Richmond office building was getting killed on summer rates. Dominion Schedule GS had different pricing May through October. I recommended they reduce HVAC usage but forgot about the shoulder months. April and November bills were still high because I was looking at wrong rate periods.
Dominion Virginia Power seasonal rate switch confusion
Dominion's seasonal periods are weird. Summer is June-September, not May-October like most utilities. The shoulder months have different demand charges too.
Same mistake with Appalachian Power. Their summer period runs June 1 to September 30. But the demand ratchet applies year-round based on summer peak.
This is why I always create a calendar showing rate periods, ratchet seasons, and billing cycles. Seasonal rates are tricky in Virginia.
Had a Norfolk client with similar issue. Dominion's Schedule LGS has three different seasonal periods. Always read the entire tariff, not just the rate table.
Created a spreadsheet template now with all Virginia utility seasonal periods. Saves time and prevents these errors.
Seasonal rate structures vary significantly by utility and region. Building a reference library of seasonal periods for your territory is essential for accurate analysis.