Phil G. from Richmond here. Been hearing mixed things about targeting property management companies. Some say they're a great gateway to multiple properties, others say they're too busy to care about utility audits. What's been everyone's experience? Worth the effort or should I focus elsewhere?
Property managers - goldmine or waste of time?
Rosemary H. from Tallahassee weighing in. Property managers have been HUGE for my business! I landed one PM company that manages 47 commercial properties and I've audited 23 of them so far. Found savings on about 60% - mostly rate schedule issues and incorrect billing demands. The key is finding the right contact person who actually looks at the utility bills regularly.
Jim C. from Greenville SC here. Had the opposite experience unfortunately. Spent 6 months courting three different PM companies and only got 2 small audits out of it. They kept saying they were interested but never followed through. Think they were just being polite. Maybe it's a regional thing?
Randy Dawson here with some perspective on this. Property managers can be excellent clients but you need to understand their business model first. Many get kickbacks or rebates from utility brokers, so they may be resistant to audits that could disrupt those relationships. The key is positioning yourself as complementary to their existing services - focus on finding billing errors rather than competing with their energy procurement. Target the larger management companies with 20+ properties since they have dedicated facilities staff who understand utility costs.
Randy's absolutely right about the kickback issue. The PM company I work with was totally transparent about their broker relationships. I focus purely on billing accuracy and rate classification - never touch their supply contracts. Works great for everyone involved.
Christine L. from Minneapolis here. I've had good luck with smaller PM companies that manage 5-15 properties. They usually don't have broker deals and are more hands-on with expenses. Just found $800/month in savings for a property manager with 8 office buildings - all were on Xcel Energy Schedule A-15 when they should have been on A-35 based on their demand patterns.
Pete M. from Boise checking in. My approach with PM companies is offering a free sample audit on their worst-performing property (highest $/sqft utility costs). Did this with a local company and found $450/month in savings on a small strip mall. Now they send me 2-3 properties per quarter. Free sample was worth it to build the relationship.
Great insights everyone! Pete, I like the free sample idea. How do you identify which property has the highest $/sqft costs? Do you ask them to provide that data upfront?
Phil, I just ask for their property list with square footage and last month's electric bill total for each. Most PM companies have this in a spreadsheet already. Takes them 2 minutes to pull and really demonstrates their need for help when they see the variation.
Patty L. from Anchorage here. Limited PM options up here but the one I work with has been solid. Chugach Electric has some quirky rate structures and I've found errors on about half their commercial properties. The PM loves it because it makes them look good to their tenants when operating costs go down.
Janice N. from Fayetteville. New to the business and wondering - when working with PM companies, do you contract directly with them or with the individual property owners? Seems like there could be some complications with who pays fees and approves work.
Janice, I always contract with the property owner directly but get introduced through the PM company. The PM facilitates but isn't on the hook financially. Works much cleaner that way and the property owner appreciates the PM bringing them additional value.
Earl J. from Tacoma jumping in late here. Been working with PM companies for 3 years now and they're about 70% of my business. The key is consistency - I send a monthly email update on audit results across their portfolio. Keeps me top of mind when new properties come up. Just landed a 12-building office complex audit this way.