Working on a large manufacturing client here in Youngstown and their Dominion East Ohio bill has me scratching my head. They're on Rate Schedule GS-3 and the CCF calculations don't match what I'm getting when I run the numbers. Bill shows 14,847 CCF for March but my heating degree day calculations suggest it should be closer to 16,200 CCF. Anyone else seeing weird stuff with Dominion's billing lately? The client is getting charged about $3,200 less than expected which sounds good but makes me nervous.
Dominion East Ohio Gas - weird CCF calculation on industrial account
Jim, I've seen similar issues with Dominion here in Cleveland on a couple accounts. Turns out they had a meter reading error that carried forward for three months. Did you verify the actual meter reading vs what's on the bill? Sometimes their field crews miss a digit or transpose numbers. Also check if there was any maintenance or shutdowns at the facility that would affect normal usage patterns.
Dominion has been having issues with their new billing system rollout. I've got three clients in Louisville who had similar CCF discrepancies over the winter months. Two got corrected automatically but one required a formal dispute. The key is documenting your HDD calculations and comparing to previous years' usage patterns. Keep detailed records because Dominion's customer service has been overwhelmed with billing issues.
Thanks guys. Frank, you nailed it - there was a meter reading error. Turns out the field tech recorded 847 instead of 8847 for the ending read. I called Dominion and they confirmed the mistake. They're issuing a corrected bill for an additional $8,400. Client isn't thrilled but at least we caught it before they got hit with a massive catch-up bill later. Appreciate the help!
This is exactly why I always verify meter readings against photos when possible. Had a similar case with Connecticut Natural Gas where a $12,000 error went unnoticed for six months. Now I require clients to photograph their meters monthly if they have accessible outdoor meters. Small investment in time that saves huge headaches later.
Good catch Jim. Here in Atlanta we've had similar issues with Atlanta Gas Light, especially on the larger commercial accounts. The automated meter reading systems sometimes have transmission errors that don't get flagged properly. I always run a sanity check using degree days and previous year comparisons. Rule of thumb: if usage varies more than 15% from expected without an operational reason, dig deeper.
Nashville Gas has had similar problems with their meter reading contractors. I've started requesting actual photos of meter reads for any account over $5,000 monthly. Costs the client a small fee but prevents these kinds of errors. The utilities don't like it but they usually comply when you invoke the tariff provisions for disputed readings.
Terry makes a good point about tariff provisions. Most gas utilities have specific procedures for disputed meter readings that require them to provide documentation. In Ohio, Dominion has to provide meter reading logs and photos within 10 business days of a formal request. It's worth knowing your local utility's dispute procedures - they're usually buried in the tariff schedules but they're there.