Context
A Chilean retail chain operated multiple locations with high electricity consumption. Utility invoices were processed manually and validated only at the total-amount level.
The discovery
Cedalio implementation
Cedalio connected the company’s utility invoices and extracted meter, tariff, consumption, and charge-level data.
First alert
The system flagged invoices where the applied rate did not match the expected tariff.
Investigation
The finance team reviewed the supporting data and confirmed several locations had been charged incorrectly.
Expanded analysis
The review was extended across the store network to quantify the total overcharge.
The underlying problem
Electricity bill complexity
Electricity bills include demand, energy, regulated charges, taxes, and penalties. Errors are hard to detect manually.
Uncommunicated changes
Rate or category changes can appear without being clearly communicated to finance.
Complex rate schedules
Validating each concept requires structured data and current tariff rules.
The solution
Automated validation
Cedalio compared each invoice against expected tariffs and historical patterns.
Claim process
The system prepared evidence to support claims with the supplier.
Results
Financial recovery
The company recovered $42,000 USD from incorrect electricity charges.
Improved process
Utility invoices are now validated before approval and payment.
Operational visibility
Finance and operations can monitor consumption and cost by location.
Lessons learned
1. Utility invoices contain errors more often than teams expect
2. Manual verification is not enough
3. Suppliers do not always correct errors proactively
Recommendations
For multi-site companies
Validate rates and consumption by location, not only by total invoice amount.
For finance teams
Use automation to detect recurring overcharges and build claim evidence.
How much could you be overpaying on utilities?
Book a demo and Cedalio will show how automated validation works.