- November 9, 2025
- 5:52 pm
What we check in a 10-minute bill screen
by Charles (Chuck) Tralka
Energy Strategy Consultant
Summary
Here’s the fastest way to spot 10–20% savings from a single utility bill. No site visit. No hardware. UtilityAPI lets us retrieve your data securely with your approval.
The 10-minute sequence
- Rate & structure (2 min): Identify tariff, on-peak windows, and demand charges ($/kW). Note ratchets, seasons, riders.
- Monthly kWh vs. kW (2 min): If demand ≥ 25–40% of charges, prioritize peak control; otherwise focus on off-hour waste/TOU shifts.
- Billing calendar (1 min): Map billing dates to schedules (holidays, extended hours).
- Load patterns by hour (2 min): If interval data is available, find spikes/time stamps (UtilityAPI often provides AMI).
- Obvious levers (2 min): HVAC starts, lighting blocks, process loads (EVSE, compressors), defrost timing, pre-cool options.
- Quick ROI calc (1 min): Demand = ∆kW × $/kW; Energy = ∆kWh × $
- All RTUs start at :00 — peak spike
- Exterior lights on too early vs. sunset
- EV charging during on-peak
- Cold storage defrost stacked in the same hour
- A one-page Action Plan: 3–5 changes with expected savings and exact schedule/setting
- A tariff-aware peak guardrail specific to your on-peak window
- Quick wins you can apply immediately
10-minute checklist
- Tariff and on-peak window identified
- Demand share of bill computed
- Interval spikes noted (or inferred from hours)
- 3–5 specific changes documented
- Simple savings math attached