Hope everyone is staying safe out there. Business has been weird since March - some clients are desperate to cut costs so they're finding every billing error they can, others have delayed projects indefinitely. Duke Energy customers seem to be hit hardest here in Charlotte. How are things in your territories?
COVID impact on business - how are you all doing?
Baltimore here - BGE customers are definitely hurting. Restaurant clients down 70%, manufacturing mixed depending on whether they're essential. Oddly enough, I'm busier than ever because everyone wants to reduce fixed costs. Found $85,000 in errors for a hotel chain just last week.
Virginia has been tough. Dominion residential customers got some relief but commercial rates are still brutal. Three of my retail clients have closed permanently. On the flip side, hospitals and data centers are expanding like crazy. It's a weird economy right now.
Xcel territory in South Dakota has been surprisingly stable. Agriculture and healthcare kept things moving. My grain elevator clients are actually doing better because of export demand. Sometimes being in flyover country has advantages during national crises.
Glad to hear some areas are holding up. I've had to pivot more toward residential solar analysis and home energy audits. Not my favorite work but it pays the bills. Duke's net metering changes have created opportunities for solar consulting at least.
The PPP loans helped but now we're looking at potential forgiveness audits. Anyone else dealing with that paperwork nightmare? Sometimes I think the cure is worse than the disease. At least utility bill analysis is straightforward compared to federal loan documentation.