Found a major billing error on one of my Fresno clients - PG&E Schedule E-19 Secondary. They've been applying summer peak hours as 12-6 PM instead of the correct 12-9 PM window since May 2012. The meter data clearly shows usage during 6-9 PM being billed at off-peak rates when it should be peak. Client's August bill alone was undercharged by $2,847. Total exposure looks like $18,000+ over 15 months. Anyone else seeing similar issues with PG&E's TOU window application? Their billing system seems to have a systematic problem with the E-19 schedule.
PG&E Schedule E-19 TOU Window Error - $18K Impact
Dan - that's huge! I haven't seen E-19 window errors specifically, but APS here in Phoenix had similar issues with their E-32 TOU schedule last year. Their system was cutting off peak hours at 7 PM instead of 8 PM during summer months. Took three months of back-and-forth to get them to acknowledge the error. Make sure you document everything with interval data screenshots - PG&E will want extensive proof before they admit fault.
I've seen this before with TVA Schedule GSA-2. The billing system had the wrong season transition dates programmed. Sometimes it's not the TOU windows themselves but when the utility switches between summer/winter schedules. Double-check if PG&E transitioned to summer TOU on the correct date. In Tennessee, TVA was running winter rates three weeks into summer season because of a programming error.
Terry - good point on season transitions. I verified the summer period start date and that's correct (May 1). This is definitely a window error - I can see in their interval data export that usage between 6-9 PM is consistently coded as "OFF" when the tariff clearly states peak period is 12-9 PM May through October. PG&E customer service claims their system is correct, but I have the filed tariff right here. This is going to be a fight.
Dan, definitely escalate this beyond customer service. File a formal complaint with the CPUC if needed. CPS Energy in San Antonio had a similar billing system error in 2011 - they were applying weekday TOU rates on weekends for Schedule TDSP. Took a regulatory complaint to get their attention, but we recovered $31,000 for one client. The key is having clean interval data that shows the discrepancy clearly.
This thread is why I always cross-check TOU billing against the actual tariff language. PSE here in Washington had their own version of this - they were treating Thanksgiving Friday as a holiday (off-peak) when their tariff only listed specific holidays. Small detail but it added up over multiple accounts. Document everything and don't let them brush you off.
Update on similar issue - WE Energies here in Milwaukee just admitted to a TOU window error on their Cg-1 schedule. They had peak hours ending at 8 PM instead of 9 PM for industrial customers. Took two months but they're now processing refunds back to January 2012. The key was showing them their own interval data exports with the wrong rate codes. Sometimes the utilities don't even realize their billing system has the error.