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The 3 Most Common Utility Bill Errors

by | Mar 18, 2016 | Uncategorized

No business can be too careful when it comes to managing overhead costs… especially when those costs relate to utility expenses. There are upwards of 100+  factors that affect utility billsand some industry estimates and studies report that as many as 70% of businesses are being overcharged by utility companies due to any number of these factors. The three biggest culprits are: 

  1. Faulty Meter Equipment
    Unfortunately, one of the only ways to notice a faulty meter is to know how the meter used to behave. A sudden increase or decrease in usage reflected on your bill with no external factors to attribute it to are a good indication of your meter not working properly. Even if the bill is your favor, be sure to have the faulty meter replaced immediately in order to avoid being charged a very large lump sum in the future.  Conversely, if you’ve been overpaying, the utility company is required to give you a refund. is if you receive a utility bill that is much higher or much lower than what you’ve come to expect. Unfortunately, in either case, both parties must accept the results.


  2. Incorrect Rate Class
    A rate class is designed to categorize users by the amount of energy they use. If you are in a “small use” rate class, but use a lot of energy, then you’ll be paying much more than necessary. It is not the responsibility of the utility company to place their customers in the appropriate rate class, and therefore, they often do not bother to check. 
    In order to determine if you are in the right rate class, you will want to reach out to Utility Bill Experts who deal with these issues on a daily basis. Applied Utility Auditors works on a contingency basis, so it costs nothing to determine if you are being overcharged.

  3. Bundled Rates
    Never give an energy supplier a reason to estimate your rates. If you are lumped in with a number of other businesses, especially if those other businesses are less energy efficient, there is a good chance that you are being overcharged. Suppliers are certainly not known for estimating low.

    If your energy supplier doesn’t use smart meters for tracking individual customer usage, you may be permitted to submit your own meter readings. Contact a Utility Bill Auditor to assess the situation and possibly secure you a refund from your energy supplier.

    Applied Utility Auditors works on a contingency basis, so it costs nothing to determine if you are being overcharged.

    Contact Paul Steberger of Applied Utility Auditors Today to Discuss your Utility Bill  Concerns.  (877) 209-0021


Just Before Christmas: Iranian Hackers Infiltrated Computers Controlling New York Dam

by | Mar 16, 2016 | Uncategorized

Reprinted from the Huffington Post, Article by Doina Chiacu
 

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Iranian hackers breached the control system of a dam near New York City in 2013, an infiltration that raised concerns about the security of the country’s infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing former and current U.S. officials.
Two people familiar with the breach told the newspaper it occurred at the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye, New York. The small structure about 20 miles from New York City is used for flood control.
The hackers gained access to the dam through a cellular modem, the Journal said, citing an unclassified Department of Homeland Security summary of the incident that did not specify the type of infrastructure.

The dam is a 20-foot-tall concrete slab across Blind Brook, about five miles from Long Island Sound.
“It’s very, very small,” Rye City Manager Marcus Serrano told the newspaper. He said FBI agents visited in 2013 to ask the city’s information-technology manager about a hacking incident.
The dam breach was difficult to pin down, and federal investigators at first thought the target was a much larger dam in Oregon, the Journal said.

The breach came as hackers linked to the Iranian government were attacking U.S. bank websites after American spies damaged an Iranian nuclear facility with the Stuxnet computer worm.
It illustrated concerns about many of the old computers controlling industrial systems, and the White House was notified of the infiltration, the Journal said.

The newspaper said the United States had more than 57,000 industrial control systems connected to the Internet, citing Shodan, a search engine that catalogs each machine.
Homeland Security spokesman S.Y. Lee would not confirm the breach to Reuters. He said the department’s 24-hour cybersecurity information-sharing hub and an emergency response team coordinate responses to threats to and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.