The utility bill at a commercial property has inexplicably doubled.?
I have some experience with these types of issues. First, as a commercial real estate professional I've run into multiple issues regarding increased utility usage. Second, prior to entering CRE I was a customer service manager at a municipal utility in an all commercial city in So Cal. Start by verifying the meter was read correctly. Call the utility, if you haven't already done so and ask them to check the meter read because the bill is grossly larger than normal. If the meter was read correctly then do a visible inspection by walking around the property and inspecting it closely. Look for wet or moist areas. Inspect both the exterior and interior areas of the property. Include in you inspection the box where the meter attaches to your service. This often is an undetected leak area. If nothing is found then you should ask the utility if they have a conservation analyst available to meet with you to try and solve the issue. If they don't then you'll need to bring in a professional to help you diagnose the problem. If you have security tapes and they monitor the spigots then review them for any hours the property sits vacant to ensure you're not the victim of utility theft. Yes, believe or not this does occur.