Caught Avista in Spokane applying their summer TOU on-peak window 15 minutes early for the entire 2014 cooling season. Schedule 25 clearly states on-peak is 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM weekdays, but they were billing 12:45 PM to 8:45 PM. Small window shift but it added up to $1,847 in overcharges for one mid-size commercial customer. Their interval data showed the error consistently across June through September. Anyone else seeing timing errors with Avista or other northwestern utilities?
Avista TOU Window Shift - 15 Minutes Early All Summer
Nancy, Idaho Power had a similar issue in 2013 where their TOU windows were off by 30 minutes. Turned out to be a database update error when they switched billing systems. They had manually adjusted the time windows but forgot to account for the system's internal time reference. Avista might have had a similar system migration issue. Did they change billing platforms recently?
Warren, that's exactly what happened. Avista switched to a new customer information system in early 2014 and the TOU window parameters weren't properly configured. They admitted the error once I presented the interval data analysis. The 15-minute shift meant customers were paying on-peak rates during their lunch hour when usage typically drops, and missing the evening peak charges when usage spikes for dinner prep and after-work activities.
This is why I always verify TOU window timing against the published tariff, especially after utility system upgrades. NV Energy here in Vegas had a similar issue in 2012 where their new billing system was applying Pacific Daylight Time windows but reading meters in Pacific Standard Time. Created a one-hour shift that affected thousands of customers. The interval data analysis is key - you need to show the usage pattern doesn't match the billed time periods.
Nancy, great catch on the timing error. I've seen similar issues with PG&E in California where their automated meter reading system had a clock synchronization problem. The 15-minute intervals were being timestamped incorrectly, which shifted the entire TOU analysis. For Avista, make sure you get them to provide documentation of when they discovered and corrected the error system-wide. Could be additional customers affected who haven't caught it yet.