Hey everyone - Marcus here. Been doing this for 10+ years but still feel like I'm reinventing the wheel every time I start a new commercial audit. Anyone have a solid checklist they follow? Looking for something that covers demand charges, power factor penalties, rate schedule verification, etc. Would love to standardize my approach.
Standardized checklist for commercial audits?
Marcus, I've got a 3-page checklist I've refined over the years. Covers everything from meter readings verification to tariff analysis. The key sections I always hit: 1) Basic account info validation 2) Demand billing verification 3) Rate schedule accuracy 4) Power factor charges 5) Seasonal adjustments 6) Taxes and fees breakdown. Happy to share if you want.
Lee, could you share that with the group? I'd love to see how you structure it. I've been using a spreadsheet template but it's gotten unwieldy. One thing I always include is a section for CT ratio verification - caught a 400:5 that should have been 800:5 last month, saved the client $47k annually.
Great topic Marcus. From an admin perspective, we should probably create a resource library for stuff like this. Elaine, nice catch on the CT ratio! That's exactly why having a systematic approach matters. I always start with the fundamentals: account setup, rate class verification, then work through billing components methodically. The biggest mistakes happen when you skip steps.
One thing I'd add to any checklist - always verify the billing determinant calculations manually. Don't just trust the utility's math. I use a separate worksheet to recalculate demand charges, especially for customers with multiple rate periods. Found a ComEd billing error last year where they were applying summer demand rates year-round. $23k refund.
Randy, resource library is a great idea. Earl, good point on manual calculations. I'll work on cleaning up my checklist and posting it here. Maybe we can crowd-source the ultimate audit checklist? Each utility has quirks but the fundamentals are the same.