Audit Prioritization - Where to Start?

New to utility auditing and wondering about prioritization strategies. When you get a stack of bills, where do you start looking first?

I've been going chronologically but wondering if there's a more efficient approach. Should I be looking for specific red flags or patterns first before diving into detailed calculations?

Good question Leah. I teach a "triage" approach:

1. Quick scan for billing errors (wrong multipliers, rate schedules)
2. Demand analysis (highest savings potential)
3. Usage pattern review
4. Detailed line-item verification

Don't get bogged down in small discrepancies early on. Find the big issues first, then clean up the details. A $50/month error isn't worth spending 3 hours on when there might be a $500/month demand issue waiting to be found.

Randy and Christie, that makes total sense. I think I've been getting lost in the weeds too early in the process.

Christie, when you're scanning for anomalies, are you doing that manually or do you have any tools/techniques that help identify the outliers quickly?

Leah, I create simple charts in Excel showing usage and costs by month. Visual patterns jump out much faster than scanning columns of numbers.

Also calculate some basic ratios - $/kWh, $/kW, power factor by month. When you see a ratio that's way off from the others, that's where you dig deeper first. Let the data tell you where to focus your time.

Leah, I always start with a high-level scan for obvious anomalies:
- Unusual spikes in usage or demand
- Rate schedule changes
- Billing adjustments or credits
- Meter reading estimates vs. actual

Then I focus on the biggest opportunities first - demand charges, power factor penalties, rate schedule optimization. The small stuff can wait until you know if there are major issues.