Natural gas prices fell well below the expected price as it continues to fall on the market. Prices fell from the $3.40/MMBtu  mark all the way down to $3.23/MMBtu. This marks the lowest point natural gas has reached in over 4 months. Cooler temperatures this summer could be attributed to this price decline, granted temperatures have risen recently. Prices are expected to continue to decline due to the bearish outlook natural gas has put out. Storage received an injection of 96 this past week. This amount was well above the expected output, but still far from equaling the storage totals from last year. Despite this, storage is 20 Bcf above the 5 year average. The East region once again received the highest amount of this injection.

Crude Oil

After a week flirting with the $110/barrel plateau, oil took a sharp decline. Oil prices fell to around $102/barrel which would mark the lowest point oil has reached in over 2 weeks. Analyst believe with the large stockpiles increasing prices could drop below the $100 mark sometime in September.

Commercial Electricity Prices

ERCOT: Rates were seen between .061 – .077 cents.

PJM: Prices seen between .069 – .084 cents.

NY-ISO: Rates were found between .067 – .081 cents.

Weather Outlook

This upcoming week the South will be looking at temperatures increasing anywhere from 2 – 6 degrees above average. The East will be having cooler than expected temperatures, 0 -2 degrees cooler. The West and Midwest should experience a similar fate with temperature rising 2-4 degrees above average. Hurricane season thus far has not been as chaotic as once thought, helping gas prices fall well below the $3.50 trading mark.

The post Natural Gas, Crude Oil and Commercial Electricity Rates appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

After a bearish market the past month, natural gas finally reverted to a bullish state. After weeks of falling below the $3.70/MMBtu threshold, Monday provided a breakthrough for the gas market. Prices shot through the barrier and settled at $3.74/MMBtu for a weekly high. However this weekly high didn’t last long. Prices fell to around the  $3.69/MMBtu on Thursday, eliminating any progress in which the market had gained this past week. Storage received an injection of 41 Bcf, much the below the anticipated amount of 58 Bcf. The East as usual received the largest of the injection at 25 Bcf. Storage is still 399 Bcf shy of last years mark, but still remains within the 5 year historical range.

Crude Oil

Crude oil remains bullish despite seeing the largest 2 day loss this summer. Prices began falling on Tuesday, and have continued to decline. However despite this drop, production continues to grow. This is one of the reasons the market was able to stay above the $105/barrel. According to an article on Bloomberg.com, Phil Flynn states “Yesterday’s report showed that U.S. oil production was at a 22-year high last week. The durable goods number was good but it wasn’t enough to move the market into positive territory.” Flynn, a market expert, believes the key reason the market has held up so well is because of oil production being so high. Many experts believe before the weekend that the market will rebound and continue it’s bullish outlook. Price for oil on Thursday was listed at $105.02/barrel. Look for oil to stay above the $100/barrel range.

Commercial Electricity

ERCOT: Prices range between .056 – .088 cents

MISO: Prices are showing between .048 – .079 cents

NYISO: Prices range between .051 – .081 cents

PJM: Prices were seen between .057 – .094 cents

Weather

The South will not receive any favors this time via the weather, with warmer than normal temperatures expected. The West will also experience temperatures well above their averages. The Midwest and North should see cooler temperatures than usual.

The post Natural Gas, Electricity and Crude Oil Update appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

Natural gas fell to a low point of $3.52/MMBtu this past week, but was able to rebound to $3.66/MMBtu.  Speculation remains bearish, after seeing gas prices dissipate to below $3.55/MMBtu earlier this week. Storage continues to increase, which is contributing to natural gas’s price drop. Storage is currently showing 2605 Bcf. However this injection of 72 Bcf, is much less than the previous weeks. The East experienced the most change, receiving an injection of 48 Bcf. Storage continues to be below the 5 year average, however it is still within the 5 year range.

Crude Oil

A bullish crude oil market has producers jumping for joy. Prices finally jumped over the $100/barrel hurdle for the first time in over 9 months. This was in direct response of two things. The first is inventories in the U.S. dropped for the first time in just over four weeks. The second deals with the speculation that the market won’t be able to meet market demand. According to Bloomberg, tensions between Egyptian leaders and the people have speculators believing it will have “…oil shipments cut.”   Crude Oil began the week at $ 96.57/barrel, but swiftly rose to $101.39/barrel. As U.S. stockpiles continue to decline, the price of oil should continue to rise. If this holds true we should see oil prices rising to around the $110/barrel range within the next couple of weeks.

Commercial Electricity Rates

ERCOT – The Texas region is experiencing rates between .048 – .078 cents

NYISO – The New York area is experiencing prices around  .05 – .085 cents

MISO – The Midwest is seeing rates between .04 – .072 cents

PJM – The greater Pennsylvania area is experiencing rates between .05 – .082 cents

Weather

The South will continue to see below average temperatures ranging between 2 – 4 degrees cooler. The East will be experiencing a warmer than normal temperature scale ranging between 2 – 6 degrees. The West and Midwest will be experiencing a range of temperatures between 2-4 degrees warmer than normal. Sometime next week temperatures should drop for both of those regions.

The post Natural Gas, Crude Oil, and Commercial Electricity Update appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

After seeing gas last week at 3.90/MMBtu, which was a 12 cent increase from previous week, natural gas spiraled down toward the 3.60/MMBtu mark. A .30 cent drop marks the most gas has fallen in a week over the past 2 months. This is quite the opposite reaction most analyst predicted, especially after seeing the market become bullish. The July contract closed at 3.80/MMBtu today, and the August contract will be up next for the market to value. After this large drop off and storage receiving high injections again, the outlook on the market looks bearish. Storage currently is at 2533 Bcf . This is a 95 Bcf increase, and a higher injection than the previous week. The East received the highest injection of the regions once again. Storage is below 2012’s levels, but still remains within the 5 year  historical average.

Crude Oil

Crude Oil continues to stay around $96/barrel, with a high point of $97/barrel this week and a low of $95.18/barrel. With a neutral market outlook for the week, producers are hopeful that with the news the stimulus package will continue to provide help to put the market above $100/barrel once again. According to a report on Bloomberg, the U.S. economy may not yet be done recovering from the market crash despite being well above where it was prior to the economic downturn. What does this have to do with oil? Enough to subside a bearish oil market. When reports began coming out that the Fed was expected to cut back on the stimulus plan, crude oil began to feel the effects price wise. It began a downward spiral from above $110/barrel to prices now nearing $90/barrel. Prices don’t all depend upon this stimulus package but news of this plan lasting longer created a more stable market. Prices are expected to fall due to demand, but not as drastically as once previously thought due to ongoing effects of the current stimulus package.

Commercial Electricity Prices

ERCOT – Prices range between .04 – .07 cents

NYISO – Rates were seen between .05 – .09 cents

MISO –  Prices range between .03 – .06 cents

PJM – Rates were seen between .04 – .07 cents

Weather

The upcoming days will be warmer than normal for the West, experiencing an increase in temperature between 2 -4 degrees warmer. The South and Midwest will be experiencing a cooler temperature than usual, ranging from 2 – 6 degrees cooler. The holiday week will provide the same relief for the Midwest, as for the South, it should remain neutral. The East coast looks to be neutral all week. The West wont catch any breaks this upcoming week, showing signs to continue to get warmer.

Other News

According to several senior analyst, there is a high possibility of a new monthly peak to be set not only today, but soon to be broken tomorrow. The projected peak load is expected to rise above 64,000. As of Tuesday (6/25), the month to date peak load was above 61,000. This could cause problems later this year. ERCOT was the only  region to be well below the the targeted reserve levels. High temperatures along with unexpected power failures could create a problem few want to deal with. With a higher than supply, ERCOT could experience rolling blackouts unless the power demand decreases which is highly unlikely. (Note – image was created June 26th, therefore the 27th and 28th are not actual figures)

The post Natural Gas, Crude Oil and Commercial Electricity Rates appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

This week, the natural gas market was a sleeper. Prices seemed to hover around the $4.00/MMBtu price range all week. The most movement we saw occurred this past Friday in which prices dropped down by .13 cents. This drop was the most movement the market saw, before it became relatively stable. With no real volatility in the market speculators can only depend upon one thing to truly dictate the market, weather. With a hotter outlook, prices should be able to climb above $4.00 once again. If the weather outlook provides a cooler than average temperature, then we should see prices continuing to fall below the $4.00/ MMBtu mark. Prices ended this past week around the $3.97/MMBtu range. That is a change of .14 cents from the previous week. Storage last week showed us an injection of 88 bcf, which was far less than this week which provided an injection of 111 bcf. The region with the highest injection was the East with a total of 58 bcf. This high injection is due to the cooler temperatures the East has been experiencing.The total amount in storage currently is 2252 bcf. This amount is still within the 5 year high and low mark, but is below the 5 year average.

Crude Oil:

Crude Oil continues to hover around the $94.5/barrel range. Oil is up from last week by $1.50. The oil market was more volatile than the NG market this past week, however that is not saying much. Traders continue to be bearish on crude oil due to the speculation involved with OPEC and our own Federal Reserve. Another factor affecting the oil market could be the emphasis on NG that many big name companies are focusing on now. With so many new shale plays being drilled, and with the large profit levels declining on oil, many companies have began to shift their focus to natural gas. According to an article posted by Kline & Company, we will continue to see more of a “economical shift” toward natural gas. However despite this bearinsh outlook, production is up on Crude oil [see News in the Market].

Commercial Electricity Rates:

ERCOT – Continues to show the largest spread. With weather forecast heating up, prices should rise gradually. Rates between .26 – .5 cents.

MISO – Due to previous weather, the Midwest is experiencing a wider spread then once predicted. Rates are expected between .2 – .34 cents.

NYISO – The New York market continues to see the highest prices among regions, with rates ranging between .32 – .52 cents

PJM – Like the Midwest, the Pennsylvania area is seeing a wider spread among it’s rates ranging between .36 – .48 cents.

Weather:

Weather seems to be the one factor driving the NG market that all the experts can agree upon. The outlook for the week calls for cooler than usual temperatures in the Midwest at the beginning of the week, only to be followed by a warm front. This front could cause temperatures to rise 2 to 4 degrees warmer than normal. The West can expect warmer than average temperatures throughout the week ranging from 2-6 degrees. The South will see much of the same, with temperatures rising 2 -6 degrees above average. Texas will see the majority of this increase. The Northeast will see relatively average temperatures for this time of year. Meteorologist have gone on record predicting a very active hurricane season. The first tropical storm, Andres, is on a collision course with parts of Florida and the Atlantic coast. Andres, is projected to not be upgraded to a hurricane thus having little to no effect on natural gas and oil prices.

News on the Market:

Live Energy continues to be at the forefront of helping their clients cut their commercial electricity cost. No matter the state of the market, we offer the tools and expertise to help you save money. Contact us today to SAVE , and see what we can offer your business.

Bulls on Parade -This week, the majority of the news about oil resulted in a negative feel for the commodity. However there is a positive outlook for the market with the recent news of production increasing. The past couple months on the market showed several production areas slowing to make up for the weakened demand for this commodity. The reason for such a positive outlook on the market now is due to a large decline in stockpiles. In order to counteract this large decline, production had to be increased to over 395 million barrels. Despite seeing the price of crude oil fall on the S&P 500, production has been increasing incrementally which is a bullish sign for the market.

The post Oil, Natural Gas and Electricity Market Update appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

The previous week, natural gas had been trending upward before a bearish end to the week slowed the price climb, and saw it settle at $4.18/MMBtu. However this week seemed even more bleak, seeing prices fall to near monthly lows due to the impending weather forecast. Several meteorologist have called for the beginning of June to be a below average month, temperature wise that is. This past week we saw prices dropping as much as .10 cents to around $4.08/MMBtu at one point in the week. The reasoning behind this drop is that with abnormally low temperatures the need for NG would again be minimal. The market did end up recovering from some of the past weeks loses. The futures contract for June, which is expiring, is currently seeing a price around $4.11/MMBtu. The July contract, which is currently being traded, began trading at $4.18/MMBtu . Although this contract has already seen prices fall.  Storage continues to see injections, especially in the Eastern part of the U.S.. Injections this past week totalled 88 bcf for a total  2141 bcf in storage. Despite the growth from week to week in the amount, last year’s figure of 2805 bcf continues to dwarf the current amount. Storage is slightly below the 5 year average of 2229 bcf but still within the historical range for the past 5 years.

Crude Oil

Crude Oil, which started the month (June contract) with so much promise, ended up continuing its fall. From averaging over $110/barrel to now averaging around just under $93/barrel. What could have caused this drastic change in such a promising market? According to several industry specialist the market is being affected by the Fed, which can only cause prices to continue to fall. According to an article written by Mark Shenk, the president of Schork Group Inc offered this opinion, “Bernake is a bigger determinant of what happens in the oil market than OPEC.” Bernake currently serves as the chairman of the Federal Reserve, and has said recently that the Fed will continue to cut spending as the economy continues to strengthen. The futures contract currently being traded  is around $93.5/barrel. This represents an increase from this time last year when the price per barrel was trading around $90.86.

Commercial Electricity Rates

ERCOT- Texas continues to have a large spread between rates, with some in the state receiving rates around  .026 cents. Others parts of the state saw rates around .043 cents. The ERCOT continues to see the largest spread in prices due to the vastness of the state.

NYISO- The New York market has seen rates range from as low as .046 cents to .063 cents. This showed an increase from the previous week in which rates were .01 cents lower.

MISO- This market showed rates anywhere from .03 to .05 cents.

PJM – The Pennsylvania area showed an increase from the previous week. Rates for this week began around .043 cents to .052 cents.

Weather

This past Memorial day provided cooler than normal temperatures across the nation. Temperatures are expected to rise 2 – 6 degrees over the upcoming weekend in much of the Southwest and Northeastern part of the country. The South is expected to see temperatures remain similar to this past weekend. Begining next week, the Midwest and East coast should experience cooler temperatures. These regions should expect a change of -2 degrees, which could provide some relief to the air conditioning unit. However, the West is expected to experience warmer temperatures than normal, with some areas in seeing an increase anywhere from 6-10 degrees.

News In the Market

That time of month is upon us again, and the July contract for NG is now on the table. We had learned from the previous month of June  that despite being in the midst of peak air conditioning season, prices continue to be lower than once assumed. With temperatures forecasted at the beginning of June to be significantly lower than normal, many speculators have bet on a lower air conditioning need. This signaled a restraint on the early season cooling. The temperatures expected have not been shown to be hot enough to require a high demand this early in the season. This had caused the June contract fall, especially in the previous weeks. The market continues to be speculative based on current temperatures and monitoring the NG market.

Nobody can predict the market, especially with how many variables that come into the equation with electricity. Companies constantly  lose money because they were not using the proper tools or resources to cut their cost down. Here at Live Energy, we do all the work for you. We help you come up with effective cost saving strategies to help your company save on it’s electric bill. We aren’t with a certain company, so you know you’ll get the lowest rate from an energy company. Have a question? Find out how we CAN help you save money today.

The post Market Update appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, this post is the same song, new verse.

Natural gas, the primary fuel used in the production of commercial electricity in Texas, is currently selling at the lowest prices we’ve seen since the state deregulated power ten years ago. During that ten years, the price of natural gas has been well over twice what it is today for most of the time. At its peak, it hit prices as high as 6 times as high as it is now.

You don’t have to be terribly market savvy to understand the impact this can and does have on commercial electricity rates. If it costs generators less money to create power, it will typically cost consumers less money to buy it. When natural gas prices dip (as they have in recent months), the effect on commercial electricity rates is favorable—the price drops.

As Bloomberg reported just yesterday, “U.S. utilities…are burning a record amount of natural gas for generating electricity without triggering a forecasted boost to the fuel’s price from near 10-year lows.” That’s the good news, but there is more to this story than that. The same article from Bloomberg went on to point out, “Cheap gas, rather than helping power producers…, undercuts their revenue because it drives down wholesale electricity prices,” which is why the Public Utility Commission (PUC) in Texas is currently considering raising the Power Balance Penalty Cap and System High Cap to $4500 as soon as August of this year, with additional increases scheduled that could push the cap as high as $9000 by 2015. In Texas, we need energy production to be attractive to generators so that they will build more generation. We’re a growing state, and our consumption is growing, too. Without more generation, our needs will eventually outpace our supply.

While there are other factors influencing the cost of commercial electricity, it is still well worth pointing out that the natural gas market is low. Commercial electricity rates appear to have bottomed out for the time being, due largely to the cost of natural gas, making this a prime time to lock in a low energy rate for your business. Because rates seem to be on their way back up, waiting to make your move could end up costing you in the long run. Why not consider taking advantage of the favorable market conditions now?

At Live Energy, we specialize in assisting businesses like yours capitalize on our market knowledge to secure the lowest possible commercial electricity rate. We thrive on saving our clients money. We’re ready and willing to put our expertise to work for you. The Texas energy market is volatile—let us guide you through the variety of commercial electricity choice you have, helping you to select the product and term that will fit your business best.

If you’d like to learn more about how the powerhouse team here at Live Energy can help you trim your commercial electricity costs, give us a call at (817) 810-7770.

The post Natural Gas Prices Remain at a Ten Year Low appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

So far, this shoulder season of fall has seen a series of very large builds driven by mild weather and high production. Last year, which also saw historically strong builds during the first two weeks of October, witnessed 183 Bcf of net injections. The 5-year average build for the first two weeks of the month is just 130 Bcf. This year, roughly 215 Bcf has been added to storage, a 41 percent increase over the average. Three of the last four weeks have seen triple digit builds.

That large supply and mild temperatures have reduced the demand for natural gas which means prices fall. Futures have been stuck below $4/MMBtu since Sept. 15 and are likely to remain there until temperatures move significantly lower.

Electricity pricing isn’t immune to the shoulder period, either. Texans are finally enjoying cooler weather and have gleefully shut off their air conditioners after a near record-breaking heat wave. Subsequently, lesser demand for electricity has resulted in falling electricity prices as well.

Before the heating season approaches and prices go back up, now would be an ideal time to shop around for a lower electricity rate for your business. The intense summer heat across Texas strained the grid and many electricity providers as well. As a result, some providers have passed their increased operating costs onto their customers. With electricity rates at historical lows, you shouldn’t needlessly paying more for electricity when lower rates are always available.

With the help of a certified energy advisor from Live Energy, shopping for lower business electricity rates has never been easier. We’ll provide a detailed comparison of current electricity offers and a whole lot more. For more information on how we can help you find the right electricity plan for your business, contact us at (877) 810-7770 today.

The post Natural Gas Storage Report for Week Ending October 14, 2011 appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

• Stocks were 78 Bcf less than last year at this time and 28 Bcf above the 5-year average of 3,381 Bcf.

• In the East Region, stocks were 33 Bcf below the 5-year average following net injections of 61 Bcf.

• Stocks in the Producing Region were 54 Bcf above the 5-year average of 1,006 Bcf after a net injection of 24 Bcf.

• Stocks in the West Region were 7 Bcf above the 5-year average after a net addition of 12 Bcf.

At 3,409 Bcf, total working gas is within the 5-year historical range.

The post Natural Gas Storage Report 10-6-11 appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

The bill’s passage comes after Texas sued the EPA this week, asking a federal court to block the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The rule issued in July by the EPA would require substantial reductions in emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide at power plants in 27 states. The suit alleges the EPA hadn’t given the state enough notice or opportunity for comment and had based its inclusion of Texas in the rule on flawed science.

Texas PUC chair, Donna Nelson, expressed concerned after the EPA’s clean air ruling was announced that the dependability of the Texas grid would be jeopardized and that rolling outages would be imminent.

Luminant also said that it would sue the EPA, as well as shut down two units at a coal-fired power plant and cut 500 workers because of the rule.

The vote was 249 to 169, largely along party lines. Lawmakers in the Republican-controlled House have targeted Environmental Protection Agency air rules, saying they would kill jobs and burden businesses with billions of dollars in additional costs at the worst possible time.

“The Obama Administration is moving too fast and showing little regard for the economic consequences of their energy and environmental policies,” said Representative John Sullivan, who sponsored the bill.

The Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation or “TRAIN Act” would require a new interagency committee to analyze how several U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules affect industry, energy prices and electricity supplies.

The bill faces a difficult future in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and President Obama has threatened to veto it if it reaches his desk. But if passed, the bill would delay until at least February 2013 the effective dates of two clean-air regulations that the EPA was planning to phase in next year, buying some time for both Luminant and the Texas grid at large.

When you partner with a certified electricity advisor from Live Energy, you can manage the risks and reap the rewards of buying business electricity in a deregulated market. We’ll provide an apples-to-apples comparison of current electricity offers and a whole lot more.  Contact us today at 877-810-7700 to help you find, track and lock-in the best rate with an electricity retailer you can trust.

The post U.S. House Passes Bill to Block EPA Clean Air Rules appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.