District of Columbia Business Energy Bill Audit Guide

The District's Public Service Commission describes competitive markets for both electricity and natural gas, with delivery provided by regulated utility companies. A business bill check should identify the actual supplier and account terms for each fuel rather than treating all District premises as one rate category.

Electricity: separate Pepco service from supply

Read the Pepco statement for the utility service class, energy quantity and supplier designation. A business on a default supply arrangement should obtain the applicable current baseline for its class; a business with a competitive supplier should retain its own agreement and price schedule. The two starting points are not interchangeable.

Ask whether the offered price includes the same generation-related components as the current rate. Capacity, transmission, losses or other items may be treated differently by commercial proposals. Preserve a written list of inclusions so the result can be explained without relying on the rate's marketing label.

Natural gas: identify both roles

For a Washington Gas account, establish which entity provides the commodity and which charges relate to delivery. Confirm the business class, program eligibility and proposed supply terms. A competitive gas quotation should state its usage and price units, separate recurring charges and any volume obligations.

If one property contains restaurant, office and residential uses, do not combine the accounts before checking who pays them and which contracts apply. Different meters may have different operating patterns or responsible parties. A single blended figure can conceal an outlying account that needs separate attention.

Build a clean account comparison

Gather twelve monthly quantities for each fuel and meter. Flag estimated reads, corrected invoices and billing-period length changes. For a premises with frequent occupancy changes, note the dates so a reviewer does not attribute every change in cost to the supplier.

Record the agreement's start/end dates and notice process. A renewal question is distinct from a billing-error question: the first requires the contract calendar, while the second requires the supporting invoice line and charge schedule. Explain the issue clearly in the initial review request.

An illustrative two-offer scenario

Imagine an office using 150,000 annual kWh with two equivalent supply prices differing by 0.5¢ per kWh. The usage-based annual difference is $750. If the offered scenario has $10 more in separate monthly fees, the modeled annual difference becomes $630 before any switching cost.

The example holds usage and prices constant and does not reduce utility delivery or demand. For a gas account, calculate separately after matching its units. No figure in this example is a District customer result or a posted supplier offer.

Check the supplier and the full agreement

Use the DCPSC's supplier resources to confirm the identity and scope of the company proposing service. Read its current rate structure, term, cancellation provisions and renewable-energy conditions as applicable. Regulatory listing does not mean a particular price is suitable or currently available for every account.

A useful conclusion is specific: which costs were compared, what the numerical difference represents and which questions remain. That is more actionable than describing an entire business invoice as overpriced without examining its components.

Use the result as a starting point

Once the current and offered components match, use the business bill checker to show the arithmetic. It holds entered prices constant, does not fetch live offers, and does not independently calculate utility demand, delivery or tariff charges. Use the optional twelve-month usage series when one month is unrepresentative.

For an account question, send your business, state, utility and the issue through the first-party review form. Keep bills and account identifiers out of the initial message; arrange document sharing after connecting. A listing in this guide is not a supplier-availability guarantee.