Audit every store's utility bill, not a sample
Hundreds of stores, dozens of utilities, one bill stream checked line by line against the tariff.
Who we serve
National and regional retailers with 50 to 2,000 stores whose utility bills are paid through AP or a bill-pay vendor with no rate audit.
- commercial accounts with a recoverable error
- 1 in 9commercial accounts with a recoverable error
- from bill access to first findings report
- 21 daysfrom bill access to first findings report
- of filed claims accepted in full or in part
- 94%of filed claims accepted in full or in part
- upfront cost on the Recovery Audit plan
- $0upfront cost on the Recovery Audit plan
Where the money leaks
Bills arrive from dozens of utilities
Each store may be served by a different utility, on a different schedule, in a different regulatory regime. Nobody on the finance team can check them all against a tariff.
Rate class drifts after remodels
A store that adds refrigeration, EV chargers or extended hours can outgrow the rate schedule it was placed on at opening. The utility rarely moves it on its own.
Closed and relocated stores keep billing
When a lease ends or a store moves, the old account can keep generating minimum charges or estimated bills for months before anyone notices.
AP pays what arrives
Approval is built around due dates and GL coding. A bill that is on time and within a normal range is paid, even when a multiplier or tax line is wrong.
What we usually find
- Wrong rate schedule
Stores that grew into a demand-metered schedule, or were placed on one they do not qualify for, after remodels and equipment adds.
- Sales tax on exempt usage
Tax billed on usage that qualifies for an exemption, or exemption certificates that lapsed and were never renewed.
- Closed and vacant site billing
Charges continuing on accounts for stores that closed, relocated or were handed back to a landlord.
- Late fees and unreturned deposits
Late fees from missed due dates and security deposits that were never released after a clean payment history.
How it runs
- 1
Connect the bill stream
We take utility EDI 810 feeds, portal access, AP exports or PDF bills for your stores. No store-level work.
- 2
Map every meter to a store
Each meter is tied to a store number, lease and GL code, so findings land in the right cost center.
- 3
Audit against the tariff
Thirty-eight checks run on every bill line, against the schedule the utility was required to apply.
- 4
File and follow the claims
We file under a letter of authorization, answer the utility's questions and track each claim until the credit or check posts.
- 5
Keep new bills right
Continuous audit flags new errors as bills arrive, so a store that drifts is caught in one cycle, not two years.
Customer story
A regional grocery chain recovers $884,000 from stores' utility bills
Read the story- $990,000
- overbilling identified across 46 claims
- $884,000
- refunds and credits received to date
- 41 of 46
- claims accepted in full or in part
Questions we get asked
No. We work from the bill stream and your property records. We may ask real estate for lease end dates, but stores are not involved.
We read the vendor's exports. Trace Global audits the bills the vendor pays; it does not replace the payment step unless you choose the Enterprise plan.
It depends on the utility and state. Back-billing and refund windows vary, which is why we start with the oldest periods still open.
Recovery Audit is 35% of refunds and credits actually received. If nothing is recovered, you pay nothing.
Find out what your utilities owe you.
Connect bills for up to 50 meters. Get the findings report in about three weeks. Pay nothing unless money comes back.
- from bill access to first findings report
- 21 daysfrom bill access to first findings report
- of filed claims accepted by the utility in full or in part
- 94%of filed claims accepted by the utility in full or in part