Electricity Bill Analysis
Recover £20,000-£95,000 in overcharges and optimize tariff structures for ongoing savings
UK industrial electricity bills are complex, often incorrect, and rarely optimized. Most manufacturers pay thousands more than necessary due to capacity charge errors (wrong kVA assessment), reactive power penalties, incorrect tariff codes, meter multiplier mistakes, or outdated standing charges. Industrial Control Services provides expert bill analysis to identify billing errors, challenge incorrect charges, and optimize tariff structures - often recovering £20,000-£95,000 annually with zero capital expenditure required.
Free 12-Month Review: Send us your last 12 months of electricity bills (PDF or paper copies). We'll analyze them at no cost and identify potential savings before you commit to any service.
What We Analyze in Electricity Bills
Capacity Charges (£23k-£93k recovery potential)
- DNO capacity charge assessment verification
- Maximum demand vs. contracted capacity
- Historical capacity reduction opportunities
- Equipment removal impact on capacity
- Load diversity calculations
- Challenge process with DNO
Reactive Power Charges (kVArh)
- Power factor analysis
- Reactive power consumption patterns
- Penalty charge calculations
- Correction system ROI analysis
- Seasonal variation assessment
- Equipment-specific kVArh sources
Tariff Structure Review
- Current tariff code verification
- Alternative tariff comparison
- Time-of-use rate optimization
- Standing charge assessment
- Contract renewal timing
- Supplier switching analysis
Billing Accuracy Verification
- Meter multiplier verification
- Reading accuracy checks
- Consumption pattern anomalies
- Meter accuracy testing
- CT ratio verification
- Historical billing error detection
Common Billing Problems We Find
Capacity charge overassessment - Paying for 1000kVA when actual maximum demand is 620kVA, costing £47,000-£93,000 per year unnecessarily
Reactive power penalties - kVArh charges adding 8-15% to bills because power factor is below 0.95 (often fixable with £10k-£25k correction equipment)
Wrong tariff code - Classified as different industry sector or load profile, paying 10-20% more than correct tariff structure
Meter multiplier errors - CT ratios or multipliers incorrectly programmed, billing 2x or 3x actual consumption (or under-billing, risking backdated charges)
Standing charges not updated - Still paying for three-phase meters that were replaced with single-phase, or obsolete charges not removed after equipment changes
Estimated readings - Months of estimated bills followed by massive "catch-up" bills, indicating meter access or reading problems
Our Bill Analysis Process
Step 1: Bill Collection & Review
Provide 12 months of electricity bills (more is better - we can analyze up to 3 years). We examine consumption patterns, billing structures, tariff codes, capacity charges, reactive power, standing charges, and meter details.
Step 2: Capacity Charge Analysis
We calculate your actual maximum demand over the analysis period and compare it to what you're being charged for. If there's a significant difference (typically >15%), we prepare a case to challenge the DNO assessment. Recent recoveries: £23,000 to £93,000 per year.
Step 3: Tariff Optimization
We model your consumption against alternative tariff structures to identify if you're on the optimal rate. Many manufacturers are on "default" industrial tariffs when sector-specific or load-profile tariffs would be cheaper.
Step 4: Error Identification
Systematic check for meter multiplier errors, incorrect CT ratios, wrong phase configurations, and billing calculation mistakes. These errors are more common than you'd think.
Step 5: Recommendations Report
Written report with findings, quantified savings for each issue, and action plan. We categorize issues as: immediate corrections (billing errors), DNO challenges (capacity charges), or equipment investments (power factor correction).
Typical Savings We Identify
Immediate Corrections (No Cost)
- Capacity charge reductions: Challenge DNO assessment based on actual demand data (£23k-£93k/year)
- Billing errors: Incorrect meter multipliers, wrong tariff codes, duplicate charges (£5k-£30k/year)
- Standing charge corrections: Remove obsolete charges, correct meter categories (£2k-£8k/year)
- Tariff optimization: Switch to more appropriate rate structure (5-15% reduction)
Equipment Investments (1-2 Year Payback)
- Power factor correction: Eliminate reactive power charges (£8k-£25k/year savings, £12k-£30k investment)
- Sub-metering: Identify waste sources for targeted improvements (enables 16-28% overall reduction)
- Load management: Time-shift operations to lower-rate periods where possible
What Makes Our Bill Analysis Different
- Free initial review - No cost to send us bills and get initial findings
- Industrial expertise - We understand manufacturing loads, not just spreadsheets
- Capacity charge specialists - Successfully challenged numerous DNO assessments (£23k-£93k recoveries)
- Implementation support - We help challenge DNOs, correct errors, and optimize tariffs
- Validation capability - Can install monitoring to verify actual demand and justify challenges
- No win, no fee option available - For capacity charge challenges, we can work on success-based pricing
Real-World Example: Building Products Manufacturer
A Staffordshire building products manufacturer paying £280,000 annually sent us 18 months of bills. Within two days, we identified they were being charged for 850kVA capacity when their maximum demand over the entire period never exceeded 510kVA. We prepared load data showing their actual demand pattern and challenged the DNO assessment. The DNO agreed to reduce the capacity charge to 550kVA (allowing 40kVA headroom) - saving £67,000 per year going forward, plus a £54,000 refund for 12 months of overcharges. We also found they were paying reactive power penalties averaging £1,200/month. A power factor correction system (£16,500 installed) eliminated these charges, saving £14,400/year with a 14-month payback. Additionally, their tariff structure was outdated - switching to a sector-specific industrial rate saved another £8,000 annually. Total first-year benefit: £143,400. Ongoing annual savings: £89,400. Zero production disruption. Bill analysis cost: £2,500. ROI: 57:1.
Information We Need For Analysis
- 12-36 months of electricity bills (PDF or paper copies)
- Supply details (voltage, phase configuration, meter MPAN)
- Facility information (industry sector, shift patterns, major equipment)
- Any known operational changes (equipment added/removed, production changes)
- Previous capacity assessments or demand data (if available)
- Current power factor correction equipment details (if installed)
Most of this is on your bills - we can work with what you have.
What You Receive
- Comprehensive bill analysis report (15-25 pages)
- Capacity charge assessment vs. actual demand data
- Tariff comparison spreadsheet
- Quantified savings for each identified issue (£/year)
- Priority action plan (immediate vs. capital projects)
- DNO challenge documentation (if applicable)
- Power factor correction ROI calculations
- Supplier switching recommendations (if appropriate)
- Implementation support for challenging charges
Stop Overpaying For Electricity
Send us your last 12 months of bills for a free initial analysis. Most manufacturers have recoverable overcharges.