Behind the scenes, Utility Bureaus employ cutting-edge technologies to ensure that energy bills are accurate, and businesses are only charged for the utilities they consume. Here’s a look at some of the key technologies used by Utility Bureau teams to enhance billing accuracy.
Automated Meter Reading (AMR): Utility Bureaus use AMR technology to collect real-time energy data directly from meters at client sites. This eliminates the human errors that often occur with manual meter readings and ensures that billing is based on accurate, real-time consumption data. By receiving up-to-date information directly from energy meters, businesses can avoid inaccurate estimated billing.
Energy bill auditing and validation: After collecting consumption data, Utility Bureau teams perform regular audits to compare it against energy bills. They ensure that the tariffs applied are correct, verify that additional fees and taxes are accurate, and check that there are no discrepancies in the billed amounts. If any discrepancies are found, the Bureau works with suppliers to resolve them before they impact the business.
Historical data analysis: Using historical consumption data, Utility Bureau teams can compare current bills with previous periods to identify unusual spikes or patterns that might indicate billing errors or inefficiencies. This also helps detect issues such as equipment being left on unnecessarily or metering errors.
Tariff and rate verification: A key responsibility of a Utility Bureau is to ensure that businesses are charged according to the correct energy rates and contractual agreements. By verifying the rates in the contract, the Bureau ensures that businesses avoid overcharges from incorrect tariff applications or unexpected rate hikes.
Proactive contract management: Utility Bureaus monitor contract terms with suppliers, ensuring that businesses are not subject to sudden price increases or penalties. By managing these contracts, they prevent unexpected charges and ensure compliance with the agreed-upon conditions.
Smart meter integration: Smart meters provide real-time data about energy consumption, allowing for more precise billing. This technology helps Utility Bureaus ensure that billing is always based on actual usage, reducing discrepancies and errors.
These technologies, along with the Bureau’s expert analysis, enable businesses to enjoy accurate, transparent, and reliable energy bills. By leveraging the latest in energy management technology, Utility Bureaus not only ensure accurate billing but also help businesses improve financial planning, reduce costs, and achieve sustainability goals.
Identifying and recovering costs from energy and water invoicing errors is essential for maintaining an efficient utility portfolio. We've put together a straightforward guide to the process, which helps businesses uncover billing discrepancies and secure refunds or savings.
Our market leading invoice validation team meticulously analyse your utility invoices to identify billing errors and anomalies, and take corrective action with the supplier through to resolution.
Article by Katie Jeffrey
Head of Bureau, Utility Management
Katie brings to Optimised a wealth of experience within the energy industry, having worked in the utilities consultancy space for over seven years. Her specific strengths relate to Bureau and Procurement services, including invoice validation, query management and the handling of fixed and flexible supply contracts. Katie demonstrates exceptional relationship management skills with both our clients, suppliers and leading our team of Bureau Analysts and Administrators.
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