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Forest Service units may be paying too

much for utility services.
You can get copies of your utility bills
and review them.
Changes can probably save money.
Figure 1Surprisingly, this utility bill was sent to the district rather than the National
Finance Center. Utility bills may be confusing. On this bill, the Usage History section
reveals that in the last year electricity was used for just 1 month. If you dont understand
the bill, call the utility company for an explanation. It would be smart to check whether the
guard cabin was actually in use that month and whether electric service can be discontinued.
Account No Service Location Cycle Service Description Usage From To
Meter Prev Read Pres Read Mult KWH UsedActual Demand Bill Demand P.F. Rate
Account Number
Amount Due
Due Date
Enter Amount Paid
Technology & Development
Program
United States Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
M
M
any Forest Service units may be
paying for electricity and other
utility services they dont use.
The utility bills (figure 1) help you spot errors
and tell you a lot about whats happening
inside your buildings and how energy is used
at your unit.
Unfortunately, its not easy to obtain
copies of utility bills. Most utility companies
send bills to the National Finance Center
(NFC). The forest, district, or research station
never knows how much energy is used,
where the energy is used, the rate structure,
or whether the Forest Service still owns the
property. This tech tip explains how to get
copies of utility bills and what to look for
once you have them.
For additional information, contact: Kathleen Snodgrass, project leader; USDA Forest Service, MTDC; 5785 Hwy. 10 West; Missoula,
MT 598089361. Phone: 4063293922; fax: 4063293719; e-mail: ksnodgrass@fs.fed.us
Reviewing Utility Bills Can Help Save Money
Lexie Carroll, Facilities Engineer, and Kathleen Snodgrass, Project Leader
March 2008
7300 08732303MTDC
Facilities
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Figure 2The meter number for this electric meter (10846083) is
printed in white on a black background near the bottom of the meter.
What Utility Bills Can Tell You
You may be billed for services at property that you
dont own. Check each account to verify that the Forest
Service still owns or leases the property. Property
may have been sold or transferred to another owner,
but the Forest Service may still be paying the utility
bills. Inform the current owner or lessee of the billing
problem. Work with the utility company, your units
budget person, and the NFC to correct the erroneous
billing information. In some cases, you may be eligible
for reimbursement for erroneous past payments.
You may be paying utility bills for a concessionaire.
Review agreements for concessionaire-operated
facilities to verify who is responsible for paying utility
bills. Sometimes the Forest Service agrees to pay for
utilities during a recreation construction project, but
the concessionaire is responsible for paying the utility
bills after construction is complete. The paperwork
transferring responsibility for payment may never have
been completed. If this has occurred, work with the
employee who is the liaison with the concessionaire to
get the billing information corrected.
You may be billed at a higher rate than necessary.
Make sure that your rates are appropriate both for the
total amount and peak amount of energy (electricity,
natural gas, and so forth) being used. To determine
whether your rates are appropriate, review billing
records for an entire year at each year-round site and
for the full season at seasonal sites. For example,
commercial rates are inappropriate for trailer
pads, bunkhouses, and guard stations. Host sites in
campgrounds may qualify for residential rates.
If the rate structure appears to be inappropriate,
discuss the total use, peak use, and type of facility
with the utility company to determine the best rate
structure. Most Forest Service sites have only one
meter for the entire site. In some cases, utility rates
are determined by the amount of service provided.
If this rate structure appears to be causing higher
bills, it may be worthwhile to work with the utility
company to install meters for individual buildings
or for zones within the site.
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Getting Copies of Utility Bills

To get started, you will need a list of all the companies
providing utility services, your account numbers, site or
building addresses, and meter numbers (figure 2). Support
services supervisors usually have the account numbers and
addresses for their unit. If your unit no longer has a support
services supervisor, try asking the unit budget person, who
should be able to tell you which accounts are associated
with which locations. If you have account numbers and
meter numbers, but are unsure which buildings go with
which numbers, you may have to visit the site and find
the meter. Most facilities engineers keep site plans on file
with information that can help you narrow your search.
Maintenance people and most facilities engineers are
familiar with the locations of meters.
Armed with the account numbers, addresses, and meter
numbers, you can contact the utility company for bills, rate
structures, and information about energy use. Some utility
companies maintain Web sites that allow you to use your
account numbers to view the past several years usage and billing
history. If the information isnt available online, you may need to
visit the utility company or contact the company for information.
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Figure 3If the dials on a gas meter havent moved in months or
years, theres no reason to continue paying meter charges. The meter
number (247185) and the utility company name (Northwestern
Energy) are difficult to read because they are embossed on a plate
below the meters dials.
Meter number
Large energy users often are required to pay
demand charges. The Forest Service has reduced its
presence at many sites, which has reduced energy
use. If you find demand charges on utility bills,
check the minimum service size for which demand
charges are required. If the energy use at the site has
shrunk below the minimum, work with the utility
company to have demand charges discontinued.
Check for three-phase power charges. Some utility
companies charge more for three-phase than single-
phase power. At some sites, three-phase power could
easily be converted to single phase. At other sites,
conversion would be expensive. If you convert to single
phase, take the opportunity to replace old three-phase
equipment and fixtures with more energy efficient and
environmentally friendly new equipment and fixtures.
You may be billed for a meter even though no
electricity, gas, or water is being used. Verify that
electricity, gas, and water are still required or used
at each site. If the electricity, gas, or water has been
disabled or removed, make sure the Forest Service isnt
paying a monthly charge for the meter. If electricity, gas
(figure 3), or water is no longer needed at the site, work
with the utility company to disconnect the meter and stop
the associated monthly charges. In some cases, electricity
transformers can also be removed, eliminating the
transformer lease payment, if any. If electricity, gas, or
water may be needed in the future, work with the utility
company to determine whether it would be cost effective
to have the service disconnected. In most cases, utility
services can be reconnected later for a small fee.
You may be heating buildings that are temporarily
closed. For example, several thousand dollars can be
wasted heating a building that is closed for the winter.
Be sure that each building has been properly winterized
before shutting off the heat. If a building cant be
completely winterized, turn the heat down and work
with your facilities engineer to modify the building so
the heat can be completely turned off next winter.
Your bill may not be accurate. Review utility bills for
invoice accuracy, redundant billing charges, tariffs, and
surcharges. Mistakes do happen.
You may be billed at business rather than
government rates. Some utility companies have lower

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rates for government or tax-exempt entities. Some States
require utility companies to charge taxes to business
and private customers that they are not supposed to
charge government customers. Often, the initial rate
that the contractor paid during construction has not
been changed to the government rate. If your utility
provider has lower government rates or your State has
tax exemptions, check to make sure that the bill shows
tax-exempt or government status. This also may apply to
facilities leased by the government.
You may be eligible for rebates. If you are planning
or have completed any energy upgrades such as light
fixture replacements or water heater insulation, check to
see whether your utility provider offers rebates. For more
information on State, local, utility, and Federal incentives
that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency,
go to the online Database for State Incentives for
Renewables and Efficiency at http://www.dsireusa.org.
Your review of utility bills may save thousands of dollars
each year. It will be well worth your time and effort.
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The Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has developed this information for the guidance of its employees, its contractors, and its cooperating Federal and State agencies, and is
not responsible for the interpretation or use of this information by anyone except its own employees. The use of trade, frm, or corporation names in this document is for the information and convenience of the
reader, and does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial
status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individuals income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited
bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDAs TARGET Center at
(202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To fle a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Offce of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272
(voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Library Card
Carroll, Lexie; Snodgrass, Kathleen. 2008. Reviewing utility bills can help save money. Tech Tip 08732303MTDC.
Missoula, MT: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Missoula Technology and Development Center. 4 p.
Many Forest Service units may be paying for electricity and other utility services they are not using. Reviewing your
utility bills and making some changes may save thousands of dollars each year. This tech tip explains how to get copies of
utility bills and what to look for once you have them.
Keywords: electricity, energy, facilities, heat, meters, natural gas, power, public utilities, water
Additional single copies of this document may be ordered
from:
USDA Forest Service
Missoula Technology and Development Center
5785 Hwy. 10 West
Missoula, MT 598089361
Phone: 4063293978
Fax: 4063293719
E-mail: wo_mtdc_pubs@fs.fed.us
Electronic copies of MTDCs documents are available on
the Internet at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/t-d.php
For additional information about reducing utility bills,
contact Kathleen Snodgrass at MTDC:
Phone: (406) 3293922
Fax: 4063293719
E-mail: ksnodgrass@fs.fed.us
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
employees can search a more complete collection of
MTDCs documents, CDs, DVDs, and videos on their
internal computer networks at:
http://fsweb.mtdc.wo.fs.fed.us/search/
About the Authors
Lexie Carroll is a licensed professional engineer and is a certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) professional. She is a facilities engineer for the Bighorn National Forest in the Rocky Mountain Region and also
assists the Rocky Mountain Region Sustainable Operations Coordinator. Lexie received a bachelor of science degree in
architectural engineering from the University of Wyoming in 1992.
Kathleen Snodgrass came to MTDC as a project leader in 2001. She received a bachelor of science degree in
architectural studies from Washington State University in 1974 and spent 10 years in highway design and construction
with the Idaho Division of Highways. She began her career with the Forest Service in 1984. Kathleen worked in facilities,
landscape architecture, land line, and general engineering on the Nez Perce National Forest for 10 years, and was the forests
facilities architect for 7 years before coming to MTDC.
Acknowledgments
Anna Jones-Crabtree (Rocky Mountain Regional Office), Mark Libby (Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest), Laurie
Yeager (San Juan National Forest), and Steve Oravetz (Northern Regional Office) provided valuable information for this tech tip.