After all, you picked the electricity provider for your home. Sure, you did a little research, compared some rates and looked at your available options, but even if you were thorough about it, that didn’t take you more than a few hours’ time, at the most. Surely commercial electricity isn’t that different. Choosing a provider for your business should be more or less the same, shouldn’t it?

Unfortunately, no. One does not simple…pick a commercial electricity provider.

Business electricity and residential electricity are similar in that the same thing happens as a result of both services—you flip a switch, and the lights come on. Your computer powers up. All your gadgets and gizmos have juice. The AC works. But that is where the similarity between the two stops. They may accomplish the same thing (provide you with power), but they are priced, structured and sold in vastly different ways.

And frankly, that makes it confusing. First and foremost, because you can choose a fairly simply, straight-forward rate plan for your business much like you did for your home. However, business electricity includes fees that do not apply to residential accounts. And you have a number of other options besides that simple rate plan. It might be the best plan for you, or there might be another option out there that will save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars annually.

Yep, the stakes are that high.

So, what do you do? All those options, all those choices—how do you find the one that will save your business money? Do you just pick?

Hopefully, no. You have a resource at your disposal you may not even realize is there. And even if you knew about it before reading this post, maybe you didn’t realize how powerful that resource is. So powerful, it could (and almost assuredly will) save you time and money if you harass it and use it.

That resource is a proven commercial electricity broker, like the team of experts here at Live Energy.

Energy brokers know the business electricity market. They know the various options available to you. They know how seasonality, future growth plans, annual operational budgets and even location have the potential to affect energy pricing. And they follow the market, so they know when to encourage you to make your move, allowing you to lock in a solid rate that will guarantee you savings over the long term. Electricity brokers are an invaluable resource, and all you have to do is ask for their help.

Here at Live Energy, we’ve been working with businesses of all shapes and sizes for more than a decade. We’re proud of the reputation we’ve gained for helping our clients develop commercial electricity strategies that save them both time and money. We love what we do, and our clients love it, too, because they’ve reaped the rewards of our expertise.

Don’t “just pick” your next business electricity contract. Build a strategy. Know your options. Make an educated choice. Call the experts at Live Energy at 888-341-9155. We can help you make an informed decision to meet your business’s commercial electricity needs.

The post Picking A Commercial Electricity Provider appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

A brilliant short article published on The Var Guy, a corporate IT website featuring news and advice, tackles the issues (and potential problems) of a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach to technology solutions for business owners. The post is entitled ‘DIY is for Bathrooms, Not Business Continuity”, and includes this little gem of professional wisdom:

If you’re a fan of home improvement shows, no doubt you’ve seen the nightmare scenario: A homeowner gets well into the demolition phase of a project and then discovers something unanticipated. It could be faulty wiring, a crumbling foundation, leaky plumbing — you name it. The project is now more complicated and costly. As you’re watching the episode, you’re probably thinking, “Glad that’s not me!”

Similarly with business continuity, there may be unforeseen issues that make DIY a poor choice for an SMB [small/medium business]. Fortunately, there’s a proven alternative to going it alone.

He goes on to site three specific considerations for small/medium sized business owners to consider before taking on their IT solutions on their own: cost, risk and time. Those same three factors should be carefully considered when planning out your business electricity strategy, and a electricity broker can help you deal with each of these more effectively.

When it comes to your commercial electricity account, cost is typically thought of as your rate. At the most basic level, that’s what commercial electricity cost is. However, there are so many options available to business owners that cost does not stop there. Power can be priced a number of different ways depending on your needs. A fixed rate may or may not be the best option for you, and there are typically other fees included in your bill. An electricity broker can help you sort through your options, landing on one that truly fits your business while avoiding unnecessary additional fees.

Risk is an entirely different animal. The business electricity market is volatile even in the best of times. Professional electricity brokers spend a great deal of time analyzing and tracking the market to help their clients mitigate risk. Attempting to navigate the market on your own can be tough, and one wrong move can be costly.

Finally, time is a significant factor, as well. Comparing one contract to another, managing relationships with multiple sales agents, interpreting industry jargon and giving each option its due consideration is a time consuming process. A business electricity broker can reduce the time commitment for you by providing you with a single, unbiased point of contact. Your broker agent can handle all the communication with each commercial REP (retail electricity provider) and present the available options to you in a way that makes sense, empowering you to make the best possible choice with the least number of hours invested.

There are a lot of power brokers out there you could choose from—how do you make that choice?

At Live Energy, we’ve been working with clients to help curb the cost, risk and time commitment of choosing a commercial electricity provider since the first day of deregulation. We have a proven track record of successfully partnering with literally thousands of businesses, and we’d like to partner with you. Our team of experts thrive on helping business owners make smart, cost effective choices. We are a business electricity brokerage firm you can rely on.

If you’d like to learn more about how Live Energy can help you lower the cost, risk and time commitment of developing a business electricity strategy, call us today at (817) 810-7770. DIY works for some things, but when it comes to your energy arrangements, there is a clear advantage to calling on the experts.

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

But, here’s the thing about the commercial electricity crystal ball—it doesn’t exist.

We operate in a futures market. At the end of the day, no one knows with certainty what will happen in the market in the coming weeks, months or years. And, as much as we wish we had a psychic on staff who could tell us which way the commercial electricity winds will blow before the market moves, we don’t.

In the past few weeks, this blog has covered a variety of topics that impact the cost of commercial electricity: weather, the natural gas market, PUC regulatory changes, heat rates and more. At any given point in time, there are easily at least half a dozen factors influencing the price of commercial electricity rates. And those rates are rarely stationary. More often than not, they are trending up or trending down. To get the best possible rate for your business, you need to know what direction the market is headed.

And given that a competitively priced commercial electricity rate can save your business a significant amount of money, it’s important that you use the best resources available to lock in the lowest possible rate.

While we don’t have a psychic on staff here at Live Energy, what we do have is ten years of experience helping businesses like yours navigate the commercial electricity market and some of the top industry technology available. Our experience and technology don’t help us see into the future, per se, but our team of experts are able to use that technology and experience to help you lock down a low rate that will fit your business. That’s what we’ve done for thousands of clients since the Texas energy market deregulated ten years ago, and that’s what we can do for you.

If you’d like to find out more about how Live Energy can help you find the right commercial electricity rate for your business, give us a call at (817) 810-7770. Don’t let the volatility of the market or the variety of options overwhelm you. Call on the experts. We’re here to help.

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

Summary: Business electricity traded sideways most of last week,with natural gas opening at $4.609/mmbtu and closing on Friday at $4.618/mmbtu. The announcement of the newly approved LNG project as reference in the previous post. Business electricity rates are looking a bit bullish, particularly in 2014 and beyond. Below you can see the range of prices across Texas. Please note that prices are moving at all times and in order to secure the lowest rate possible we always recommend obtaining custom price quotes by clicking here.

Approximate Lowest Fixed Rates by Utility
The rates below are indicative. Please contact us for executable pricing.

AEP : $.058
TNMP : $.048
Centerpoint : $.058
Oncor : $.055

LMP (Real-Time) Rolling Average for the Past 30 Days
The rates below reflect and average round the clock price.

Houston : $.03380 / kWh
North : $.03031 / kWh
South : $.03157 / kWh
West : $.02656 / kWh

The post Business Electricity Rates in Texas : May 25, 2011 appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

Tracking the natural gas market is the key to understanding electricity price trends.  There are those that rely solely on a technical view, and others who lean on their own fundamental analysis.  At Live Energy we look at both.  In addition to the every day analysis, every once in a while there are certain events out on the horizon that present an absolute certainty that the market will react one way or another.  As I write this post today, there are several critical factors that we believe must be taken into consideration, if you have a business electricity contract expiring in the next 12 months.

Recently the natural gas market has been skipping off the natural market floor, that is a function of natural gas / coal parity.  When natural gas is as cheap as it currently is, it is near parity with coal.  When this happens there are generation units that have the ability to switch from coal to natural gas.  This establishes a natural floor around the $3.75 per MMBTU mark for natural gas.  At this level, you often see generators switching to natural gas, which results in a tightening of supplies, and establishes support of natural gas prices around $3.50 to $3.75.  So the bottom line is that natural gas prices really cannot go lower from where they currently are for any sustained period of time.

Factor #1 : The November Elections

In November we will finally see how the much-anticipated elections will play out.  If the democrats hold control of both houses, it is very likely that the economic outlook will remain negative, and may very well deteriorate further.   That being said, we are already at historic lows in the natural gas market, so that would likely mean that we would simply continue to trade sideways.  If the republicans are able to take the house or the senate, the anticipation of gridlock will likely be viewed positively with respect to the economy, as it would signal an end to the democrat’s agenda being pushed through.  Businesses in the US are hoarding cash, because of the uncertainty about what the rules of the game will be in 2011 and beyond.  A bit of gridlock should be enough to push some of these companies to begin spending again and doing some hiring.

Factor #2 : Lame Duck Congress

After the elections, lawmakers will return for what many anticipate will be a lame duck session.  During this session, it is very likely that all of the Bush tax cuts will get extended.  If this happens, you will have another shot of optimism about the economy; quite possibly enough to really change the dreary outlook that has plagued the US for the past couple years.  It is uncertainty about the business landscape that has caused the economic wheels to slow, and taxes are one of the biggest unknowns at this time.  This unknown factor has many businesses playing defense, until this issue is decided one way or another.

Factor #3 : Colder Then Normal Winter Predicted

Major weather reporting centers are already calling for a colder than normal winter.  This could begin to manifest as early as November, during the heat of the election aftermath, and the lame duck session.  Obviously this would be a bullish signal that could send prices higher with just a few consecutive weeks of heavy withdrawals from natural gas storage.

So, what to do?

At this point, the possibility of prices getting any lower is slim to none.  But there are three looming factors that will absolutely, without a doubt impact economic outlook, and by default impact the energy markets.  It would not be the least bit surprising to see the market jump over 30% from current levels as early as November.  Remember that one year ago prices were 30% higher than where we are today.  The key takeaway here is that if you like what you are seeing with rates today, and you know that you are going to have to make a purchase in the next 6 months, we strongly recommend that you not wait until November.  Get your deal done now and eliminate the looming risk from the picture.

The post 3 Critical Factors That Could Rock Electricity Markets in the Next 90 Days appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

Business electricity prices continue to hold at support with Natural Gas (NGOCT 10) closing yesterday, down 4.6 cents to $3.76 / mmbtu on the Nymex Henry Hub.  Between August 26 and Sept 10, we have traded in a range between $3.95 and $3.69.

Yesterday saw storage come about where we expected it to at net injection of 58 BCF.  This continuation of 12 weeks of supply contraction was not enough to spark a move to the upside.  The downward trend remains in place, as you can see in the chart.  The 50 day is still trading below the 200 day moving average, and there is really no indication that the market is going to break one way or another as we close out the week.

We are seeing lots of commercial and industrial clients shore up electricity renewals out beyond 2012 while prices remain depressed.  With the natural gas to coal parity considerations, this feels like smart move at this time.  A break out over $4 may signal a missed opportunity.  Locking in electricity rates with NG at any where close to $3.75 looks like a very safe bet, particularly if you have an immediate start.

The post Business Electricity Prices Hold At Support appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.

It’s amazing how quickly market sentiment changes although the fundamentals remain unchanged.  We are still brimming with a glut of natural gas, and the chances of a significant rebound in prices would require that we not only have a severe winter, but that we see a reversal of the demand destruction brought on by the recession.  As winter sets in it appears more and more likely that we may actually go through the winter of 2009 with a $4 handle at the Nymex Henry Hub.  This would have been unthinkable just a year ago.

For those businesses that have the credit and ability to lock in electricity or natural gas prices now (for the calendar year 2010 and beyond), this may very well be the perfect time to take advantage of an extremely soft market.  Only time will tell if we have hit the bottom, or if there is still further to go.

The post Texas Electricity Prices Uncertain appeared first on Energy Broker | Business Electricity Rates | Commercial Electric Rates | Live Energy Inc.