Q: What is Deregulation?
A:  Deregulation is occurring on a state by state basis. It is the introduction of competition into the once monopoly controlled power companies. States that are embracing deregulation are now providing a choice for customers enabling them to select who will provide their energy. This creates a choice to select an energy company that will sell energy at lower utility rates. The same local power company that delivers natural gas or electric to the business or home will continue to deliver the energy that you use, but they must now deliver the energy that is provided by the competition.


Q: What is the Risk?
A:  There is absolutely NO risk! When you switch your utility service to a new provider, the switch occurs at the supply level, not at the local delivery level. This means that your current local provider will continue to deliver electricity and/or natural gas to your business or home without any changes. Your delivery provider will simply receive the energy that they supply from a supplier that you choose, who sells it to you at a lower rate and in turn reduces your monthly energy costs.


Q:  Is there any Service Interruption When I Change my Electricity or Natural Gas Provider?
A:  There is no service interruption at all. When you change your energy provider, the only thing that changes is the utility rate you are paying. The transition from your current provider to your new provider is seamless, and usually occurs after the next meter reading. The wires, pipes, metering equipment that are used to deliver the energy all stay the same. 


Q:  Are There any Changes in the Wires or Pipes that Deliver the Energy to my Business?
A:  There are no changes at all. Your new agreement to buy electricity from a different retail energy provider simply requires your local utility company to use the electricity and natural gas that is provided by the company you choose. The wires, pipes, and metering equipment that is used to delivery the electricity and/or natural gas locally stay exactly the same.


Q:  What Changes with my Current Provider?
A:  Your local electric and/or natural gas provider will continue to deliver the same energy to you. The only change that occurs is that they will now receive their energy supply from the retail energy provider that offers you a lower rate. Your delivery service will continue exactly as it does today without any interruption. Your local delivery provider will continue to be your point of contact for any local delivery issues or problems that may arise at your business or home. Your current service will operate exactly the same, except you will now be receiving a discount on your energy purchases.


Q:  Do my Bills Change?
A:  Your bills will come from the same provider, and you will submit payment to your current provider, just the same as you have always done. Nothing will change about the way that the bills are delivered and/or paid for. The only thing that will change on your bill is that you will now see a breakdown on your bill for various charges such as: generation, transmission, and delivery. In some cases, energy providers may require an automatic payment method, such as a credit card, which keeps administration costs as low as possible and, in turn, enables them to keep utility rates as low as possible. 


Q:  Who do I Contact for Questions About my Bill?
A:  For questions regarding the price or usage of your electricity and/or natural gas, you contact the retail energy provider that supplies your energy. For questions about the delivery of your service such as outages, meter checks, etc., you contact your local utility company, who is responsible for delivering the electricity and/or natural gas to your business or home.


Q: Who do I Call if the Power is Out?
A:  You call your local utility company, the same as you always have done. Your local utility is responsible for delivering the electricity and/or natural gas to your business.


Q: Will my Local Utility Company Give me Bad Service if I Use a Different Energy Supplier?
A:  No, this is illegal. It is important to understand that most outages are not to just one address, but to an entire area or zone in the service grid. The repairs that are conducted by the local utility company restore service to every business and home regardless of where they buy their energy from.


Q: What do I do to Sign-Up?
A:  Signing up is easy. Simply click this link “Price Quote” and you will be taken to the Custom Quote online form. The process is very straightforward. 
1. Fill out your contact information.
2. We call to confirm your inquiry and send you instruct you on completing the Letter of Authorization (LOA).
3. You fill out the LOA and also gather 3 months of energy bills, and them fax them to us.
4. Within 5 business days, we will contact you with the best money-saving energy plans available.
5. Simply choose the plan that you like best. Sign the offer and contract and return it by fax.
6. You then pay lower utility rates and begin saving money on your monthly energy bills.


Q: How Long does it Take to Switch My Service?
A:  The timeframe for a customer to switch is 11-45 business days. The switch normally takes place after a normal meter-read cycle.


Q: Why are Energy Savings Available?
A:  Energy savings are now available because competition has been introduced due to deregulation. This means that the power companies that used to have complete control of an entire market now have to deal with competition. This in turn creates competitive discounts that are available.


Q: What Changes Will I Notice?
A:  You will see no changes to your service, to the energy that is delivered, or to the customer support that you receive from the local delivery company.  However, you will receiver lower rates on the energy that is used, which will lower your bills.


Q: Who is Responsible for the Safety and Reliability of my Service?
A:  The local utility company who maintains the delivery system is still the responsibility for the service, reliability, and safety of the energy that you use. The local utility company maintains the power lines and natural gas pipes and repairs them as needed. The regulatory body that oversees utilities in your state will help to ensure that the local utility company continues to provide a safe and reliable delivery system for your use.


Q: Do I Have to Make a Long-Term Commitment?
A:  No, you do not have to make a long-term commitment. However, you should review all of your options, because it may be advantageous to lock in a low utility rate for a longer term contract. 


Q: Which States are Offering These Savings?
A:  Deregulation continues to grow. There are currently 22 states allowing energy deregulation. 


Q: How Can I Get Involved?
A:  Please contact us. There are opportunities to work with us, but you must become certified as an energy consultant.  Sales experience and working with senior managers in medium to large sized companies is desirable. Experience developing a highly profitable sales team is also desirable.


Q: Will my utility company be upset if I choose another supplier?
A: No. Utility companies encourage their customers to choose an alternative supplier because lower costs benefit everyone. By federal law they are not allowed to make a profit on the supply of electricity or natural gas. They make their profit on the DELIVERY of electricity and natural gas


Q: Will I notice a change of service when I switch my energy provider?
A: No. No matter which energy provider you choose, your energy will continue to be delivered safely and reliably by the local utility company.


Q: Can my new electric supplier can shut off my service?
A: Only your Utility company can terminate electric service to your home or business and termination is strictly regulated by the Public Utility Control.


Q: If my electric supplier goes out of business will I lose service?
A: Electric service will not be interrupted if a supplier goes out of business.  You would be returned to your Utility company without interruption of service. You could then stay with your Utility company or switch to another supplier.


Q: Do I have to give out personal information if I want to choose an alternative energy supplier?
A: No. Suppliers DO NOT NEED AND SHOULD NOT REQUEST personal information such as a Social Security number, credit card information, checking account numbers, etc.  Suppliers will need you to provide information from your electric bill to authorize the switch.  To avoid delay in switching, it is very important that you provide this information accurately.


Q: Will the savings begin immediately?
A: Customers who choose an alternative supplier are switched to the suppliers' rate on their next regularly scheduled meter reading date, unless there is a contract to start at a later date.  So, depending on where you are in your meter reading cycle it can take more than 30 days to have the supplier's rate appear on your bill.  To avoid delays in switching, it is very important that you accurately provide the necessary billing information to the supplier.


Q: Will my utility company lose money if I choose an alternative supplier?
A: Utility companies do not earn a profit on the energy they deliver to their customers.  The utility companies simply purchase energy to deliver to customers who do not choose an alternative energy supplier.  Customers pay exactly what the utility companies pay - no more, no less.


Q: Is there a charge to switch to another energy supplier
A: There is NO CHARGE to switch suppliers and you can return to your utility company's standard service generation if you like.  Most suppliers do not have a cancellation fee, but some do.  So, be sure to ask whether the supplier charges a cancellation fee before enrolling.


Q: Aren't the savings too small to bother switching?
A: No. Depending on the offer, you can lower your total utility bill by 10% or more.


Q: Is it difficult to switch?
A: No. It's EASY TO SWITCH and the supplier you choose will do the work for you.  You will need to provide the supplier with certain information from your electric bill.  To avoid delay in switching it is very important to accurately provide the necessary information.  Double check this information to be sure it's correct.


Q: Will suppliers start billing me separately for my electric service?
A: Depending on the state, you will continue to receive one electric bill from your utility company. Otherwise you will receive one from your utility company and one from your new supplier, but you will still be saving anyway.


Q: What has stayed the same in electric and natural gas service with deregulation?
A: Your current transmission and distribution utility (TDU), continues to deliver electricity and natural gas to your business or home. Your local utility company still responds to service interruptions and continues to maintain the poles, wires and pipelines. You will continue to receive the same reliable service you are used to with your local utility company, regardless of which energy provider you receive supply from.


Q: What has changed in electric and natural gas service with deregulation?
A: As a result of deregulation, you can now choose to buy your energy from a different provider than the local distribution company in your area. These competing companies are called retail energy providers and now own the power generation plants.


Q: With deregulation, will the reliability of my electric or natural gas service change?
A: No. Regardless of which energy provider we help you choose, your electricity and natural gas will continue to be delivered safely and reliably by the local utility company which is still regulated by the Public Utility Commission.


Q: Does everyone have the option to choose a new electricity or natural gas provider?
A: No. You must be in a deregulated state. Also, city owned utilities and member owned cooperatives have the option of giving their customers a choice of providers, or keeping things the same.


Q: Is this going to cost me anything? (money, time, etc.)
A: No. The service we provide is free to you the customer.


Q: Will I have to do anything to make the switch? For example, will I have to have someone have to come to my house to set anything up (like when I switch cable companies)?
A: All you do is sign up with the new supplier and your new supplier will take care of the rest.


Q: What happens if my electricity goes out? Who do I call?
A: You call the same utility company you have always called.  The electricity that you purchase will still be delivered by the same utility company you have always used.


Q: Will the utility company make me less of a priority because I don't use their service? i.e. Will I be the last one to get my power restored?
A: Because you still pay the same utility company for your electricity you are still their customer. This means you will be treated fairly like every other client.


Q: What if I switch and don't like my new provider? Can I switch back? Will it cost me anything to switch back?
A: Like all other contracts (insurance, phone, cable, etc.) there might be penalty clauses in the agreements if you decide to break your contract. Be sure to read and understand all of the details.


Q: How much money will I save by switching?
A: The savings will be based on which supplier you go with. Where you see no savings (unlikely) then you are under no obligation to switch.


Q: Do I have to sign a contract with the new company?
A: Yes, you will have to sign a contract to confirm you accept the terms of the agreement.


Q: Do I have to get my landlord's permission?
A: If you currently pay your electricity bill yourself you will not need to get permission from your landlord. Where your electricity expense gets assessed as part of your monthly ‘rent’ then ask your landlord to sign up and reduce that part of your bill here!