Do you know, on average, 80% of companies suffer overcharges on utility bills because of calculation errors and discrepancies by utility providers?
Now think of the last commercial energy bill you paid. Did you check it for errors before you cut the check?
Or the one previous to that?
There is a high possibility that you did not.
And you are not alone either.
Many of us don’t bother tallying our energy bills. We simply look at the amount we owe, the bill’s due date and pay it without checking anything. The due diligence on our part is almost always non-existent. However, as the stats above shows, this practice is wrong.
Your commercial energy bill may be inaccurate and if you have a habit of paying your bills without checking them, you might have been overpaying in charges.
But what can cause these energy bills to be inaccurate sometimes?
The three most common reasons for inaccurate commercial billing are:
1) Meter Error
Utility meters, like any other device are prone to malfunction. Their chances of malfunction though are higher as compared to other devices, for meters once installed at a commercial facility are hardly checked or maintained after the initial installation.
A malfunctioning meter is very likely to give inaccurate readings and these inaccurate readings then get picked up by utility companies that process a bill accordingly.
Detecting a meter error could be hard unless you have some energy monitoring device, such as an EMS, installed at your commercial property.
2) Data Processing Issues
The bill you receive undergoes many processing stages and passes through different touch points before it is finally delivered to you. As such, the chances of a miscommunication are high. An error introduced at a touch point can easily go undetected and affect the subsequent data processing stages, resulting in the generation of an inaccurate bill.
3) Not using the right rates for the energy consumed
Electricity rates can vary depending on energy consumption pattern. At some hours of the day, it is likely to be low and in other hours it is likely to be high. This variation also occurs with certain days of a week, seasons in a year, peak demands etc. With so many variables involved, it is easier for utility companies to make mistakes when processing a bill.
Unfortunately, the onus of detecting a discrepancy in a utility bill lies with clients. It’s therefore vital that before paying a utility bill you must check it to ensure everything is in order. It could save you from the inconvenience of paying an incorrect bill and paying more than what you are liable to.
A BONUS read: TAX Savings in Indiana: Who Qualifies for a Utility Sales Tax Exemption