Tips For Having A More Energy-Efficient Thanksgiving Holiday

Consumers across the U.S. are facing higher-than-expected energy rates. In fact, electricity and natural gas prices in some parts of the country have more than doubled since this time last year. If you live in Pennsylvania in the PPL Electric service territory, then your PPL rates are set to increase by almost another 20% in December alone!

So, with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching tomorrow, we thought we would put together some energy saving tips to keep in mind so that you do not feel this holiday in your electricity bill. Here are some tips for having a more energy-efficient Thanksgiving holiday...

Be Mindful Of The Refrigerator

Your refrigerator uses a lot of electricity when it is not handled properly. If you are cooking at home this holiday,

Energy Saving Tips When Working From Home In Houston

The new work-from-home trend is causing many Texas homeowners to use much more electricity than normal. In fact, prior to the pandemic, most Houston-area residents used most of their electricity from 4PM to 10PM on weekdays and from 8AM - 10PM on weekends. Now, with many people working from home, that energy usage trend has changed. There is much more power being consumed during the day. 

While Houston residents are saving money on gasoline by not commuting to work, their electricity bills are increasing. Here are some tips for reducing your CenterPoint Energy electric utility bill this year as you work from home:

Find A Lower Electricity Rate

The easiest way to reduce your electric bill

Who Benefits From Energy Deregulation?

There are many benefits to energy deregulation in the United States. Prior to deregulated utilities, consumers and businesses were required to purchase electricity from their local utility companies at regulated rates. These utilities had a monopoly in the marketplace and there was not much flexibility in terms of price options and contract structure. 

When states started to deregulate their utilities, this gave consumers a choice. In fact, if you live or own a business in a deregulated state, you can choose from many third-party retail energy providers. These providers offer electricity and natural gas rate plans and contract options to consumers. Some of the added benefits of deregulation include:

• Lower Prices: Due to competition among suppliers, the free market of energy deregulation can bring lower prices to consumers. 

What States Are Deregulated?

Since the early 90s, many states have deregulated their electric and/or natural gas utilities. Check out the map below to see states that have deregulation or some form of energy deregulation policy in place:

While not all of these states have fully deregulated utilities, they all participate in some sort of electricity deregulation or natural gas deregulation.

• California
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana

What Is A Fully-Bundled Fixed Rate For Electricity?

When shopping for an electric rate for your home or business it is important to understand the difference between fixed rates and fully-bundled fixed rates. 

Now, most regulators in deregulated states force suppliers to have transparent marketing not to confuse customers. But, there is always an energy supplier or two that tries to get creative and trick customers into thinking they are getting a fixed rate. Buyer beware!

When you are signing up for a fixed electricity supply rate, it is important that the rate is a fully-bundled price. Electricity supply rates, in most states, have three major components: electricity, capacity, and transmission. These charges are outside of your local utility’s delivery fees. 

A fully-bundled fixed rate includes all three price components into a single price per kWh or $/kWh. Some suppliers will claim that a rate is fixed when a single component of the rate is fixed and

Is A Variable Electricity Rate Bad?

Variable electric rates, unlike fixed electric rates, float up and down with the price of the energy market. Electricity, just like the stock market, is a financial product that changes in price regularly. Most homeowners and businesses elect to purchase a fixed rate so that they can control their budgets, but there are many advantages to a variable rate. 

Market Plus+

Some energy suppliers offer variable rates that are calculated by taking the average price of the market and adding the energy company’s margin to the price. These rates truly follow the market each month and can be beneficial when market prices are low. When the market is high, however, these types of electricity prices can cost you lots of money. 

Supplier Variable 

Other types of variable rates that do not have any sort of basis or calculation in the contract are left up to the discretion of the energy supplier.

How Can I Tell When My Electric Contact Expires?

Understanding the expiration date of your electricity supply contract can seem confusing. Do not fret! We are here to help! The expiration date of your contract can differ depending on the type of customer you are. If you are a residential customer, then many utilities allow you to switch or end your contract in a given month. Commercial customer contracts, on the other hand, follow meter reading cycles. Let’s look into this more…

Residential Customers

When you sign up for an electric contract as a residential customer, your contract typically starts on your next billing cycle. So, if your meter is read on the 10th of each month, then your contract will typically begin on the 10th of the following month. Most utilities have an enrollment period of a few business days, so if you sign up on the 9th, you might not enroll until the following month. 

When your contract begins, it typically has

How Does Energy Deregulation Work?

The history of energy deregulation is an interesting one to follow. Since electricity and natural gas are so essential to our daily way of life, there is much debate over how they should be regulated by the government, if at all.

To understand energy-deregulated markets, it’s best to first look at their history. Originally, utility companies were held by titans of industry. These private companies had a corner on the market and could charge whatever they wanted for electric and gas. The government finally stepped in after the Great Depression to place certain rules on how these companies could operate. 

Certain rules were placed on utility companies in terms of how much they could charge and how much of a return they could make on their investments. Eventually, these companies grew into the public, regulated utilities that we know today. 

The 1990s

In the early 1990s, after several energy

Moving Checklist: How To Setup/Disconnect Your Utilities When Moving

So, you’re moving? Congratulations. Whether you just purchased a new home, signed a new apartment lease, or are relocating for work, moving can always be an exciting and nerve-racking experience. With moving trucks, packing tape, and boxes, the last thing on your mind might be disconnecting and setting up new utilities. We made this checklist to make things easier for you. Enjoy!

Cable, Phone, & Internet

Make sure you remember to cancel your services at your existing property or transfer them to your new home. Many cable and internet providers will willingly transfer your service to your new address, providing that they serve customers there. Canceling service is quite simple and many companies even allow you to do this online.

NOTE: If you still have a landline and you want to keep the same number, make sure that you talk through this with your provider. If you cannot

Rising Energy Costs In Texas And What You Need To Know To Save Money

The cost of energy is high in Texas and the rest of the country. Understanding how to battle rising energy prices is critical to controlling costs during these uncertain times. In the past, choosing a low fixed electricity rate was a simple way to save money on your utility bills. Now, you must develop a better plan since rates are nearing 15-year highs. Here are some tips for saving money on energy in Texas brought to you by EnergyPricing.com.

First Things First: Why Are Prices So High?

Although some of you might not care to know why we think it is an important concept to understand so that you can plan for the future. In Texas, most power is generated using natural gas turbine generators (see figure below).