Sample watch report
Every quarter we check each bill against the tariff you are actually on, track whether your peak is drifting, and count down your contract. Three of the four reports in a year should be boring. A watch that manufactures something to say every quarter is selling you attention, not attention.
Bills checked
3 of 3
Each one recomputed from the tariff and compared to what you were charged.
Discrepancies
1
One billing error worth $214, detailed below. Already raised.
Contract ends
94 days
15 November 2026. We will start the bid at 75 days unless you say otherwise.
One · the bills
| Period | kWh | Peak kW | Charged | Expected | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 May – 29 Jun | 25,940 | 88 | $2,447 | $2,447 | Matches |
| 29 Jun – 30 Jul | 27,610 | 92 | $2,801 | $2,587 | $214 over |
| 30 Jul – 28 Aug | 28,120 | 91 | $2,624 | $2,624 | Matches |
Your July bill charged demand of 133 kW. Your meter's highest fifteen-minute interval that period was 92 kW. The 133 figure appears to be a ratchet from a peak set in a previous summer, applied to a rate schedule that does not carry a ratchet clause.
We raised it with the retailer on 6 August with the interval data attached. They have acknowledged it and a credit is expected on the next statement. We will confirm on the October bill and tell you if it does not appear.
Raised, awaiting credit Nothing for you to do
Two · your peak
Your peak has sat between 88 and 92 kW for six months, against 104 to 108 kW before the compressor start was moved in March. That change is still worth about $1,400 a year and it has not drifted back, which is the thing worth watching, because these fixes quietly undo themselves when somebody reprograms a timer.
August ran 91 kW in the hottest month of the year, which is the number that tells you the stagger is genuinely holding rather than being flattered by mild weather.
Three · the contract
| Now Nothing to do. Prices for a November start are not meaningfully quotable this far out. | 13 Aug |
| We open the bid 75 days out. Long enough to hold a quote, close enough that the price is real. | 1 Sep |
| You choose We send the replies. Most quotes hold five business days. | mid Sep |
| Signed You sign directly with whoever you pick. |
by 15 Oct |
| Current term ends | 15 Nov |
If nothing is signed by 15 November your account rolls to a month-to-month price that can move every cycle. That is the single most expensive thing that happens to facilities in this market, and it happens quietly, which is most of why this service exists.
Four · everything else
You moved to the secondary demand schedule in April. At this quarter's load factor it is still the cheaper of the two, by about $80 a month. We re-check this every quarter because the answer flips if your load factor changes materially.
No action
All three bills this quarter show the exemption. The refund claim for prior periods was filed in May and is with the Comptroller; those usually take two to four months and we will chase it if nothing lands by October.
No action Refund pending
Still comfortably above the utility's 0.90 threshold. No surcharge, and no reason to buy correction equipment.
No action
CenterPoint's filed tariff did not move. When it does, it affects your bill whoever sells you electricity, and we will tell you what it costs you rather than letting it look like your retailer raised a price.
No action
What this covers
Each bill recomputed from the utility's filed tariff and your retailer's contract, and compared line by line to what you were charged. Peak demand read from your fifteen-minute interval data. Contract dates held from your signed agreement.
When we raise a billing error we do it as your representative, under the authorization you signed, and we follow it to a credit. We do not hold your account and we cannot change anything on it: only you can switch, sign or cancel. We are registered with the Public Utility Commission as a broker, which is what Texas calls anyone who advises on choosing a retailer, and the required disclosure is short. You pay the annual fee. No retailer pays us anything, on this account or any other, whether you stay or move.
The one that is not is the one that pays for the other three. This quarter it was a $214 billing error and a contract clock. Next quarter it will probably be nothing, and we will say so in a page.