What are the average savings for your customers?

Based on a Client’s annual budget dollars, we generally recover an average of 1% to 3% of annual utility spend.   These can be hard fought recovery dollars that require a great deal of research, documentation, experience, technical knowledge and negotiation.   Price or rate savings generally ranges from 5% to 15% of utility spend.  Savings vary greatly based on the Client’s utility markets and other factors.  Consumptive savings (optimizing building software operation, correcting equipment issues and other areas) will often exceed 20%.

  

How do you document savings?

Each month the actual billing data is entered into our software platform.   We then take the actual bill data and run it through the prior rate calculation and current rate calculation.   This detail is presented to the Client on each account affected along with the difference in rates or SAVINGS.

  

How soon will my organization realize the savings?

Savings can vary based on the utility’s response to data requests. We do provide a schedule with deliverables and timing of those deliverables at the inception of the engagement. In general, you will receive your first set of savings recommendations within 30 days and they continue thereafter. 

  

Will I need your services after your initial phase of recommendations is completed?

Yes.  We continue to monitor billing for errors and rate compliance on an ongoing basis.  It is not uncommon to have errors occur on future bills. Without technology and a trained analyst, billing errors can cost your company thousands of dollars on the current bill as well as subsequent bills. Rates also continually change, customer operations change or new rates may be introduced, thus the need for continual optimization and review.  In a third party review behind internal staff, clients may wish to perform subsequent reviews annually.

  

What’s the proper order to address utility costs including operation inefficiencies? Why?

1. Optimize Rates and Recover Refunds – Stop the bleeding first and lower your rates to the most competitive levels. It’s best to optimize rates first and then evaluate capital expenditures (step 2).

2. Address Operational Inefficiencies – Using ATA Proprietary Technology and Reporting, customers are able to quickly identify inefficient facilities based on our proprietary factors.  Energy Management companies will often attempt to take credit from rate change and build that cost over a 5 to 10 year period.   Remember, evaluating capital expenditures prior to optimizing rates only helps the equipment vendor with their payback projections, not you.  Also, these companies may pursue rates that are not the most optimal but position them to sell you equipment or systems that fit the less optimal rate.  It’s critical to have an UNBIASED PARTY representing your best interests or you could spend millions of dollars needlessly.

3. Track Ongoing Data and Continue to Optimize or Address Operational Issues