Lloyd P. here from Independence, MO. I just finished my first paid audit and it was a complete disaster. The client expected a full report in 3 days, I couldn't figure out their Evergy tariff structure, and I think I may have missed some obvious demand charge issues. They're not happy and I'm not sure what to do next. How do you recover from something like this?
First audit disaster - need advice
Randy Dawson here. Lloyd, take a deep breath - we've all been there. First step is to contact the client immediately, acknowledge the issues, and offer to redo the analysis at no charge. Most clients will appreciate the honesty and give you a second chance if you're proactive about fixing it. What specific problems are you having with the Evergy tariff? I can walk you through it.
Randy, thanks for responding. The client is on Evergy's Large General Service rate and I think there are both demand and time-of-use components I didn't account for properly. I calculated potential savings of $800/month but now I'm not confident in those numbers. I'm worried about promising savings I can't deliver.
Warren T. in Boise. Lloyd, I made a similar mistake on my second audit with Idaho Power's Schedule 19 tariff. Best thing I did was reach out to the utility's commercial rep directly. They actually helped me understand the rate structure and I was able to go back to the client with accurate numbers. Turned a disaster into a $15,000 annual savings discovery.
Andre W. from Chattanooga. Lloyd, also consider getting a second set of eyes on your analysis before you resubmit. I'd be happy to take a quick look if you want to send me the key data. Sometimes fresh perspective catches things we miss when we're stressed about a problem.
Thanks everyone. Andre, I might take you up on that offer. Warren, great suggestion about contacting the utility directly. I've been treating them like the enemy but you're right - they want their commercial customers to be efficient too. Going to call them tomorrow morning.