Three years of bills, audited once
A fixed fee for 36 months of bills; any refund is yours.
- Length
- 6 to 8 weeks
- Price, indicative
- From $3,500, fixed fee
Contingency audits keep a share of every refund, so their pay grows with the claim. Back-Bill Review costs the same whatever the bills hold, and you keep every dollar the utility returns.
From authorization to filed corrections
- Week 1
Authorize and pull
A letter of authorization, then 36 months of bills from each utility portal or records desk.
- Weeks 2 to 3
Map and rebuild
Each account tied to its site and meter, with its rate schedule history rebuilt month by month.
- Weeks 3 to 5
Read against tariffs
Every bill checked against the tariff in effect on its date: reads, multipliers, demand, riders, taxes.
- Week 6
Check the lookback
How far back each utility corrects a bill, from its tariff and state rules, written down per utility.
- Weeks 6 to 8
Findings and filings
A findings call, then corrections filed in your name and followed to a written answer.
What lands on your desk
- Who it is for
- Up to 50 accounts, any utility or commodity
- Format
- Remote audit, findings workbook and corrections filed in your name
- A findings workbook: every account and month, each error with its bill line and tariff section
- A lookback note per utility: how far back its tariff and state rules allow a correction
- Correction requests filed in your name, with the supporting bill pages and tariff sections attached
- A claim log tracking each request to a credit, a refund check or a written denial
- A list of recurring errors to fix going forward, account by account
Where this program fits
A fit when
- You have 10 to 50 accounts and nobody has audited them in years
- A firm offered to audit for a share of refunds and you would rather pay a fee
- Sites have opened, closed or changed use, and the accounts may not have followed
- Your bills carry estimated reads, demand charges or meter multipliers
Not a fit when
- You have one or two accounts; the free Three-Bill Read covers most of it
- You want every bill checked monthly from now on; that is Bill Desk
Example: a self-storage operator with 30 facilities
A self-storage operator runs 30 facilities across Colorado and New Mexico on 45 electric and water accounts. The review rebuilds 36 months and finds three accounts on estimated reads, one meter at the wrong multiplier and a closed office still charged a monthly minimum. Each utility sets its own correction window, so the oldest eligible months are filed first.
Questions about Back-Bill Review
How far back can a utility correct a bill?
It depends on the utility’s tariff and the rules of the state that regulates it, and municipal utilities set their own. We check those rules for each utility in your portfolio before filing and tell you in writing which months are within reach. We never assume one window fits all.
Why a fixed fee instead of a share of refunds?
A share of refunds pays the auditor for the size of the claim, not its accuracy. A fixed fee means we report what the bills show, including when they show nothing worth filing. The $3,500 is quoted in writing before we start, and every refund or credit goes to you in full.
What if you find nothing?
Then the findings workbook shows 36 months read line by line with no correction worth filing, and you pay the fixed fee. That is still a result: finance knows what was checked and how, and the recurring-error list tells your team what to watch on future bills.
What happens above 50 accounts or 36 months?
Larger portfolios are quoted per site, in writing, before work starts. Many teams begin with the 50 accounts carrying the most demand charges or estimated reads, then decide whether the rest need the same review. The lookback check still sets how far back any filing can go.
Who deals with the utility?
We do, in your name, under the letter of authorization you sign in week one. Each request goes with the bill pages and tariff section that support it. Utilities answer on their own schedule, so we follow every claim to a written answer and log it.
Start with three bills
A 30-minute call, or three recent bills, tells us whether Back-Bill Review fits your sites.