It’s Your Money
September 23, 2019
When I first meet people
They always ask…
So… what do you do…
I respond…
We save companies money…
That normally gets a positive response…
People like to save money…
Now….
Do you have time for a quickie quiz…
How many of you have signed a contract…
Thought you got a good deal
Possibly a great deal and…
Never looked at the paperwork again
Can I see a show of hands…
You…
Yea…. you over there
Is your hand up or are you scratching your head…
It looks like you wanted to put your hand up
Come on…
Let’s be honest
We all have done it…
I believe that all of us have good intentions…
But let’s face it we just get busy
No matter how you planned your day
Something happens and you are once again
Putting out fires
The first thing we do with any potential client
Is validate what they are currently paying
Are you paying the exact rate you signed for…
Believe it or not…
This is not always the case
I have people tell me….
Yea… we signed a contract and I was told
We are paying well below market prices
That is always great to hear
But let’s see if that is their reality…
Do you mind if I see your contract…
And could we also get a copy of your latest bill…
I can’t tell you how many times
We find that people are being charged
The wrong rate
And most of the time it is for more than
What you signed for
We always direct them to call the provider
And clarify…
Why are we paying this higher rate…
Our contract states we should be paying xxxx amount
Guess what the response normally is…
Oh, we’re sorry
That was billed improperly
Let us correct that…
We can give you a credit
Or send you a refund
How nice of them….
If they were under charging you
I bet they would contact you and say
We have a problem
However, if they are over charging you
You don’t hear from them
This is your money…
Don’t be afraid to ask for it…
HBS clients have received thousands of dollars in refunds
Always be aware of what you are paying…
And if you are not sure…
Give us a call
HBS leaves no stone unturned in our search for savings
We find ways to save you money
Gas It Up
June 30, 2016
The past 3 months
Natural gas prices have been on the rise
After establishing a new floor
With the Nymex dropping under $2.00 a dekatherm
It started an accent
And is now heading towards $3.00
That would be a 50% increase
What caused this sudden rise….
Some say…..
Supply / Demand
Others say greed
With the market choking on gas
And gas prices being low
They started shutting down wells
That can certainly drive prices up
Now throw the weather into the mix
Did we have a spring…
Maybe we will have a hot summer
The market is in flux
Should the long range forecast see a hot summer
Prices will continue to rise
If cooler temperatures prevail
You will start seeing prices back off
Should that be the case…
We will see a window of opportunity
For gas and electric prices will drop and
Become even more competitive
In the energy business
Timing is everything
We’ll keep you posted
Where’s the Floor
February 9, 2015
Natural gas is a commodity
That is traded on the nymex
When people say…
Natural gas is up 5 cents
Or
Natural gas is down 5 cents
They are talking about
The price of natural gas
Out of the ground
Which is traded
On the nymex…
If you flash back
5 to 6 years ago
You will probably remember
Natural gas prices were
Thru the roof
Trading around
$13 – $15 a dekatherm
Slowly
Over time
The market began to drop
It hit the floor
In May 2012
When the nymex
Hit $2 a decathem
(Nobody knows where the floor is
Until you pass it)
Since May 2012
We have been on a roller coaster
The nymex climbed up
To over $5.50
In Feb 2014
Then….
It began a slow descent
As of today
The nymex is
Trading at $2.59 a dekatherm
The point I am trying to make is….
The nymex is once again
Hovering
Just above the floor
It hit in May 2012
This is good news for
Those buying
Natural Gas and Electric
In the deregulated market
With the winter winding down
And with a glut of gas
In reserves
Prices are very competitive
This is a great time
To save
$$$$Money$$$$
Will gas go below the $2 a dekatherm
I wish I had a crystal ball
In a market
Where timing is everything…..
Now is a good time to be
Locking in future savings
Natural Gas Prices Drop
December 12, 2014
It looks like the natural gas market
Has shaken off the fears
Of having a cold winter
Once again this year
After beating the drums
For 11 months
Driving up market prices
Now
That winter is here
The market sees no fear
And has been in free fall
Not to say
That things could change
Remember we are dealing
With the fickle energy market
We have heard many times
Timing is everything
Well you can’t say
I didn’t tell you
If you are currently
With the local provider
Or
You are floating with a 3rd party provider
Now’s the time to lock in on savings
Market prices are well below
What you would be paying
For those businesses
Who use gas
To heat their buildings
Statistics show
You use about 60% to 70%
Of your annual natural gas usage
Between the months
November and March
To heat your building
One cold snap
Can push prices thru the roof
It is smart to protect yourselves
During these high usage months
By locking into a competitive
Fixed rate contract
Give us a call
Or shoot us an email
We are here
To help you save money
Natural Gas Soars On Fears of a Polar Redux
November 7, 2014
As reported in Wall Street Journal
By
Tim Puko
A repeat of last year’s snowy, Arctic-cold winter is looking a little more likely today. Natural gas traders, still scarred by the memory, are bunkering in.
Buyers have been rushing into the gas market for a week on fears of a sequel to last winter’s Polar Vortex, which walloped the eastern half of the U.S. with brutally cold temperatures from the deep south up to New England. Many spent months dismissing that possibility as simple panic, but now meteorologists are getting more pessimistic.
Both Commodity Weather Group and WeatherBELL Analytics LLC released long-term forecasts this week showing a notably higher risk for a cold December. That was supposed to be relatively mild month this winter, balancing out a cold January and February. Now the whole winter is shaping up to be “pretty nasty,” WeatherBELL said.
That has propelled natural gas to a six-session rally. It’s rebounded nearly 18% since it hit its 2014 low last week. Gains of nearly 3% Tuesday are pushing it near a three-month high.
And traders are all wondering if the winter of 2015 will bring a repeat of 2014.
“I think it’s a reasonable risk,” said Matt Rogers president and meteorologist at Commodity Weather Group in Bethesda, Md. An early season burst of cold starting next week is already “really spooking a lot of people.”
More than half of all U.S. homes use natural gas as their heating fuel, making the natural gas market especially vulnerable to weather. Tepid demand had capped the market for four months and had bankers and investors fearing a glut by the spring. The new forecasts have flipped that script, at least temporarily.
Timothy J. Collins, director at Fairfield Advisors LLC in Madison, N.J., has had to get out of spread bets that depended on falling prices in January, he said. He is now trying to buy into positions that would benefit from rising prices that month, but he still thinks that record production will help balance out the fear of a Polar Vortex repeat, he said.
“I think people are overly sensitive to it,” said Mr. Collins, whose fund manages $35 million. “You know how they say the military is always trying to fight the last war? Well, we keep trading the last position.”
The rally could produce bargains for stock investors, said Jonathan Waghorn, co-portfolio manager at Guinness Atkinson Asset Management Inc. in London. Its $84-million fund holds Chesapeake Energy Corp., QEP Resources Inc. and Ultra Petroleum Corp, among other oil and gas producers that could benefit from rising gas prices balancing out free-falling oil prices.
“Gas is strong, yet the energy equities names are all getting hit,” Mr. Waghorn said. “If you believe the gas story, today’s giving you a good opportunity to pick up some energy names getting smashed by weak oil.”
As reported in Wall Street Journal
By
Timothy Puko
July 28, 2014 3:09 p.m. ET
NEW YORK—Natural-gas prices set a new eight-month low for the fourth time in six sessions, breaking an early-day run Monday as traders stayed focused on low prospects for demand.
Prices for the front-month August contract settled down 3.4 cents, or 0.9%, to $3.747 a million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. August options expired Monday and the contract expires Tuesday. The more actively traded September contract settled down 2.2 cents, or 0.6%, to $3.765/mmBtu.
The day largely focused on technical trading as buyers and sellers kept moving against the momentum of the market, analysts said. After prices quickly hit an intraday high of $3.85/mmBtu, traders began to sell, likely focused on how cool weather is likely to limit demand in the weeks to come, said Aaron Calder, senior market analyst at energy-consulting firm Gelber & Associates in Houston.
The unseasonably cool summer has allowed consumers to use less air conditioning and the gas-fired electricity that fuels it. Producers put a record string of surpluses into storage, and gas prices have fallen about 20% since mid-June.
“If the weather stays mild and we don’t have any power demand, as it has been, then I don’t think we’ve hit a bottom,” Mr. Calder said.
Forecasts still show mild weather, including temperatures as much as eight degrees Fahrenheit below normal, lingering over the center of the country into the second week of August. Weather forecasts made only small changes over the weekend, with division over whether temperatures would be slightly warmer or cooler than previously expected.
The New Normal
April 29, 2013
Since May of 2012
When the natural gas
Nymex (gas out of the ground)
Hit the floor at just under $2.04 a dth
We have seen the nymex
More than double!!!!!
Today the nymex is at $4.16 a dth
All this talk about……
Overflowing gas supplies
Storage levels being at a
5 year high
Has not dampened the market
I have had many conversations
With people in the energy industry
There is an….
Across the board agreement
That there is little substantiation
For this increase in pricing
Will prices go back down?
Hard to say…..
I do not see it dropping
To where prices were last May
Is having over a $4.00 nymex
The new normal
Stay tuned
For more insight contact george@hbsadvantage.com or call 856-857-1230
Visit us on the web http://www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com
The Rumbling Started………
January 7, 2013
Back in September
Right after Labor Day
Future forecast show
We are in for……
A cold winter
Thus began the long trudge….
Natural gas prices
Started inching up
In October
The drumbeats started
Beating louder
Forecasts are calling
For a cold winter
Natural gas prices
Inched up
A bit higher
All this was happening
As Natural gas storage levels
Remain at….
An all-time high
Future supplies are poised
To make the US
The world’s largest
Natural gas supplier
New finds and
Refined extraction methods show
We have over 100 years
Of natural gas reserves
November starts….
The drums keep beating
Forecast show that it is
Going to be
A cold winter
Prices inch up a bit higher
All the while
We have been experiencing
Higher than normal temperatures
Here it is January 2013
We have had some cold weather
But no long term stretches
Of cold weather
They are already forecasting
That beginning next week…..
A warm front will be coming in
And hanging for a couple of weeks
All this has created a
Natural gas market
Phenomena
The index
(The base cost of natural gas
To all providers)
Started to drop
So much for the higher prices
HBS has been working with our clients
Keeping them apprised of the opportunity
For the savings this presents
The basis (transportation cost)
Is inverted
That means the longer you go out
The less expensive it is
We have never seen this
In the 12 years we have been
Servicing the deregulated market
By locking in a
3 to 4 year
Basis position
Clients have been able
To add more certainty
To their future
Natural gas cost
This will allow the client to
Concentrate on managing the cost
Of the Nymex
ie: (gas out of the ground)
During the highest usage months
November thru March
For most clients
That is when 75% of their
Annual natural gas usage
Is consumed
Feel free to contact us…..
To learn more about
How you are able
To save in the deregulated
Natural Gas and Electric markets
Start the New Year off with Savings
That will always bring a
Smile to your face….
Hutchinson Business Solutions
Smart Solutions for Smart Business
For more insight contact george@hbsadvantage.com
Visit us on the web http://www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com
Inching Up
June 1, 2012
While everyone has been keeping
Their eyes on gas pump prices
The big question
Will it go over $4.00 this summer?
Natural gas has been making its own mark
After nymex prices
Hit a 10 year low
In late April
We have seen the Nymex prices
Run up
Over 25%
During the last 30 days
You may have heard me say before….
You don’t know where the floor is
Until you passed it
We watched a slow steady fall of the nymex
Over a long period of time
Once it got to a point
Where investors may have thought
It may be…..
Too low
It shot up
Was it a market correction?
Analyst start talking about possibilities
Of having a hot summer
That will increase demand…
For 30% of the electric is generated
From natural gas.
Prices inch up
They also start looking at
Hurricane reports
That could affect the wells
In the Gulf of Mexico
Prices inch up more
They have even started to cap
Some of the natural gas wells
Hmmm
Supply / Demand
Cut down on the supply
That will get the
Prices to inch up
Higher
Market prices are still very competitive
It just that…..
In this market
Timing is everything
Natural gas and electric prices
Are still very competitive
If you have not participated in deregulation
Now is the time…
To lock in on the savings
Under contract
Now is the time to start looking
To lock in your renewals
To all HBS customers
Please take my phone call
To learn more contact
Visit us on the web www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com
Natural gas prices rise, benchmark oil up slightly
April 28, 2012
By SANDY SHORE, AP Business Writer–8 hours ago
Battered natural gas prices are getting a bit of a break as cooler spring weather raises expectations that demand may improve.
Natural gas rose 6 cents to finish at $2.186 per 1,000 cubic feet in Friday trading. That’s up nearly 15 percent from April 19 when the price hit the lowest level in more than a decade at $1.907 per 1,000 cubic feet.
The price has plunged this year as a natural gas production boom created a glut of supply and demand dropped during a mild winter.
Now, some in the market are suggesting demand will strengthen, which help boost prices.
Cooler weather moving across the Northeast, parts of the Midwest and the Rockies this weekend could prompt homeowners to turn up the heat, creating more need for natural gas.
In addition, utilities have been substituting cheaper natural gas for coal to generate electricity. As much as six billion cubic feet a day of natural gas has replaced coal-fired power generation this year, said Ron Denhardt, an analyst with Strategic Energy & Economic Research. Consumption on an annual basis is about 66 billion to 67 billion cubic feet a day.
In addition, some energy companies have cut production because low prices can make it unprofitable to drill for some types of natural gas.
Yet, several analysts believe any rally will be short-lived.
With May upon us, any pick-up in demand for heating will be brief. About 70 percent of the nation’s demand for natural gas comes during the winter to heat homes and businesses.
Natural gas inventories continue to build. Analysts say that underground storage could be filled to the brim by fall without additional production cuts or an extremely hot summer that boosts electricity demand for cooling.
“It’s fundamentally a disastrous market,” Denhardt said. “I can’t see any turnaround of any significance before November, December of this year.”
PFGBest analyst Phil Flynn said there has to be an even bigger drop in price to force companies to cut more production. He speculated that the price will test an all-time low of $1.35 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In other energy trading, oil prices rose slightly, as traders shrugged off a report that the economy grew more slowly in the first three months of the year as governments spent less and businesses cut back on investment. But consumers spent at the fastest pace in more than a year. The Commerce Department said Friday that the economy grew at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the January-March quarter, compared with 3 percent in the final quarter of 2011.
Benchmark oil rose 38 cents to end at $104.93 per barrel in New York. Brent crude fell 9 cents to finish at $119.83 per barrel in London. Heating oil lost 1.37 cents to end at $3.1807 per gallon and gasoline futures rose 2.29 cents to finish at $3.2062 per gallon.
At the pump, gasoline prices were little changed at a national average of $3.826 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and the Oil Price Information Service. That’s 8.5 cents less than a month ago and 5.3 cents lower than a year ago.
Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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