The first way you can save on electricity rates is to look

The first and most important thing to do as a Texas residential electricity user or even as a commercial business is to look for lower rates in this de-regulated environment. There are many people that have yet to seek new electric rates.  If you never look for a lower rate, there is little way to find one. Many people seem to assume there is one basic rate for electricity, so why bother looking?

This is not true, electricity rates cover a wide range of prices. In addition, there are other factors affecting price, including the fact that there are multi-year rate plans. You pay a premium to level off your electricity costs for a period of time. The longer the time frame, the more “premium” you pay. Adding various levels of Green Energy can also raise the cost as well. But regardless of the category of electricity you are looking for, there are many companies to choose from, and one might be right for you.

Compare StarTex Rates Now

Make sure your rates reflect the correct residential or commercial type account

Whether you are looking for a month to month electric rate plan, or 1 to several years, one thing is certain. To get the best rates, you must do some shopping, or have someone do it for you like an Energy Broker, or Energy Consultant. These are professionals that will analyze your needs and help you find a good solution. I have seen two businesses literally side by side in Odessa Texas and both of them paying very different rates. One was paying 13.5 cents per kWh, and the other was paying 8.5 cents per kWh. It turned out they both had the same electric company!

As it turned out the one that used the least electricity paid the highest bill. So after much frustration, and even asking the electric company to check the meters, and the readings, they finally called me. I was told that the big electric company had no answer for the discrepancy in the two bills. Well, it became clear and obvious to me once I turned the 2 bills over and saw the cost per kWh. Needless to say, the customer paying 13.5 cents per kWh as a commercial concern, could not wait to change companies.

13.5 cents per kWh is a price that I normally expect to see on a residential bill, not a commercial bill. And, yes the customer in question had good credit, so that was not an issue. But, I have seen this sort of price for a commercial business before. So, making sure you are getting a good price for the category you are in is essential.

Compare Affordable Energy Rates Now

CLICK HERE

Make sure your rates are average to below average by comparison

Lastly, after you decide to look for better rates, then make sure you are paying prices that reflect residential or commercial type of account. Once you have done this, then it is time to look for prices that reflect the type of account you have. Suppose that is residential, then list the companies, plans and pricing. Maybe something stands out, like at the 1 year rate, it seems to dip lower and may be worth taking a second look. Once you think you have chosen a good candidate, it might not hurt to check with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) to see if they have lots of complaints. Maybe you want to look up their website and read about them.

Whatever you do regarding electricity rates, it will pay you to look for rates, make sure your rates are within reason, and if you want, find a company that may offer lower rates.

If you would like to speak to an Energy Consultant CLICK HERE

Visit these sites:

Power to Choose Electric , Cheap Texas Electric Rates , Need a Bandaid

Segnala presso:

Houston Texas, January 17, 2010

Custom Search

Texas and New York are you ready for smart technology in the form of Smart Meters?

Right now most electric meters in Texas are “dumb meters”. They are outdated analog meters that can only measure the amount of electricity provided to a user.  Some have the capability of knowing when the “Peak Usage” is. Now why would peak usage be important to an electric company?

The answer is simple. We do not use electric energy the same throughout the day. That is true of residential and commercial customers as well. People are generally on an 8-5 type work day. That means at 5 PM everyday there is an energy peak when people get home and start turning electrical devices on.

At the say time, the day itself has peaks and valleys depending on what time of year it is. In the summer the sun heats the land all day long and peak temperatures, especially in the south rise constantly until about 5 or 6 pm in the evening. This also coincides with when people get off of work. So there is a double reason for peak usage.

In addition, the afternoon time in general is when the air conditioners are blasting away in homes and businesses. But as the heat gets hotter, the air conditioners are staying on longer and working harder. They are using more and more energy.

So taken together, energy use is spiking. We can’t do much about the sun, it will be there. But as you can imagine as in this case the energy usage near peak times could create a problem for the energy company. They need more energy at these times, and it is at the time that other energy companies also need it. So the cost of energy at these peak times is higher, than any other time. A smart meter can charge you more for electricity usage at these times, and less at other times. This causes a lowering effect at peak times for those who don’t really need the energy then. This is a good thing.

So, for customers, both for commercial and residential electric customers who can shift their energy needs, they can save money. That’s because they can choose to manufacture at nite (or other off peak times) when peak usage is at a minimum, and reap the rewards of cheap electricity.

• So a smart meter can charge different rates due to when the electricity is use

There are a few other things that make a smart meter a great deal for consumers. You don’t need to have a meter reader come to your house. That means when meter readers are scarce, you won’t get your meter read every other month, with a guesstimation for your usage and bill for the in between month. You will be able to look at the meter and know how much you owe, and how much electricity you are using.

• Your meter is accurately read every month, and you will know your bill amount before you get a bill in the mail.

You won’t have to pay a deposit, or go through a credit check. That’s because you will have an account and prepay for your services. this is a big deal for a large portion of the population.

• No Credit Check because of pre-pay
• No waiting for your bill because you already know the bill

Another very important feature is there is very little wait time to turn your electric services on or off. That is because it is done remotely. So no need for the big service trucks on the road. This saves the utility company money which could be passed on to the customer. So this can save a 3 day wait. This saves time money and frustration.

• Service is turned on and off  remotely, for many people this would be a huge convenience

Smart meters are now able to notify the retail electric provider (REP) of an outage. So now there will be no long calls  in the middle of the nite explaining just where an electric outage has occurred.

• Remote notification of electrical outages

It seems pretty clear there are lots of advantages to smart meters. They seem to ease the burdens on both the consumer of electricity and the provider. That is a win win situation in my book.

Centerpoint Energy in November 2009 stated that they would be installing about 2 million smart meters in Houston Texas. That will take care of just under half the population. This is good news.

Note to Commercial Electricity users: If you represent a city, county, large manufacturer, or large business, including one with a presence in many Texas Cities, and would like an electricity auction with the major suppliers send us a note. Let us know who you are, and an estimate of the amount of electricity you use per year and a contact person. We will get back to you with the details as to how to auction off your energy needs to the lowest bidder.

Send the message to Don  consultant(at)cheaptexaselectricrates.com

Small business and Residential customers can CLICK  HERE for Affordable Electric Rates

Click on the box in the lower right area marked Residential or Commercial

For Residential Service try Startex: Click Here for Rates

Use the PROMO CODE “CHEAPTX1″ for best results

Segnala presso:

Custom Search

Houston Texas compare your residential rates and save

The following is a rate comparison between Reliant Energy, TXU Energy and Affordable Energy. Texas electricity deregulation has made these rate comparisons possible. Take advantage of the new lower rates with Affordable Energy for your residential and Commercial needs. Affordable Energy is available in all deregulated markets of Texas. Click on links to sign up.

Residential Electricity Rate Comparison as of 4/30/2009

One Year Fixed (12 Months)

Reliant: 15.6 Cents per kWh

TXU: 14.7 Cents per kWh

Affordable Energy: 11.7 Cents per kWh

We would have done a 2 and 3 year rate comparison here, but Reliant only had a 1 year rate published with the Power to Choose site. TXU did publish a 2 year rate and it was 14.9 cents per kWh. Compare that with Affordable Energy’s 2 year rate of 12.7 Cents per kWh.

2 Year Fixed (24 months)

TXU 14.9 Cents per kWh

Affordable Energy 12.7 Cents per kWh

Affordable Energy 3 Year (36 month) 12.9 Cents per kWh

Come look us over at Cheap Texas Electric Rates in affiliation with Affordable Energy.

http://cheaptexaselectricrates.com

mulesmurf

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

*********Check for Lower Electric Rates Click Here **********

*****************Download Pokerstars Free ******************

Segnala presso:

CLICK HERE for Residential Electric Rates

CLICK HERE for Commercial Electric Rates

Segnala presso:

State                                Electricity                        Natural Gas

California                                                                    YES

Connecticut                 YES                                      YES

Delaware                       YES                                      YES

Florida                                                                         YES

Georgia                                                                        YES

Illinois                           YES                                      YES

Indiana                                                                        YES

Iowa                                                                              YES

Maine                             YES                                      YES

Maryland                      YES                                      YES

Massachusetts            YES                                      YES

Michigan                                                                     YES

Nevada                                                                        YES

New Hampshire         YES                                      YES

New Jersey                  YES                                      YES

New York                     YES                                      YES

Ohio                                                                              YES

Pennsylvania              YES                                      YES

Rhode Island              YES                                      YES

Texas                             YES                                      YES

Virginia                                                                       YES

Washington DC          YES                                      YES

West Virginia                                                            YES

Wisconsin                                                                   YES

Wyoming                                                                    YES

Segnala presso: