Most electricity invoices get the same treatment: a glance at the total, a note of whether it looks roughly right, and a move on to the next task. Most of the time, that's a missed opportunity to catch something worth catching.
A handful of specific things, checked deliberately, cover most of what's actually worth looking for.
Unit rates
Check the rate charged actually matches the rate contracted, for every time band that applies. Rates occasionally get applied incorrectly at renewal, especially across multi-rate or multi-site contracts - a mismatch here is one of the more common, and more fixable, billing errors.
Standing charges
A daily or monthly fixed charge, independent of consumption. Worth comparing against what was actually agreed, and worth being suspicious of any unexplained jump between invoices - a standing charge shouldn't move without a clear, stated reason.
Capacity
If a capacity or kVA charge appears, check it against what was actually agreed for the site, and check whether any excess or breach charges have been applied. An unexpected capacity charge, or a breach charge that keeps recurring, is worth investigating rather than simply paying.
Reactive power
A charge that appears when a site draws power inefficiently relative to its real, useful load - often addressable with power factor correction equipment. If it's a recurring, material line on a bill, it's usually a genuine, fixable inefficiency rather than an unavoidable cost.
Pass-through costs
Network charges, policy costs and similar items that a supplier passes through largely unchanged from what they themselves are charged. These aren't usually negotiable with the supplier directly, but they should still be checked - they can be applied incorrectly, and they're not something to simply assume are always right because they sound official.
Missing discounts
Exemptions, reliefs and discounts a site is genuinely entitled to don't apply themselves automatically just because a business technically qualifies - they usually need to be actively registered and evidenced. A bill with no sign of an exemption a site should reasonably have is worth querying, not assuming has already been sorted.
Billing anomalies
Estimated reads standing in for actual readings for extended periods, a sudden and unexplained change in consumption pattern, or a charge appearing that's never shown up before are all worth a second look. None of them are necessarily wrong - but none of them should be waved through without checking either.
What this doesn't mean
Not every unusual-looking line is an error, and not every pound identified is worth the time spent chasing it. Some charges genuinely are what they say they are, correctly calculated, and simply need to be accepted and priced in properly next time round. The value of checking isn't finding a problem on every bill - it's knowing which of the bill's own lines are actually worth a closer look, and which ones aren't.
A bill review doesn't need to be a forensic audit every month - it needs to know where to look. If you want a second set of eyes on what you're actually being charged, get in touch.