Friday, February 27, 2009

Texas Electricity Lows?


If you've been waiting for the right time to lock in a Texas electricity rate for your home or business - you don't need to wait any longer. Natural gas prices have a big effect on electricity costs and today natural gas futures dropped to six-year lows - falling as low as $3.916/ MMBTU. Even with mild weather predicted for much of the U.S. in March, natural gas prices are not likely to fall much further.
If you are looking to lock in and pick a Texas electric company for your business - Monday will be the time to do it. If looking for electricity prices for your home - you'll probably see better prices toward the end of the week once these prices have been reflected into the market.
Plus, it's a great time to lock in your rate before the summer heat comes our way. With Texas electricity prices this low - you simply can't afford to wait much longer. As you can see from the chart above - we certainly haven't seen natural gas prices like this in quite some time.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Texas Electricity Savings

Spring in savings with lower Texas electricity prices!

As witnessed today with RECORD high temperatures throughout Texas, summer is right around the corner...and we all know what that means - higher electric bills. Did you know it takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to change over to a new Texas Electricity provider? What does that mean to you? Well, if you are paying over 13 cents for electricity today - you should switch now and lock in a lower Texas electric rate today so you can save big when to true Texas summer heat comes our way.

Compare prices and lock in a LOW 12 month rate today on www.ChooseEnergy.com!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Doom and Gloom on Texas Electricity?

When I open up the paper in the morning (yes, I still get the newspaper delivered to my door everyday) all I see if doom and gloom. We all see it - the economy, layoffs, stock prices, mutual funds, etc. Many articles have also been written recently about how Texas electric rates are high and deregulation is bad. Did you know you can get a Texas electric rate today for about the same price as you could before deregulation? Probably not because that doesn't sell papers. Do you pay the same for a gallon of milk, a gallon of gas, or a gallon of pickles as you did 7 years ago? Well, I really don't know about pickles but stay with me here.

According to data from ChooseEnergy.com, Texas electricity prices have gone down 30% in the DFW area and 35% in the Houston area since the July 2008 summer highs. I think that's pretty good considering how the Texas electricity markets price their services. They are dependent are a number of things including natural gas prices and access to credit. While natural gas prices have dropped nearly 70% since those summer highs, the access to credit markets is certainly not what it used to be. These are difficult economic times that we live in and like most products and services - prices go up.

In regards to deregulation being bad for Texas. Let me ask you - Do you shop for milk at a convenience store or a grocery store? If you are going to fly are you going to just go up to the counter on the day of the flight and purchase a ticket? Are you on the same cell phone minute plan that you signed up for 7 years ago? If you are like most people - the answer is no.

If you go to the convenience store and buy a gallon of milk you are probably going to pay $3.50 - $4.00. However - if you shop around at a grocery store - you'll probably pay less than $2.00 for that same milk.

If you purcahse a last minute ticket from the counter at the airport to fly, to let's say Florida - you may pay over $1,000 for that ticket. However - if you shop around a bit early and compare prices online - you may get that ticket for as little as $100.

10 years ago - cell phone plans were expensive and you had a limited amount of minutes to use. Nowadays - they are so competitive that rates change monthly and you get unlimited minutes.

You see what I'm getting at here? You have to shop around for deals in deregulated environments. If everyone shops around - prices get more and more and more competitive and you save money. If you don't do anything - you are at fault. Not the convenience store owner that is selling you $4.00 milk or even the electric company that is selling you 14 cent electricity. It's "convenient" to just grab the milk while you are there rather than going down the street to save $2.00 and it's also convenient to not do anything in regards to shopping around for electricity - but it saves you money.

If you are currently on a rate above 12.5 cents per kWh for your residential electric service like many Texans - it's time to shop around. If you don't mind paying $4.00 for a gallon of milk - you probably don't mind paying 13 cents of more for electricity, but you shouldn't complain about it and people shouldn't write about it. Just because some people don't like to shop around for the best price, it doesn't mean that dregulation is a bad thing.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

You have the Power to Choose Texas Electricity

To many of us, we simply want to flip a switch and have the light come on in our home or business. So what does Texas electric deregulation mean to you? Just like choosing your home telephone service or buying an airline ticket, large industries must be deregulated to promote competition. This process leads to lower prices and a wider selection of services for you the consumer. The point to deregulation is that you now have control. You have the control as to who supplies you Texas electricity, so you can determine what matters most; lower prices, cleaner energy, better customer service, or better payment options. Whatever matters to you, deregulation gives you that power - your power to choose not someone else's.

This is an exciting time and Texas is leading the nation in electric deregulation. Many states are looking at the Texas electricity model for their future deregulation plans and policies off what our state has created. With competition, customers can now freely negotiate with Texas electric providers that are competing hard for your business.

Due to increased demand, natural disasters, and other factors, energy costs have risen across the board since deregulation, but we are now seeing the advantages of deregulation in lower electricity prices. Texas electricity prices have come down 40% since the summer highs of 2008. This dramatic decrease in price has only been seen in deregulated parts of Texas. So the model is working - we just have to give it more time.

Just as the Internet has made it easier for people to compare mortgages, travel rates and other services, ChooseEnergy.com has developed a ‘compare and buy' site that offers a trusted and objective comparison of available Texas electricity providers for residential and commercial customers. Before now, comparing and switching Texas electric providers was a very frustrating, confusing and time consuming process for Texas residents and businesses. With ChooseEnergy.com, consumers and business owners now get direct access to real-time pricing and the ability to switch providers, through an easy-to-use electricity services portal.

As far as change - nothing much really changes except as who sends you a bill. The same Texas electric delivery company will maintain and deliver you your electricity. If there is ever a power outage, they will still come and fix it for your block. Look at it this way, if your electricity goes out does it only go out for you and not your neighbor? No. You and your neighbors are connected to an electricity grid and more closely to a transformer. That Texas electricity delivery company is still going to go out and fix that same transformer that blew and turn the power back on for everyone that was affected. Not just for those that have not switched. They don't know nor do they care where you get your power. They have a job to do and it is to get your electricity turned back on. It's that simple.

Even if you don't make a switch to another provider, do the research and find out your options. Maybe you don't want to switch and want to stay with your current electric provider but would like to purchase cleaner renewable electricity. Chances are, your current electric company offers a renewable energy product for your home. Do the right thing, exercise your power to choose today.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Stimulus Bill

Part of the “Stimulus Bill” in Congress is dedicated towards Energy. In fact, $8.5 billion is earmarked for renewable energy projects. So what is renewable energy? Renewable energy or green energy is electrical power that is produced from clean, renewable energy sources. Renewable energy comes from sources that are less or zero-polluting like wind, solar and water. By utilizing the wind or water to turn turbines, or the sun to heat fuel cells you can produce electricity that is free from the use of fossil fuels. Traditional power sources like coal and natural gas power plants emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and deplete our fossil fuels. Utilizing green energy reduces smog, greenhouse gases and air pollution.
How do you choose Green Energy? Well, if you have a choice in who supplies your electricity, you can choose green energy by switching your Texas electric service to a retail electric provider that offers green energy like wind power. If you don’t have a choice in electric suppliers you can contact you current electric company and request green energy option credits.
Most Texas electricity customers now have an option of utilizing a green energy product from their electricity supplier or by switching to a provider that has a green energy product. In fact, Texas now produces more wind power than any other state and aggressive plans to produce much more in the near future.
One of the most popular green energy options available is Green Mountain Energy. Green Mountain Energy is the largest retail provider of less-polluting electricity to residential and commercial customers in the U.S. and they have many plans to choose from. You can choose green energy credits or electricity service options like 100% wind power.
Many businesses are also taking notice to their impact on our natural resources. There has been a tremendous movement in the past few years for Green Energy and companies are taking notice to their carbon footprint and their impact on the environment. Many companies are using green energy credits, and taking on comprehensive energy efficiency initiatives for their entire organization.
Hopefully the new “Stimulus Bill” and its publicity will inject more interested parties to renewable/ green energy. The more people that choose to go green will obviously produce a wider the impact and further the development of renewable resources.

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Commercial Electric in Texas


Do you have an energy plan? If you are a business owner or make budget decisions at a company – you need a plan. Texas electricity prices have been falling recently and if you have not taken advantage of thesnot so muche prices, you certainly need to today. Check out the graph on the left - see a trend? Now don't you think it's time to take a look at your rate?



As a business owner and a user of commercial electric in Texas, it is important to reduce electricity costs and improve your bottom-line. By switching to a retail electricity supplier that has your best interest in mind, and you will start to see some significant savings to your business' bottom-line.


When choosing a new electric provider for your business you need to do some homework, especially if you are a large commercial or industrial user of Texas electricity.
You can call up a bunch of retail electric providers (there are currently over 40 active business electricity suppliers operating in Texas) and get pricing from each of them, or you can now go straight to ChooseEnergy.com and get direct commercial electric from up to 8 of the most trusted Texas electricity suppliers and start saving money on your company's energy costs.
Many factors in electricity pricing and contracts are different from one provider to the next. ChooseEnergy.com helps makes it easy to understand. ChooseEnergy.com understands the energy commodities markets and their impact on energy pricing, and provides you with market insight you need to make an informed decision. It is a neutral energy marketplace where you can get the contract that fits your company's needs.


ChooseEnergy.com’s end goal is to secure you the best provider, best contract, best price, and superior customer service for your business electricity needs.

Friday, February 06, 2009

Texas Electricity


I was talking to my wife's friend the other day, and she was finally ready to take my advice and switch to new electric company to lower her energy bill. She realized that electricity is a comodity - the lower the price the better, but more importantly - she needed to lower the family's monthly budget. Everyone has been hurt by these stressful economic times and everyone is trying t find ways to cut that monthly budget.

Well, if you haven't been watching the Texas Electricity market recently you've been missing some big savings. Every single one of our provider partners have lower their electric rates. If you signed up for a month to month service in the past 6 months - now is the time to lock in your rate for 12 months. These low Texas electricity rates probably won't last long. You see, electricity price rise and fall in respect to natural gas prices. For the past few months - natural gas prices have gone down due to a warmer winter, lower demand and higher supply. Well, once people begin to turning on their air conditioning in their homes - the demand will increase because many electric plants in Texas are run off of natural gas. This will increase the cost of natural gas thus increasing the cost of Texas electrity rates.

In the past six months alone, we've seen a 27% decrease in prices in the Houston market and 23% decrease in price in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth market. That's some big savings. If your electric bill last month was $200 and you haven't sign up for a lower rate in the past few months - that would be over $600 a year in savings. If your electricity bills are higher than that - just think about how much you could save.

Anyway, pull out your Texas electricity bill and if you are paying over 13 cents per kWh - it's time to lock in to a lower rate today.