Hi everyone - I'm putting together a training manual for our new hires and wondering if anyone has a standardized step-by-step workflow they follow for every audit? I've been doing this for years but never really wrote it down systematically. Looking for best practices on the order of operations - do you start with demand analysis, rate schedule verification, or something else entirely?
Step-by-step workflow for new auditors?
Great question Angela! I always tell new auditors to follow the VIRD method - Verify rate schedule first, then Interval data analysis, Rate application check, and finally Demand calculations. You can't properly audit anything if you're looking at the wrong tariff from the start.
I disagree Randy - I start with the meter data every time. If the kWh and kW readings don't make sense or show gaps/spikes, nothing else matters. Then rate schedule, then billing calculations. Seen too many audits go down rabbit holes because they didn't catch bad meter data upfront.
Kent makes a good point. Here's my checklist: 1) Collect 24+ months of bills, 2) Verify meter multipliers and CT ratios, 3) Check interval data quality, 4) Confirm rate schedule and any special contracts, 5) Recreate bills month by month, 6) Calculate savings. Takes about 8-12 hours for a typical commercial account.
Don't forget the site visit! I always do a walkthrough before diving into the numbers. Amazing how many times I've found disconnect switches that were opened/closed, or discovered the customer added a solar array that affected their billing. The paperwork lies sometimes, but the field doesn't.
All excellent points. Angela, I'd suggest creating decision trees for common scenarios too - what to do when you find estimated reads, how to handle rate changes mid-audit period, when to dig deeper into power factor issues. The workflow is important but knowing when to deviate from it is what separates good auditors from great ones.