Inching Up

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

 

 

george@hbsadvantage.com

 

Visit us on the web www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com

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What’s Up with Deregulated Energy?

I have been getting a lot of feedback recently from many clients. They are all saying the same thing, “ What’s going on with the energy market, seems like everyone is starting to sell energy.”

That’s a good point! Energy prices are the most competitive they have been in the last 4 to 5 years and many people are trying to jump on the bandwagon.

Hutchinson Business Solutions (HBS) has been selling both gas and electric for the last 10 years. We represent all the major providers licensed to sell energy in New Jersey and that puts us in a unique position. We do not just represent 1 company. We are an independent energy broker, able to shop both your natural gas and electric accounts to all the providers, finding you the best opportunity for savings.

You will be surprised by some of the disparity of prices we find between the various providers, although they all seem to offer a savings over the current price to compare from your local provider. What needs to be understood is that each provider may have what is known as a sweet spot ie. those markets where they are more competitive.

Electric Opportunity

 We recently presented a proposal to a client where the price to compare from PSEG was  $.1162 cents per kwh. One of our providers submitted a proposal of $.109 cents per kwh, while another one came in at $.103 cents per kwh. By shopping the account we were able to provide more value with greater savings.

 Another thing that you must be aware of, while looking at your electric price in the deregulated market, be certain that the price is fully loaded and includes all the tarrifs and Sales Tax. I have seen where a client has been given a proposal with these items left out. What might look like a better deal can in fact be deceptive for the actual price will include a 7% loss allowance and also 7% sales tax. The loss allowance and the sales tax is already included in your price to compare from the local provider. To make the proposal apples to apples this must be included.

 Should you like to know more about your opportunity for savings in the deregulated electric market email george@hbsadvantage.com  We offer a free analysis of your cost and will present a proposal of the opportunities based on your current demand and annual usage.

 Natural Gas Opportunity

 There are also opportunities available in the natural gas market. If you are currently receiving natural gas from your local provider; remember that they are purchasing natural gas wholesale and selling it to you retail. Each month the price of natural gas changes from the provider based on current market conditions. Should you have floated your account in the deregulated market over the past year buying your natural gas thru HBS, you would have saved from 10% to 20% depending on who your local provider is.

 We also offer the option to lock your price on natural gas from 1 year up to 2 years or more. Some companies prefer this option for it offers certainty as to what they will be paying over the life of the contract and protects their account from market price fluctuations.

 Should you like to know more about your opportunity for savings in the deregulated natural gas market email george@hbsadvantage.com  We offer a free analysis of your cost and will present a proposal of the opportunities based on your current demand and annual usage.

 Hutchinson Business Solutions does not charge any additional fees for our services. As stated, we are an independent energy broker and receive a small residual from our providers during the life of the contract. Therefore, all the savings fall to the bottom line.

 There are minimum usages that may qualify your account to be able to participate in the deregulated market. Normally, if you are spending on average of $2000 a month on natural gas or a minimum of $5000 a month on electric, you should be looking at the opportunities for savings in the deregulated market.

Savings in Deregulated Natural Gas and Electric Market

Years ago, AT&T ruled the U.S. telecommunications industry. However, once deregulation was introduced, it opened the field to competition and allowed customers to shop for alternative carriers.

The same rings true for the energy marketplace, which saw deregulation gain momentum in the late 1990’s, giving customers a choice of energy suppliers, products and prices in their utility jurisdictions. There are approximately 20 states today with deregulated natural gas and approximately 15 with deregulated electricity.

Natural gas market

In the past 20 years, the majority of new electric generating plants have been designed to run on natural gas. When the pipelines were deregulated and the fuel was labeled “clean”, federal, state and local governments pushed for natural gas’s usage and consumers responded by using more gas every year since.

Natural gas has a relatively non-polluting production cycle and poses very little risk when it’s transported in pipelines. There also aren’t the emissions you have with shipping fuel by trucks and ships.

Yor current local utility provider buys natural gas in the wholesale market and then sells it to their customers at retail prices. We put our clients in a wholesale position. 

Expanding electricity

Unlike the natural gas market, it’s trickier to deregulate the electricity industry. Whereas the former has a direct line from well to pipeline to user, electricity comes from multiple sources, including nuclear, coal, oil, natural gas and renewable energies.

Deregulation of electricity allows for competion for the purchase of your electric supply in the local market and this means savings for you. 

Your natural gas and electric is still delivered by your local provider. Should there and be any service issues or disruption, your local provider is still responsible for servicing the account.

Hutchinson Business Solutions is an independent broker reresenting all the major deregulated providers selling natural gas and electric in the tri state area for the last 10 years.

We offer a free analysis of your current annual natural gas and electric supply cost. Our clients are finding savings from 11% upto 48%.

For more information and to order your free energy analysis email george@hbsadvantage.com

How to save money on your Electric Bill

 

 Did you know that Electric and Gas are no longer monopolies and due to deregulation you have a choice of who supplies your business with Electric and Gas services? 

Maybe you do know because you have been getting annoying sales calls telling you to switch but you think it is a scam.

Hutchinson Business Solutions (HBS) is an independent energy management solutions provider. Our clients are savings from 10% to 40% on their natural gas and electric supply cost.  You can save thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of dollars depending on how much energy you use.

 

Power to Choose

Thanks to a national energy deregulation bill passed in 1999, organizations in roughly two dozen states (CT, NY, NJ and PA included) can now manage and control their energy costs in ways never before thought possible. Before deregulation you had no choice. You did not need to pay attention to the energy markets and you simply paid the bill like everyone else. But today you have the power to choose your supplier! The savings will not come to you by default; you must actively make a choice. In a deregulated market you must decide who to buy from, when to buy, what type of service agreement, how long to contract or whether you should consider a market based (variable) rate. If you do not choose a new supplier the local utility by default will remain the supplier of your energy at the highest market rate permitted.

 

What was deregulated?

Simply put the supply portion of your electric bill. The utilities sold off their power plants, and now only own the transmission and distribution wires. They also serve as a ‘backstop’ for power supply to customers who do not shop for electricity. With the move to competition the utilities have separated their service into two parts:

• Regulated distribution of power, which is still only provided by the utility, and
• Supply (called BGS) of the electric commodity (open to competition)

Customers who choose an alternate energy provider still have their power delivered to them by their local utility, and will therefore contact their utility for any outage issues. Depending on your utility market after you choose a new supplier you may still get one bill from the utility with two company names on it or you may receive two separate bills; one from the utility for the delivery and the other from the new supplier.

Types of programs

 

If you have not chosen an alternate supplier you are paying a month-to-month variable rate based on filed tariffs. This is usually the most expensive type of rate that you can have since it is based upon the demand of the month in which you were billed. Like everything else in life if you wait until the last minute to buy it you usually pay more. If you choose a new supplier you have the option of remaining on a month-to-month variable rate or choosing to lock in today’s low rates for up to three years in most markets. Energy costs are at or near their all-time lows so it makes sense to lock in for as long as you can to hedge rising energy costs and inflation.

 

 

Types of Sales People

First you need to know if you are speaking with a direct sales person for one supplier or an independent broker that represents multiple suppliers. HBS in an independent energy broker that will present independent and unbiased recommendations for the best program that suits your needs. We offer a free analysis of your current natural gas and electric cost and we receive a small commission from the energy supplier so there is zero cost to you the customer. 

 

How does it work?

To begin, all we need  is a copy of your latest natural gas and electric bill from your local provider. You will also be asked to sign a letter of authorization which permits us to pull the annual usage from these providers. With this information HBS can go out to the deregulated market and get competitive bids for your energy needs. We will then present you with the best options and you choose to activate your savings.

 

If you activate your savings by choosing a new supplier there is no cost to switch. You get the same power, same delivery company, same poles, same wires and same meter. There will be no interruption or downtime of service. The only change will be a new bill in 45 – 60 days from a new supplier.

 

Today’s Economy is difficult at best and you owe it to your business to see if you can save your company money. You have nothing to lose and big savings to gain. 

For more information email george@hbsadvantage.com or call 856-857-1230