Savings Finder¶

The Savings Finder compares your current utility rate against every available alternative tariff to surface savings opportunities. It works at both the per-property and portfolio-wide level.

How It Works¶

The savings engine follows this process:

1. Gather usage profile -- Collects monthly kWh consumption, peak demand (kW), and time-of-use patterns from the property's bill history.
2. Identify available tariffs -- Looks up all tariffs offered by the property's serving utility that match the customer class (commercial, industrial, etc.).
3. Simulate annual cost -- For each candidate tariff, calculates the estimated annual cost by applying the tariff's rate structure to the property's actual usage profile.
4. Rank and recommend -- Sorts candidates by potential savings and flags any eligibility restrictions (minimum demand, voltage requirements, etc.).

Per-Property Analysis¶

Running an Analysis¶

curl -X POST https://api.meterbase.io/api/savings/analyze \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"property_id": 1}'

Understanding Results¶

Each recommendation includes:

Example output:

{
  "current_tariff": "TOU-GS-2-B",
  "current_annual_cost": 57930.00,
  "data_months": 12,
  "confidence": "high",
  "recommendations": [
    {
      "tariff_name": "TOU-GS-2-D",
      "estimated_annual_cost": 52140.00,
      "annual_savings": 5790.00,
      "savings_percent": 10.0,
      "confidence": "high",
      "eligibility": "Demand must be under 200 kW. Your peak demand: 67 kW.",
      "key_differences": "Lower summer demand charges ($11.50 vs $15.00/kW)"
    }
  ]
}

Portfolio-Wide Analysis¶

Run savings analysis across every property in a portfolio in a single call:

curl -X POST https://api.meterbase.io/api/savings/portfolio-analyze \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"portfolio_id": 1}'

Portfolio analysis returns:

• Total portfolio savings potential -- Sum of savings across all properties
• Per-property breakdown -- Best recommendation for each property
• Properties with no savings -- Properties already on the optimal tariff
• Properties with insufficient data -- Properties that need more bill history

Savings Opportunity Details¶

Click into any recommendation to see the full comparison:

Side-by-Side Rate Comparison¶

Monthly Cost Projection¶

A chart showing estimated monthly cost under both the current and recommended tariff, using your actual usage profile.

Payback and ROI¶

For tariffs that require equipment changes (e.g., time-of-use rates that benefit from load shifting), MeterBase estimates:

• Upfront cost (if applicable)
• Monthly savings
• Payback period
• 3-year and 5-year ROI

Taking Action on Recommendations¶

Once you identify a savings opportunity:

1. Verify eligibility -- Review the eligibility notes. Some tariffs have demand minimums, voltage requirements, or application deadlines.
2. Contact your utility -- Most rate changes require a formal request to the utility. MeterBase provides the tariff name and utility contact information.
3. Update MeterBase -- After the rate change takes effect, update the property's current tariff in MeterBase so future analyses reflect the new rate.
4. Track actual savings -- Compare subsequent bills against the baseline to measure actual savings achieved.

Re-Running Analysis¶

Savings analysis should be re-run when:

• New bill data is uploaded (particularly if it changes the usage profile)
• Utility tariff rates are updated (MeterBase refreshes tariff data periodically)
• The property's current tariff changes
• Significant operational changes occur (e.g., adding EV chargers, solar panels)

MeterBase automatically flags properties where the analysis may be stale (older than 90 days or based on outdated tariff data).