Angela from Columbus. I keep seeing clients where the rate class question and the time-of-use question are tangled together. For example a client might be on the correct rate class but within that class they have not opted into a TOU variant that would save them money. Is that a rate class error or something different?
TOU rates and rate class — different issues or connected?
Meredith from Raleigh. Technically they are different. Rate class is the fundamental schedule — which tariff you are on. TOU is an option within that schedule that changes how you are charged. But from the client's perspective both represent money left on the table.
So would you address both in the same engagement or treat them separately?
I address both. The rate class error is the more significant issue because it affects the base rate structure. The TOU optimization is secondary but often recoverable going forward. I present them as two separate findings with different recovery profiles.
Gary from Tacoma. In my territory the TOU rates require the customer to opt in. The utility does not proactively migrate customers to them even when it would clearly save money. That opt-in gap is worth checking on every account.
Vince from Hartford. I have found TOU savings on accounts where the rate class was perfectly correct. They were paying the right base rate but on a flat schedule when a TOU variant would have cut their peak hour charges significantly.
Vince that is helpful. So even on a correctly classified account it is worth checking whether there are rate options within that class that are being missed.
Gary again. Yes and some utilities have time-of-day, season-differentiated, and demand-response variants all within the same base class. Each one worth evaluating separately for the right load profile.