As part of our efforts to keep customers and stakeholders informed, here are answers to common questions about our solutions, data-gathering methods, data accuracy, and more.
Time Savings & Worker Productivity
How does RateAcuity help my organization save time?
Time is like energy—a precious asset. And investing in an electric and natural gas tariff platform significantly streamlines operations. By centralizing and automating the process of retrieving utility tariff data, you drastically reduce the hours spent on manual searches. This enhanced efficiency allows quicker responses to market shifts and regulatory changes, positioning you to take a proactive stance in managing electric and gas utility tariffs. With less time spent on manual data collection, your team focusses more on strategic decision-making, innovation, and seizing new opportunities.
How do you boost our productivity?
In the fast-paced business environment, every moment counts. Our electric and natural gas tariff platform improves employee productivity by simplifying access to critical information. Rather than sifting through complex spreadsheets or relying on outdated sources, your workers quickly obtain the tariff data they need. Freed from the burden of manual data retrieval, employees focus on more valuable tasks. The platform acts as a driver, not only for more efficient daily operations, but also for strategic initiatives that boost overall organizational performance.
How much will we save with RateAcuity versus going the DIY route?
With RateAcuity, you make decisions without the hundreds of hours of labor per year it takes to locate rate data on your own. And you save up to $30,000 – $50,000 annually in reduced labor costs.
Accuracy & Comprehensiveness
What steps do you take to ensure your data is accurate?
Our data is sourced from trusted, publicly available repositories such as government regulatory agencies and utilities. We employ strict validation processes to ensure that the data we provide is accurate, up-to-date, and reliable. Our team also uses automated checks and manual reviews to maintain accuracy as new data comes in. Whether you’re analyzing trends or forecasting utility costs, you can rely on our data to be a solid foundation for your decisions.
Our goal is to keep 99.999% accuracy as a six-month average, so you can rely on RateAcuity to support your research and ensure it is trustworthy and accurate.
What schedules are included in the database?
We have residential, commercial and industrial schedules for all of the investor-owned utilities in the United States and Canada. Our database includes a wide array of schedules for different types of energy consumers. These schedules are carefully curated to support detailed analysis, strategic planning, and forecasting across various sectors. We provide data for:
- Residential: Covering typical household energy consumption rates, applicable for homeowners and small apartment complexes.
- Commercial: Capturing rates for small to medium-sized businesses, from retail stores to office spaces.
- Industrial: Providing data for large-scale energy consumers such as manufacturing plants, warehouses, and other energy-intensive operations.
The inclusion of these schedules ensures that users across various sectors can rely on our data for precise rate analysis, no matter the type of energy customer they represent.
What is your geographic coverage?
Our utility rate data covers the United States and Canada. Our database includes rates for residential, commercial, and industrial consumers across both countries. We cover approximately 80% of electric cooperatives and municipal electric systems in these regions.
Are there any limitations in your coverage?
Yes, while this coverage is extensive, there are some limitations. About 20% of utility rates are either not publicly available or the utilities are too small to be included in the dataset (particularly from cooperatives and municipal systems). These organizations may not be required to supply their rates publicly, making it difficult to access this data.
What steps do you take to increase the comprehensiveness of your data?
We strive to continuously improve our coverage. For utility rates that aren’t readily available, we proactively reach out to the utilities in question to request access to their data. This helps ensure our database is as comprehensive as possible.
Do you have all of the US and Canada’s utility rates?
While we provide extensive coverage, we do not have data for every utility in the US and Canada. Roughly 20% of the utility providers we track—typically smaller cooperatives and municipal systems—do not publicly disclose their rates. In cases where data is missing, we make every effort to contact these utilities to obtain the relevant information. However, for the majority of the population, especially those served by larger utilities and electric cooperatives, we offer detailed and accurate rate data.
Do you have data on retail supply rates and competitive suppliers?
In general, our database does not include data on retail supply rates or rates from competitive suppliers. These rates vary widely and are often negotiated privately, making them difficult to standardize and collect at scale. If there is a need for a specific subset of retail supply rates, we can provide this data upon request. For users focused on retail energy suppliers, we recommend contacting us directly to discuss the availability of this data.
Do you have data on Community Choice Aggregation rates?
Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is a program that allows local governments to procure power on behalf of their residents, businesses and municipal accounts. We do include CCA rates in certain regions, with California being a prime example, where CCA data is well represented in our database.
In addition, we can add CCA rates from other regions upon request. If you need specific CCA data for your analysis or business planning, simply let us know, and we’ll prioritize gathering that information.
What about historical data?
Yes, we provide historical data. For electric rates, our records go back to 2018.
What do I do if a schedule is not in the database?
If you are searching for an obscure or specialized schedule that not yet in our database, just let us know. We will add it within a day or two, ensuring the latest schedules are available.
What makes you different from your competitors in the rates you provide?
One key distinction between our database and our competitors is the comprehensiveness of our rate offerings. While some competitors focus primarily on updating residential rates, we prioritize a balance between both commercial and residential rates. This ensures that users who need data for large-scale commercial operations can access the same level of detail and reliability as those focusing on residential utility rates.
Updates and Timelines
How often do you update your database?
We update our database daily as we become aware of updates. The process typically takes two to three days to ensure all information passes through our quality-control checks before being published.
How do you know which rates to update?
We use a specialized tool that monitors rate documents across government and utility websites. This tool runs daily, generating reports that highlight all recent changes, ensuring that our data remains up-to-date.
Pricing & Terms
How does RateAcuity differ from free and paid offerings?
- Free offerings: While free options can be useful, they often lack timeliness and may be several months out of date. In a random sample we conducted, these offerings were not reliable for immediate needs.
- Paid offerings: Some paid services provide timely residential updates but do not cater sufficiently to commercial needs. We ensure that our commercial data is both comprehensive and current, making RateAcuity a more dependable choice for professionals who require timely information on commercial rates.
Do you offer a free trial?
Yes, we offer a free trial for both our web portal and API. The API trial also includes a free web portal license, allowing users to explore both functionalities during the trial period.
How long is your trial?
Our free trial lasts for 14 days, providing ample time to evaluate our database and its suitability for your needs. If you require additional time while using the API, we can extend the trial period upon request at no charge.
What is the purchasing process?
To access our data, you sign a data license agreement that outlines the terms of use and access.
Is it a monthly or yearly contract?
Most RateAcuity customers choose our yearly plan, which offers the advantage of unused API calls carrying forward. We offer both monthly and yearly options, with the latter being more popular.
Useability
How easy is RateAcuity to use?
User-friendly interfaces are essential for the successful adoption of any business tool. Our electric and natural gas tariff platform excels with its intuitive design, enabling users from different departments to easily access and understand critical data. Its simplicity allows individuals, regardless of technical expertise, to fully utilize the platform’s features. This intuitive design speeds up onboarding and reduces the learning curve for employees. As a result, our database becomes more than just a tool—it seamlessly integrates into daily workflows, improving user experience and encouraging broad acceptance throughout the organization.
Can I import user bills to run calculations?
No, we do not handle end-user data. Our focus is on delivering accurate, comprehensive, and timely data. We are experts in utility rate schedules, ensuring the highest level of precision.
How does the web portal compare with the API?
The web portal is designed for human interaction, allowing easy navigation and exploration of data. The API is built for automated integration with your systems, offering scalability but without direct visualization.
How do I automate pulling of rates?
Our API is designed for automation, allowing you to integrate rate data directly into your systems and software applications. It scales with your needs for seamless data access.
How much do you help with integration?
We’re happy to answer any questions about the data and integration process. We also provide comprehensive API documentation to guide you through every step.
Support
Do you provide onboarding for new users?
Yes, we offer an onboarding process that includes demonstrations of the platform, API setup support, and a walkthrough of how to maximize the use of our database for your specific needs.
What if I need help with the API beyond documentation?
Our support team is always available to assist with any API-related queries. Whether you need technical help or best practices, we ensure you’re set up for seamless integration.
Got Another Question?
If you have any other questions or need further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to the RateAcuity team. We’re here to help with any inquiries about our services, data, or integration. Contact us today to learn how we can meet your utility rate data needs efficiently.