Margaret Harrington
Role: Utility Billing Analyst
Margaret Harrington spent 12 years working inside the billing departments of two major US utility companies, where she processed thousands of electric, gas, and water bills and fielded every type of customer billing question imaginable. She knows exactly how each charge is calculated, where errors hide, and what the cryptic line items actually mean.
After leaving the utility industry in 2022, Margaret made it her mission to translate utility bills into plain English. She has helped over 3,000 households understand their bills, identify billing errors, and challenge incorrect charges through their state public utility commissions.
Expertise
- Electric, gas, and water bill structure and line items
- Rate structures (flat, tiered, time-of-use, demand charges)
- Billing errors and dispute resolution
- Utility deregulation and supplier choice
- Meter reading and estimated billing
- State utility commission complaint processes
Credentials
- 12 years as billing specialist at major US utility companies
- Certified by the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA)
- Regular contributor to state utility consumer advocacy panels
- Featured speaker at the 2024 National Utility Consumer Advocate Conference
What Margaret Writes About
Margaret writes our electricity, gas, water, and billing guides — the articles that break down every charge on your bill so you know exactly what you’re paying for and whether it’s correct.