Industry
Recycling
Challenge
Upstate Shredding was unknowingly paying sales tax across multiple utility accounts, despite being eligible for tax exemption—quietly inflating energy costs year after year.
Results
NextEra Advisors identified and corrected the tax error, securing over $154K in refunds and eliminating ongoing billing issues across 20 utility accounts.
Product
Utility Bill Review
"By aligning with NextEra Advisors, we received far more than just an energy contract. Thanks to their expertise and thorough review process, they discovered the sales tax issue, and within a few short months, a rebate check was delivered. NextEra Advisors truly is an extension of our team, allowing us to focus on our core business."
Challenge
When Upstate Shredding signed as a client with Usource, as part of standard practice, the NextEra Advisors energy advisor reviewed Upstate Shredding’s current and most recent utility bills for any errors. It was during this utility bill audit that the energy advisor discovered that Upstate Shredding was being charged for sales tax on twenty separate accounts across five different utilities, when it should have been tax exempt.
Solution
This initial discovery prompted the further review of years’ worth of utility bills as well as multiple on-site electric usage auditing to distinguish between all tax-exempt usage from non-exempt usage. Upon completion of the energy audit, NextEra Advisors found that nearly all of Upstate Shredding’s utility accounts should have been tax-exempt, and that sales tax charges dated back several years. With these charges identified, the team gathered the necessary information on behalf of the client in order to submit the tax refund request to the state.
Results
NextEra Advisors' standard utility bill auditing process ultimately saved the client a significant amount of money; Upstate Shredding received a check for over $154,000 from the state of New York. Aside from NextEra Advisors' procurement services, the team identified and corrected an ongoing billing error which cost the company thousands of dollars each year. Today, NextEra Advisors continue to monitor utility and supplier bills to ensure no errors have occurred.
