Had what I thought was a routine audit for a manufacturing plant in Richmond. Dominion Energy bills looked normal, usage seemed reasonable for the facility size. Spent two weeks analyzing rate structures and found maybe $2K in small errors. Then on a whim I decided to verify the meter multiplier - it was wrong by a factor of 10. The client had been underbilled by $47,000 over six months. Dominion corrected it going forward but that was a massive lesson about checking the basics first.
Always verify meter multipliers - learned the hard way
Oh man, Bill. That's painful but also kind of amazing you caught it. PG&E here in California has had similar issues. I always verify meter data now after finding a CT ratio error that made usage look 50% lower than actual. Client got a $23K true-up bill two months later. The multiplier verification is now in my standard checklist along with rate schedule confirmation.
JEA here in Jacksonville had a meter programming error that went undetected for months. The multiplier in their billing system didn't match what was actually installed. Client's demand charges were calculated on inflated readings. Cost them an extra $8,500 before I caught it during a routine audit. These meter errors are more common than people think.
NorthWestern Energy up here in Montana had a similar issue. Rural facility with an old electromechanical meter that had the wrong gear ratio installed during a upgrade. Took me three site visits to figure out why the bills didn't match the actual load calculations. The meter was reading 20% high for almost two years. Always trust your instincts when the numbers don't add up.
PNM in Albuquerque taught me the same lesson. Industrial client with interval metering where the pulse multiplier was programmed incorrectly. The 15-minute interval data looked reasonable but when I added it up monthly it was way off from the billed kWh. Took weeks to get PNM to admit their error and issue the $31K refund. Now I always cross-check interval data against monthly totals.