Reclaim Your Association's Money
Ever hear of spending the same dollar twice?
How would you like to go back in time, get holds of money your business or association already spent and spend it again this year?
HUNDREDS OF COMPANIES AND ASSOCIATIONS ON THE WEST COAST ARE DOING IT!
Best of all – your business or association does not have to commit any of your operating budget to get this money!
While every association depends on electricity, refuse, telephones, gas and water to make its common areas functional, most associations believe that there is little they can do to lower the cost of these services. All companies rely on utilities to provide a service or create a product. Some associations or companies manage to lower utility consumption by improving conservation practices or conducting energy audits. Some associations control costs by limiting the range of common-area services they use; most pass the costs on to their homeowners. Yet MOST companies or associations simply pay their utility bills without challenge!
Few Boards of Directors or Managers understand the details that make up a company’s or associations utility expenses. Utility bills are confusing and cryptic. And they’re getting more complex, which means they are more prone to error, whether computer- system- or human-induced. If any business or association is paying more than it should for the utilities it uses, that money is coming straight out of its reserve monies or operating budget!
A utility audit can help end this waste. It’s not a classic audit where accountants scour your books looking for errors, then charge you professional fees. The utility auditor has one goal: to save you money. They make sure their customers are getting only what they’re supposed to get, in the manner they should be getting it, at the promised price and at the best price.
You can audit these utility billings yourself. It was your money taken wrongfully through overbilling and your right to get it back. You just need to know what to look for and where to look. How about a checkup of your functional knowledge of utility auditing?
- What is your electric meter MULTIPLIER?
- How many BASELINE UNITS do you have?
- Are your eligible for any SEWER SEPARATION rates?
- Are your water meters registering in CCF or GALLONS?
- Are you eligible for SPECIAL REFUSE SERVICES?
- Is your rate classification RESIDENTIAL or COMMERCIAL or INDUSTRIAL?
- What is your BILLING ZONE or your CLIMATE ZONE?
- Are you TAX EXEMPT?
If you have trouble answering these questions, why not use an expert. An expert with no auditing fees, no processing fees, and no retainer fees!
There is a BIG difference in “CPA” type of auditing and “UTILITY” auditing! The utility companies use a language of their own. If you do not know the language, understanding what they are doing or charging you is impossible. It is the utility auditor’s responsibility to understand their language and be your business or association’s interpreter – and uncover billing errors and overcharges, and obtain the least expensive utility rates for your business or association!
Utility auditing services are rendered on a contingency basis. This simply means, if your business or association receives no refunds, credits, or per unit/actual utility cost reductions, there is no fee! This is a win-win situation for any business or association. If the utility auditor finds no utility billing errors or less expensive rates, you win, knowing that all is well, and your utility billing was proper, and best of all this peace of mind will cost your business or association nothing. When the utility auditor finds utility billing errors or less expensive rates, and obtains credits, refunds, and actual utility cost reductions, your business or association wins, because these are recaptured monies that would have been lost to your business or association.
Look for the following criteria when choosing a utility auditor:
- On-site inspection of the property is a must – this is where most errors are discovered!
- Years in business – experience is invaluable!
- No cost unless credits, refunds or reduced utility costs are obtained.
- No legal costs if litigation with the utility companies or city-operated utilities becomes necessary.
- Follow-up and written correspondence of utility audit results- whether or not errors are discovered.
Now your business or association can spend the same dollar twice!