Like most businesses, one of the largest parts of your overhead budget is likely your utility expenses. Unfortunately, most businesses just pay those utility bills when they come in and don't give them a second thought. If that sounds like you, there are some things that you need to understand. Utility bill audits can help you to see where you might be overpaying in your utility costs. Here's a look at overpayment causes that a utility bill audit can uncover.

Meter Mistakes

One of the most common issues with utility bills that can be uncovered during an audit is mistakes made when reading the meter. Whether the meter is broken or the meter reader makes an error in the reading process, this can lead to inaccuracies. Many utility companies have transitioned to remote reading with Bluetooth scanning, but even that can lead to mistakes if the transmission is interrupted, hacked, or done incorrectly.

Sometimes, the meter mistake is actually the result of a faulty meter. If your meter isn't functioning correctly, the utility company should uncover that during their readings. However, sometimes the readings happen as an almost automated process, which means that these problems get overlooked for months at a time before you call and raise concerns.

Billing Cycle Mistakes

In some cases, billing cycles get disrupted and lead to mistakes as well. When your billing cycle is beyond the traditional 30 days, you should have an audit conducted to be sure that you're not being double-billed for certain usage depending on the meter reading dates. Make sure that you're getting the correct usage bills and that your billing cycle is correct.

Sewer Bills Dependent On Water Bills

Some utilities charge your sewer bills based on the water consumption recorded for your business instead of actually metering your sewer volume. Unfortunately, this is often inaccurate. Think about the number of times your business draws water that doesn't go down the drain. Whether you're filling a boiler, a water reservoir, a pool, or any other resource, what goes in doesn't always have to come out. That means your sewer bills may be inaccurate. It's important to have a utility bill audit to help uncover inaccuracies in these estimations.

These are three of the most common issues uncovered during a utility bill audit. Talk with a service provider in your area today about having a utility bill audit conducted for your business. The more proactive you are about it, the better the chances that you can save your company money.

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