UTILITY BILL AUDIT

• US 20120317004A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hunt Energy IQ LP
• Original Assignee: Hunt Energy IQ LP
• Inventors: BURKE, ROBERT JAMES, Bennett, John Preston, Sangal, Prateek, Echeverria, Jose Alejandro Barahona
• Application Number:
  US13/155,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317004A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A system, computer-implemented method, and a computer program product are provided for a utility bill audit. Measured data is input from meters. Utility provider information is input. The utility provider information includes utility provider sub-costs and utility provider variables. System data is generated based on the measured data. The system data includes system sub-costs and system variables. If a utility provider sub-cost differs from a corresponding system sub-cost by more than a selected sub-cost error threshold, whether a utility provider variable differs from a corresponding system variable by more than a selected variable error threshold is determined. A user interface outputs a notice regarding whether utility provider information differs from corresponding system data.

Claims

1. A computer program product for a utility bill audit, the computer program product including:

a computer readable storage medium storing computer executable program code that, when executed by a processor, causes the computer executable program code to perform a method including the steps of;

inputting measured data from a plurality of meters;

inputting utility provider information including a utility provider cost, a plurality of utility provider sub-costs, a plurality of utility provider coefficients, and a plurality of utility provider variables;

calculating system data based on the measured data, wherein the system data includes a system cost, a plurality of system sub-costs, a plurality of system coefficients, and a plurality of system variables;

determining whether the utility provider cost differs from the system cost by more than a cost error threshold;

determining whether a utility provider sub-cost differs from a corresponding system sub-cost by more than a selected sub-cost error threshold in response to a determination that the utility provider cost differs from the system cost by more than the cost error threshold;

determining whether a utility provider coefficient differs from a corresponding system coefficient by more than a selected coefficient error threshold in response to a determination that the utility provider sub-cost differs from the corresponding system sub-cost by more than the selected sub-cost error threshold;

recalculating system data based on the measured data and the utility provider coefficient in response to a determination that the utility provider coefficient differs from the corresponding system coefficient by more than the selected coefficient error threshold, wherein the regenerated system data includes a regenerated system cost, a plurality of regenerated system sub-costs, a subset of the system coefficients, and the plurality of system variables;

determining whether the utility provider cost differs from the regenerated system cost by more than the cost error threshold;

determining whether the utility provider sub-cost differs from a corresponding regenerated system sub-cost by more than the selected sub-cost error threshold in response to a determination that the utility provider cost differs from the regenerated system cost by more than the cost error threshold;

determining whether a utility provider variable differs from a corresponding system variable by more than a selected variable error threshold in response to a determination that the utility provider sub-cost differs from the corresponding regenerated system sub-cost by more than the selected sub-cost error threshold; and

outputting, via the user interface, a notice regarding whether utility provider information differs from corresponding system data.

2. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the utility provider sub-costs includes one of a penalty and a rebate.

3. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein a system coefficient combined with a system variable includes a billable demand.

4. A computer-implemented method for a utility bill audit, the method including the steps of:

inputting, to a computer program stored in a memory and executed by a computer, measured data from a plurality of meters;

inputting, to the computer program, utility provider information that includes a plurality of utility provider sub-costs and a plurality of utility provider coefficients;

generating, by the computer program, system data based on the measured data, wherein the system data includes a plurality of system sub-costs and a plurality of system coefficients;

determining, by the computer program, whether a utility provider sub-cost differs from a corresponding system sub-cost by more than a selected sub-cost error threshold;

determining, by the computer program, whether a utility provider coefficient differs from a corresponding system coefficient by more than a selected coefficient error threshold in response to a determination that the utility provider sub-cost differs from the corresponding system sub-cost by more than the selected sub-cost error threshold;

regenerating, by the computer program, system data based on the measured data and the utility provider coefficient determined to differ from the corresponding system coefficient, wherein the regenerated system data includes a plurality of regenerated system sub-costs;

determining, by the computer program, whether the utility provider sub-cost differs from a corresponding regenerated system sub-cost by more than a selected sub-cost error threshold; and

outputting, by the computer program via a user interface, a notice regarding whether utility provider information differs from corresponding regenerated system data.

5. A computer-implemented method as in claim 4, wherein at least one of the utility provider coefficients and the corresponding system coefficients includes one of kilowatt-hour price, billable demand price, energy cost, and demand cost.

6. A computer-implemented method as in claim 4, further including outputting, by the computer program via the user interface, a notice that specifies whether the utility provider coefficient differs from the corresponding system coefficient by more than the selected coefficient error.

7. A computer-implemented method as in claim 4, wherein inputting the utility provider information includes scanning a hard copy of a utility bill to create a soft copy of the utility bill and extracting the utility provider information from the soft copy of the utility bill.

8. A computer-implemented method as in claim 4, wherein inputting the utility provider information includes receiving a soft copy document of a utility bill and extracting the utility provider information from the soft copy document of the utility bill.

9. A computer-implemented method as in claim 4, wherein inputting the utility provider information includes accessing a portal to retrieve a soft copy of the utility bill and extracting the utility provider information from the soft copy of the utility bill.

10. A computer-implemented method as in claim 4, wherein inputting the utility provider information includes retrieving a spreadsheet of the utility bill and extracting the utility provider information from the spreadsheet of the utility bill.

13. A system as in claim 10, wherein the utility provider information further includes a plurality of utility provider coefficients, wherein the system data further includes a plurality of corresponding system coefficients, and

wherein the computer program is further executable to:

determine whether a utility provider coefficient differs from a corresponding system coefficient by more than a selected coefficient error threshold.

14. A system as in claim 13, wherein the computer program is executable to determine whether a utility provider coefficient differs from a corresponding system coefficient in response to a prior determination that a utility provider sub-cost differs from a system sub-cost.

15. A system as in claim 14, wherein the computer program is further executable to output, via the user interface, a notice regarding whether any utility provider coefficient differs from a corresponding system coefficient.

16. A system as in claim 10, wherein the computer program is executable to determine whether a utility provider variable differs from a corresponding system variable in response to a prior determination that a utility provider sub-cost differs from a corresponding system sub-cost.

17. A system as in claim 10, wherein the notice identifies which utility provider information differs from its corresponding system data and by how much.

18. A system as in claim 10, wherein the system data further includes a decomposition tree.

19. A system as in claim 10, wherein at least one of the utility provider variables and the corresponding system variables is measured by one of kilowatt-hours, kilowatts, kilovolt-ampere reactive, kilovolt-ampere reactive hours, and power factor.

20. A system as in claim 10, wherein the computer program further outputs a recommendation to evaluate variable values during at least one of base times, intermediate times, sub-peak times, and peak times.

11. A system for a utility bill audit, the system including:

a computer;

a memory;

a user interface; and

a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the computer to;

input measured data from a plurality of meters,

input utility provider information including a plurality of utility provider sub-costs and a plurality of utility provider variables,

generate system data based on the measured data, wherein the system data includes a plurality of system sub-costs and a plurality of system variables,

determine whether a utility provider sub-cost differs from a corresponding system sub-cost by more than a selected sub-cost error threshold,

determine whether a utility provider variable differs from a corresponding system variable by more than a selected variable error threshold, and

output, via the user interface, a notice regarding whether utility provider information differs from corresponding system data.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein the utility provider information further includes a utility provider equation and the system data further includes a corresponding system equation, the computer program executable to determine whether the utility provider equation differs from the corresponding system equation.