PES Was Listed As The 3rd Fastest Growing Private Company In Silicon Valley By The San Jose Business Journal
Fequently Asked Quesitons (FAQ's)
Q:Why would we need a review of our utility bills? A:You need a review to verify the accuracy of past charges, to study all options available and to assess your pricing in the market. Beyond finding errors it is nearly impossible to recover past overcharges without an experienced auditor. That's because most major utilities and telecom vendors have created massive bureaucracies which do little except to cause frustration in trying to deal with them. Our experienced staff gets past the layers and to the decision makers who can authorize payment. We are well known to most utilities across the nation and they know that we only present well researched, documented claims.
Q:How can an audit reduce my costs? A:Most vendors have options available to you, but do not offer them unless you specifically request them. It's like checking into a hotel and asking the price. They may say its $150 per night. That may be the rack rate. You could accept it or you could ask "Is there a AAA discount?" "Yes, that reduces your cost to $135". You could continue to ask "Is there a business rate?" "Yes, that reduces your cost to $120". And so it goes. If you don't know what to ask for, you don't get it. Only with utilities, you also need to know how big the room is. In the regulated markets, we can analyze all your options. In the deregulated markets, we know what to ask to get you the best pricing. And because we see so many contracts, we know just how good the good deals are.
Lastly, any change in operational characteristics affecting usage patterns, tariff changes by the vendors or changes in the regulatory process can affect your cost and are compelling reasons to have an on-going review.
Q:How do you know the best option for me? A:Using our proprietary software to predict load profiles from your usage and operating characteristics, we can accurately project costs under various scenarios. We will not only identify savings, but we will also probe for misapplied or miscalculated taxes and credits, meter read errors and misapplication of account classification. Since 1988 we have continuously improved our methods of auditing to insure that our customers reap all financial benefits available today and in the future. There are a few off-the-shelf software packages that promise to optimize your rate plan, but almost all were originally designed for another purpose and not specifically to optimize your plan. These packages use what's called SIC based analysis. They use generalized data about your industry and base all assumptions on the industry average. This is a very gross method that could increase your costs. All of our analyses are site and customer specific.
Q:What do I need to do to get an Audit? A:It's easy and simple. After you sign the agreement, all we need is a Letter of Authorization (LOA), that we will supply and a recent utility bill for each account. The LOA will allow us to contact your utility vendors, obtain the past billing histories, and represent you. We may need other information, such as your FEIN, so that we can download information off the utility's web site.
Q:How much time should I expect to spend to perform the audit? A:Hardly any time. The process for getting started should take no more than one-hour in most cases. As our service is turnkey, we will initiate all claims and follow-up on our recommendations with the utilities. The utilities may require that you sign off for any claims and changes.
Q:When do I know the results of the audit? A:As soon as we finalize the review, we will issue a customized comprehensive report. The report will detail our findings and recommendations. It will also include the draft letters to your vendors to implement the new options. Most of our audits are completed within six weeks from the date of the agreement.
Q:How much does PES charge to perform the audit? A:Primarily, we are compensated on performance in a shared savings arrangement. A set up fee is based upon the number accounts and the number of vendors. This one time up-front fee applies to all utility bill audits collectively. In other words we will audit your electric bills, your gas, water, and sewer bills and continue monitoring those costs over the life of the agreement or just about forever, without ever charging another out-of-pocket fee again.
