Is it really worth it?

Some customers have said that the price differences between the afiliate provider and other electricity provider plans are just not that different...a penny here..a penny there. So, is it really worth switching?

What's the difference between one penny in electricity costs per kilo-watt hour? Well, quite a lot actually. If you are an average homeowner and use 1,500 kWh's per month - that 1 penny equals $180 per year in savings. Funny thing is - some of the price differences are more than 1 penny - some are actually 2-3 - and many people use quite a bit more electricity than the 1,500 kWh's per month - which can all add up to some very significant savings.

Let me ask you this - do you pay sticker price for a car? No. Do you look on travel sites and pick the most expensive flight listed? Obiously not if you are looking on travel sites. When you bought your house, did you shop around your mortage rate? You probably did - I know I did.

Well, that's what choice is all about - you have a choice when you buy a car, shop for flights, and when you buy your house - you don't always have to take the first offer that is made to you. So, why do over 50% of Texans elect not to do anything and pay a much higher rate for their electricity? Just as you shop around for flight costs, mortage rates, and other items, shopping for your electric provider needs to be added to that list.

So, shop around for a better rate or a cleaner electricity plan - For 5 minutes of your time, you could be saving money...quite a bit of it.

CE Forecast

Since we can't be there with everyone when they are selecting an energy provider for their home or busines - we recently added a feature to our site called CE Forecast. CE Forecast makes recommendations to help you make the best energy buying option for your home or business.






How does it work? CE Forecast analyzes the energy cost components that make up electricity costs for your home and business then presents color coded "CE Outlets" based on that information. If rates are low and holding steady, the CE Forecast will present you with a Green color coded outlet - which is a high recommendation to "Buy Now" and lock in a long-term energy agreement and order service today. If rates are currently high it will present a Red color coded outlet - which tells you to wait until prices come down - or lock into a short-term contract.

We hope this will help you make the right energy buying decision and keep energy costs down in your home or business.

Natural Gas - What Factors Impact Gas Prices

Many people have asked - what are some of the factors that impact natural gas prices and why have natural gas prices steadily risen over the past few years?

Eventhough gas prices have moderated a bit this year after the supply distruptions from the hurricanes last year, we still have not seen the low levels like we did thoughout the 1990s. A number of underying factors have contributed to the price volitilityof natural gas this year.

1 - Production - The production of natural gas impacts not only the supply that is available but also the price. Through August of this year, production is slightly lower than recent years.

2 - Imports - Although the U.S. produces quite a bit of natural gas, we still import much of our supply. Most of this comes from Canada, but some comes in the form of liquified natural gas (LNG) from overseas. Recent EIA estimated project that for 2006, total imports will decline about 6.1 percent from 2005 levels.

3 - Storage - Throughout the year, natural gas is injected into the nderground storage facilities to help keep up with increased demand during the winter heating season. This year, we have seen consistently high storage levels that are projected to be above the 5-year average during the heating season.

4 - Demand - Demand impacts supply which impacts price. As of August of this year, natural gas consumption is about 2.5 percent below levels seen in 2005. The EIA projects natural gas demand will show no growth for 2006.

5 - Oil Prices - Crude oil prices reached record levels this year - averaging over $74 per barrel in July. However, we have seen these prices decline in recent months - averaging about $59 per barrel in October. The EIA projects that crude oil prices will average about $66 per barrel for 2006, which is a 17 percent increase over 2005 prices.

These are some of the main factors that contribute to natural gas prices in today's market. The EIA has predicted that natural gas prices paid by commercial and industrial customers should be on average about 22 percent less this heating season that last. This is only a forecast, and any forecast could be impacted by a number of factors - a prolonged cold spell, an interuption in supplies, or a disruption in other fuel supplies such as petroleum or electricity could all impact natural gas prices.

Energy costs begin to soar. Take action.

As summer moves in and energy costs begin to soar, more homeowners are taking action to rein in their utility bills. By making energy efficient enhancements to your home, switching to a low cost electricity provider, and lowering your electricity consumption you too can reduce your energy costs by up to 50%.
Energy Efficient Enhancements:
1) Service your HVAC system.
2) Make sure you have proper insulation in your home.
3) Change to fluorescent light bulbs.
4) Purchase Energy Star appliances

Lower Cost Electricity Providers:
1) Go to: www.ChooseEnergy.com and choose a new electric provider

Lower Electricity Consumption:
1) Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher.
2) Turn on fans.
3) Clean air filters.
4) Turn off lights when not in use.

Do these energy savings tips and you will begin to see lower electricity bills.

Do I have to switch providers?

No, you don't have to do anything and you will remain stay with your current affiliate retail electric provider.

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. That's what deregulation is about - the consumer having options.

What is Green Energy?

Green energy is electrical power that is produced from clean, renewable energy sources. Renewable energy comes from sources that are less-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. Traditional power sources like coal and gas power plants emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Utilizing green energy reduces smog, greenhouse gases and air pollution.

How do you choose Green energy for my home? Well, you have a choice in who supplies your electricity, and you can choose to buy clean Texas energy by switching your electric service to a retail electric provider like Green Mountain Energy. They offer a Pollution Free product that costs the same as your current affiliate electric provider. Simply go to: www.ChooseEnergy.com to sign up.

Texas Electricity Deregulation

Even though most consumers have heard of electricity deregulation in Texas, most Texans have not made a switch to another electric provider because it’s still a confusing process. Well, changing your electricity provider is about to get a lot easier. The ChooseEnergy.com home and business energy service portal will soon be available to the Texas market. All users will be able to go to www.ChooseEnergy.com and browse, compare and order electricity services for their home or business. See. Select. Switch. It's Simple!

Lower energy costs for your business.

Energy costs can have a significant impact on your company’s bottom-line. After you have chosen a lower cost provider by visting www.ChooseEnergy.com and made the switch, figure out ways to conserve the energy you use.

- Call a service professional to check your office air conditioning unit (s) before the summer really heats up;
- Keep the office thermostat at 78 degrees or above. Every degree below 78 increases your cooling cost by almost 10%;
- Change your air conditioner filters every month;
- If you have fans in the office -turn them on. Up to 70% of your summer electricity usage comes from your air conditioner. By turning on a fan, a room can feel up 5 degrees cooler;
- If you have access to them - weather-strip the outer windows and doors. Make sure you have a sufficient amount of caulk and weather-stripping around the windows and doors to keep that cool air inside your office.
- Insulate all exterior outlets and electrical receptacles.

Every little bit helps - by switching to a lower cost electric provider and using some of our helpful energy conservation tips you should begin to see a much smaller electric bill.

Benefits for using ChooseEnergy.com

ChooseEnergy:
…is a true and neutral energy marketplace -
The first true energy marketplace where Texans can allow electricity providers to bid on their business.

…makes it simple to switch providers -
The site that customers can actually switch electricity providers in just a few clicks, without cumbersome paperwork.

…empowers you to compare electricity providers, with no risks or obligations -
A neutral site where electricity customers can see and compare real-time offers, even “model” different lengths of contracts.

…gives you confidence to know today’s best electricity offers -
The most direct way for residential and business customers in Texas to be confident they’re getting the personalized, least costly and most up-to-date offers available from electricity providers.

NOTE: Regardless which electricity provider you choose, your electricity will continue to be supplied by the “power lines” company, which is often a spin-off or division of the former electricity monopolies in your area and regulated by the Public Utility Commission.

How do I choose an electric company?

You now have a choice when choosing an electricity provider in Texas and ChooseEnergy is here to help. For the first time, there is an unbiased electricity marketplace that enables you to take charge of your electricity spending. Choose Energy allows Texans to compare offers and save money by choosing an electricity provider that truly meets your needs.

Some things you should look for - The Electricity Facts Label - usually found in the Terms of Service documents. Read it. This will provide you with the Retail Electric Provider's pricing information, contract terms and sources of generation. All Texas Retail Electric Providers offering residential service are required to provide this information to you upon request. This allows you to compare all offers in greater detail.

Once you have found the opne for you - make the switch. Go to: www.ChooseEnergy.com and See - Select - & Switch. It's that Simple!

High Electric Bill

Those high electricity bills are going to start coming in the mail and they are only going to get higher once we get into the HOT summer months. They are predicting a very hot summer for Texas. So make a choice today and go to: www.ChooseEnergy.com and switch to a lower cost electric provider. You can save hundreds of dollars! It's fast, free, and easy. You simply See - Select - Switch. It's that simple!

Gas Prices

Oil and natural gas prices have both been going up, which leads to higher fuel cost and higher energy bills. With the summer driving season almost upon us, many people might be rethinking that cross country family trip they had been planning. We may even see $4.00 prices at the pump. People need to find ways to save money - one obvious one is ChooseEnergy.com. Plus, we need to begin to conserve the energy we consume. Check out the tips on energy savings for the home and business. When combined with a lower cost provider, they can add up to a lot of savings.

FAQs

Some customers have asked us a few questions that we thought we would share with you.

Do consumers pay to use ChooseEnergy?

No, there are no fees or extra charges to consumers for visiting the site, reviewing the information and/or for using the site to switch electricity providers.

Do retailers pay to have their prices and offers listed on ChooseEnergy?

No, if a customer switches to a new electricity provider using ChooseEnergy, the retailer pays ChooseEnergy a small commission. There is no added or hidden cost to consumers. Retailers may advertise on the site, but the advertising does not affect the offers made to consumers.

Will all consumers be offered the same prices?
The retail electric providers decide what prices to offer consumers based on their electricity usage – quantity and patterns – as well as where they reside.

How is ChooseEnergy different from www.Powertochoose.com, sponsored by the Texas Public Utilities Commission?

ChooseEnergy allows consumers to compare and SWITCH electricity providers if they want to. www.powertochoose.com merely allows consumers to compare, but choosing and switching providers is not available directly from their webiste. CE also allows business owners to compare real-time offers and order service from competing retail electric providers.

Will consumers have to commit to long-term contracts?

Consumers can also consider the length of contracts while reviewing the various offers made by different electricity providers. Some providers may offer different rates for various lengths of contracts. After reviewing all their options and deciding what is best for them, consumers can select the proposed offer which best meets their needs.
Consumers can actually sort by contract length, cost and clean energy product types. Electric providers offer contracts that usually range from month-to-month to up to 3 years.

Rolling black-outs in Texas. Is Texas headed for something like California's crisis? The answer - No, California really just doesn’t have enough power to go around. They have only built two power plants to Texas' 47 since 1995. What happened the other day in Texas was just a run of bad luck. Texas power producers had many plants offline for planned maintenance, then we hit a record high and everyone turned on their A/C's. Plus, the PUC of Texas has also instituted much stronger consumer protection rules for those in Texas and much higher qualifications for retail electric providers that operate in Texas. We do need to conserve energy any way we can, and that will help everyone. TXU just announced that they are going to spend $10 billion on electricity plants in Texas, and they expect that to meet Texas' growing power demands into 2015.

Is Deregulaton Good for Texas?

The easy answer is, YES! In my view, any form of competition makes economic sense in the market, and Texas electrici deregulation created a competitive environment for Texans. Companies now compete for your business by offering a variety of different services, products and prices to win you over as a customer. But one of the most important aspects of deregulation is that it gives you, the customer, the control. You now control who bills you for your electricity usage, lawmakers don't decide or some big coporation doesn't decide, you decide what you order - you now have the freedom of choice! So make your choice today Texas and switch.