How Sentinel Works

A complete compliance pipeline from tariff publication to resident bill. Every determination is traceable. Every calculation is auditable.

1

Tariff Source Monitoring

2

Document Extraction

3

Rate Normalization

4

Operator Review

5

Rate Certification

6

Bill Generation

The Provenance Pipeline

Six steps that ensure every utility bill is defensible.

1

Tariff Source Monitoring

Sentinel continuously monitors tariff publications from California utilities. When a new tariff is published or a rate changes, the system detects it and begins extraction. Sources are tracked with full metadata.

2

Document Extraction

AI reads tariff documents and extracts structured rate data -- tiers, thresholds, base charges, surcharges. Every extraction is stored with a confidence score. If confidence falls below threshold, an operator alert is generated for manual review.

3

Rate Normalization

Extracted rates are normalized into Sentinel's standard format. The system identifies daily vs. monthly charges, detects tier boundaries, and structures the data for deterministic calculation. Every rate version links back to its source document.

4

Operator Review

New or changed rates are never applied automatically. Operators receive an alert with a side-by-side comparison of current versus proposed rates. The operator reviews, verifies against their own utility bills, and explicitly approves or dismisses the change.

5

Rate Certification

Once approved, rate schedule versions are certified with an effective date and billing period. The certification record captures who approved, when, and links to the complete provenance chain. Certified rates become the authoritative source for all bill calculations.

6

Bill Generation

Bills are generated using certified rates and actual meter readings. Every line item traces back through the full chain: meter reading, certified rate, rate schedule version, extraction artifact, and original tariff document. The compliance engine validates every bill against California MRL requirements.

Every Determination Is Traceable

Sentinel logs every compliance determination with its full context: what data was used, which rules were applied, what version of the engine, and when the determination was made. This append-only audit trail provides the documentation you need if a charge is ever questioned.

See the Pipeline in Action

Request a demo to see how Sentinel traces every charge from tariff source to resident bill.

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