to be more flexible about this than the big IOUs. For the really old data, sometimes the client's own records are your best bet. Check with their accounts payable department — a lot of companies archive paid invoices for 7 years for tax purposes.
The reason most utilities default to 24 months is that many state PUC regulations only require them to maintain detailed billing records for that period. But "not required" doesn't mean "don't have." Most utilities keep data much longer in their billing systems. The 24-month cutoff is a policy choice not a technical limitation. My approach is to always request 36 months on the initial LOA. If they push back, I accept 24 and then make a separate written request for the extended period explaining the specific reason I need it. The success rate on the follow-up request is probably 60-70%.
Follow-up — Alabama Power came through with 36 months after I wrote a letter to their commercial billing supervisor explaining that we had identified a potential rate classification error. They actually went back 42 months in the end. And yes, the rate class was wrong the entire time. Client was on Rate LPL when they clearly qualified for LPM based on their demand profile. Recovery is going to be substantial — looks like north of $60,000 when you include the interest Alabama's PUC requires them to pay on overbillings.