Time Management - How Long Should Audits Take?

I'm struggling with time management on my audits. Some accounts I can knock out in 4-5 hours, others seem to drag on for days. Trying to figure out if I'm being too thorough or missing efficiencies.

What's your typical timeframe for a standard commercial audit (say, 36 months of bills, monthly demand under 500kW)?

Gloria, for a straightforward 500kW account I budget about 6-8 hours total. That breaks down roughly:
- 2 hours initial bill review and data entry
- 2-3 hours detailed calculations and cross-checking
- 1-2 hours report preparation
- 1 hour for utility follow-up if needed

If it's taking much longer, usually means there's a complex issue that needs special attention.

The other thing that helps is knowing when to stop digging. Early on I'd spend hours chasing small discrepancies that turned out to be rounding differences or legitimate adjustments.

Now I have a rule - if it's under $50 total impact, I note it but don't spend more than 15 minutes investigating unless it's part of a pattern.

I've found that having good templates and checklists really speeds things up. The first few audits took forever because I was recreating everything from scratch each time.

Now I have standard Excel templates for different utility companies and rate schedules. Probably cut my time in half.