Burlington, Onatrio, 31-October-2008 - The energy market is becoming increasingly complex, with an array of rate plans, time-of-use billing and new metering technologies – not to mention an ever-growing number of utilities. These factors are combining to create a perfect environment for billing errors. Errors that can account for between one and five percent of a company’s annual energy spend, according to Energy Advantage Inc., North America’s leading independent total energy management company.

While the utilities are aware of the problem and are working to reduce errors through upgraded metering technology, billing systems and internal risk management, the onus is on the company to ensure invoices are accurate.

Many, like Cineplex Entertainment LP, have opted to outsource their energy quality assurance (QA) process to third-party experts like Energy Advantage®.

“Some of our clients spend as much as $100 million a year on energy and have facilities across the country that need to be monitored,” says Jeremy Newhook, Senior Vice President Marketing, Sales & Client Services for Energy Advantage®. “Being able to outsource their QA to experts in reading and managing utility bills allows them to concentrate on their own enterprises and areas of expertise.”

To-date, Energy Advantage® has identified and reclaimed millions of dollars for its clients as a result of utility billing errors. One of only a few North American providers of energy and environmental management services to pass the Canadian government’s strict Section 5970 of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) standard, Energy Advantage® uses a proven process with three levels of quality assurance for auditing clients’ energy bills. A complete review of historical data is followed by entering each invoice line-item-by-line-item into the company’s proprietary eXceeds system. Trend analysis is performed as each invoice is entered and anomalies flagged.

Investigations into the cause of the error can include working with the utility to reconfirm billing rates, meter readings or time-of-use data, followed by reclamation of lost dollars. Should the error originate at the client’s site, Energy Advantage® works with the facility to address the problem and prevent recurrence.

“Most recently, Energy Advantage® helped us identify utility billing errors to the tune of $225,000 and worked on our behalf to reclaim that money,” says Pat Marshall, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex Entertainment. “As a public company, it is important for our unit holders to know that we are diligent in containing our costs in order to maximize their return on investment.”

About Energy Advantage Inc.

Energy Advantage Inc. provides total energy management solutions to our customers’ sustainability challenges, delivering them best results in managing their risks, reducing their costs and enhancing their reputation within the markets and communities they serve. Our company is fully independent from energy commodity and equipment suppliers. We sit with our customers on their side of the table, providing objectivity in seeking and developing the best solutions to their sustainability challenges. With a depth of expertise in the energy and energy related environmental areas, we have been providing notable North American organizations with effective energy management solutions for over 10 years.