Utility bill audit firms compared
Ten firms that audit commercial utility bills, compared on what they audit, who they mainly serve, how they are paid and what else they sell. Every entry is sourced from the firm's own public description or a public record.
How to read this comparison
Firms that audit utility bills differ in three ways that matter more than their claims: which bills they audit, which kinds of organizations they mostly serve, and what else they sell alongside the audit. A firm built around school districts and telecom will approach a steel plant differently from one built around industrial tariffs, and a bill-pay platform audits differently from a forensic auditor.
Every entry below comes from the firm's own public description or a public record, linked in the first column, as of October 31, 2026. Check current scope and terms with each firm before you decide.
Utility bill audit firms compared
| Firm | What it audits | Who it mainly serves | Fee model (published) | Also offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Energy (2000, South Jordan, Utah) | Electricity and natural gas, tariff-level | Multi-site industrial: manufacturing, chemicals, food and protein, agribusiness, steel, RNG, cold storage and logistics | Contingency, usually 15% to 50% of refunds and verified savings | Bill pay for every utility type, procurement, TaraBase reporting |
| Troy & Banks (1991, Buffalo, NY) | Electric, gas, water and sewer, telecom, street lights, cable franchise fees, waste, merchant services | Public sector first (state agencies, cities, school districts, higher education), plus healthcare, manufacturers and enterprises | Contingency; a 2015 city contract set the fee at 24% of savings | Supplier and rate review, renewable programs |
| UtiliSave (New York) | Gas, electric, steam, water and sewer | Hospitals, nursing homes, commercial and residential buildings, universities, hotels, government; a 2026 job post also lists manufacturers | Contingency; 40% of recoveries in 2016 | Usage analysis software, energy management interface |
| American Utility Consultants (1990) | Electric, gas, steam, fuel, water and sewer | Large properties, property managers, Fortune 500 companies | Contingency | Periodic re-audits |
| P3 Cost Analysts (franchise network) | Electric, gas, water and sewer, plus telecom, waste, parcel and other categories | Manufacturing and industrial, healthcare, universities, data centers, government, commercial real estate, private equity | No upfront fee; a share of savings for 12 to 60 months | Multi-category cost reduction |
| SM Engineering (1982, women-owned) | Electric, gas, water and sewer | Manufacturers and property managers | 100% contingency | Free rate analysis |
| Arcadia, including ENGIE Impact | Bill audits within a bill-pay and utility data platform | Enterprises; ENGIE Impact lists manufacturing, retail, technology, healthcare and municipalities | Platform and service fees, not published | Bill pay, utility data, procurement, sustainability advisory |
| Cost Control Associates | Bill processing and review for electricity, gas, fuel oil, water, sewer, phones, internet, waste | Fortune 500 companies, other businesses, nonprofits, healthcare, education, government | Bill management: set-up fee plus a monthly fee per account or meter | Procurement, community solar, GHG reporting |
| UMC Solutions (Flowood, MS) | Bill audit within bill pay, using EnergyCAP software | Healthcare, retail, hospitality, multifamily, manufacturing, education, banking, commercial real estate | Not published | Procurement, carbon accounting |
| Energy Tariff Experts (Boston) | Tariff optimization and bill audits | Multi-site enterprises, usually through energy consulting partners | Not published | Tariff and rate studies |
Which kind of firm fits which problem
| Your situation | Firm type that usually fits |
|---|---|
| A city, county or school district with telecom, street lights and water to review | A public-sector forensic auditor that covers every spend category |
| A real estate portfolio or hospital system in a dense urban utility | A forensic auditor with deep local tariff and water-board experience |
| Many restaurants or stores that need bills paid on time | A bill-pay platform, with an independent tariff audit behind it |
| Multi-plant industrial operations across many utilities and states | A tariff-level auditor that knows industrial rate classes, demand, gas transport and capacity tags |
| Acquisitions to integrate, or an incumbent energy manager to check | An independent auditor that can run a second-opinion audit |
Where Discovery Energy fits, and where it does not
Discovery audits electricity and natural gas only, at the tariff level, for multi-site industrial companies. It does not audit telecom, water rates, street lights or franchise fees, so organizations whose biggest exposure is there are better served by a firm that does. Discovery can run bill pay for every utility type, procurement and reporting on the same account inventory, and publishes exact refund and savings amounts for each client case.
Five questions to ask any firm
- Which bill types and which markets do you audit, and do you test every account or a sample?
- Which of your clients look like us, and what did you find for them, in dollars?
- What is your fee, on what base, for how long, and who verifies the savings?
- Do you sell energy supply or receive supplier commissions, and are they disclosed?
- Who approves each claim before it is filed, and what do we receive as evidence?
For a fuller buyer's guide, see how to choose a utility bill auditor and the utility audit RFP checklist.
Sources
- Troy & Banks home page
- Columbus, Georgia council agenda report, June 16, 2015
- Commercial Observer on UtiliSave, April 2016; UtiliSave job post, 2026
- American Utility Consultants
- P3 Cost Analysts, utility auditing
- SM Engineering
- Net Zero Compare on Arcadia and ENGIE Impact, May 2026; ENGIE Impact
- Cost Control Associates
- UMC Solutions
- Energy Tariff Experts
Frequently asked questions
What are the main types of utility bill audit firms?
Forensic auditors that recover past overcharges on contingency, multi-category cost auditors that cover utilities alongside other overhead, bill-pay platforms that audit bills before payment, and integrated firms that combine audit, bill pay and procurement.
What do utility bill audit firms charge?
Most forensic auditors work on contingency. Published examples include 24% of savings in a 2015 city contract and 40% of recoveries reported in 2016; Discovery Energy is usually paid 15% to 50% of refunds and verified savings. Bill-pay platforms usually charge set-up and per-account or per-bill fees.
Which firm is best for manufacturers?
Look for a firm whose clients and case studies are industrial, that audits every account against its tariff, and that understands demand, rate classes, gas transport and capacity charges.
Is Discovery Energy affiliated with any firm listed?
No. Discovery Energy is independent and is not affiliated with any other firm on this page.
Find out what your bills should have cost.
Send one recent bill per site, or a list of accounts. We tell you where we expect findings before you sign anything. No upfront audit fee.