Starting a thread for those of us who joined in the 2013-2015 era. Floyd H here, Topeka, KS. Westar Energy territory. Came from a career in grain elevator operations — those facilities use a LOT of power and I got curious about whether the billing was right. Spoiler: it usually wasn't.
Introductions — 2013-2015 Members
Welcome to the forum, Floyd! Good idea grouping by era. Randy D here. We saw a big growth spurt in membership during this period. A lot of you found us through the CUBA certification program.
Juan C from New Orleans, LA. Entergy Louisiana territory. Joined January 2014. Former restaurant owner who got into this after a consultant found $11,000 in overcharges on my own building. Figured if it happened to me, it's happening to thousands of other businesses.
Susan W, Oklahoma City, OK. OG&E territory. Former teacher who was looking for a career change. The analytical side of auditing appealed to me. Still learning but the forum has been incredibly helpful.
Hey everyone — Pete T from San Jose, CA. PG&E territory. Former tech worker from Silicon Valley who burned out and wanted something more tangible. Utility auditing gives me the analytical work I enjoy without the 80-hour weeks.
Barbara N here, Norfolk, VA. Dominion Energy territory. Joined March 2013. Former Navy operations officer. The attention to detail and systematic approach from the military translates perfectly to tariff analysis.
Elmer R, Springfield, MO. City Utilities of Springfield territory. Retired school superintendent. I handle mostly institutional accounts — schools, churches, municipal buildings. The nonprofits especially appreciate someone looking out for their bottom line.
Good to see this thread. Vivian C from Corpus Christi, TX. AEP Texas territory. Former oil and gas landman. Reading dense legal documents all day was already my job — tariffs aren't that different from mineral leases when you get down to it.
Albert M checking in, Huntsville, AL. Huntsville Utilities territory. Former NASA contractor who retired early. Rocket science this ain't, but the financial impact for small business owners is very real.
Sylvia D, Harrisburg, PA. PPL Electric territory. Former state government energy analyst. I saw how the regulatory process worked from the inside and realized most businesses have no idea what they're actually paying for.
Great thread. Warren T from Boise, ID. Idaho Power territory. Former city budget analyst. Municipal utilities out here have some unique rate structures that trip people up.
Donna R here, Tampa, FL. TECO Energy territory. Joined March 2016 — I know I'm right at the edge of this era. Former hotel general manager. Hospitality properties are goldmines for billing errors because they have such complex load profiles.
Cecilia K, Madison, WI. Madison Gas & Electric territory. Joined September 2014. Former university research administrator. The grant-funded labs I used to manage had massive electricity costs and nobody was checking the bills.
Nice to see where everyone came from. A lot of second-career folks like me in this group, which makes sense — you need some real-world experience to be credible with clients. — Floyd H