DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Here is this weeks’ EIA natural gas storage report. Working gas in storage was 2,493 Bcf as of Friday, March 18, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 15 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 1,017 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 846 Bcf above the five-year average of 1,647 Bcf. At 2,493 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range.
Estimated withdrawal now became an early inject Estimated of 18 Bcf
Vs
Actual Injection 15 Bcf
The US will likely enter injection season with a titanic 1 Tcf more gas remaining in storage than this time last year. A consensus of analysts surveyed by Platts expects the US Energy Information Administration will estimate an injection of gas into storage between 18 Bcf and 22 Bcf for the reporting week that ended March 18. An injection within expectations would compare with the 4 Bcf withdrawal reported at this time in 2015 and also more than the 24 Bcf five-year average withdrawal, according to EIA data. The wider range of analysts’ expectations for this week called for an injection of 14 Bcf to 25 Bcf. This marks the first net injection of the year and the de facto end of heating season. “We might get another small withdrawal with cold hitting the Midwest and the large market of Chicago coming up, but for all intents and purposes the winter is over,” said storage analyst Stephen Schork in an interview Wednesday morning.
NY PSC Approves Territory-Wide Deployment Of Smart Meters At ConEd; Directs Utility To Work With ESCOs on Data Access
New York’s utility ConEd was ordered by their public service commission (PSC) to deploy smart meters throughout its service area. By doing so, the NY PSC follows Illinois in a wide area deployment. However, that is where the similarities end.
In Illinois, ComEd lobbied the legislators and received authority to install meters throughout their territory.
In New York, their utility commission received and approved a ConEd proposal that substantiated the benefits and the costs for installing the meters.
In New York, costs overrun will be borne by the utility not the rate payer like in Illinois.
In New York, if the customer doesn’t get the promised benefits and cost savings the utility commission can deny the cost recovery (price increase to the customer) not so in Illinois.
A public utility commission is vital where a monopoly exists to oversee that expenditures result in benefits to customers. In Illinois, utility lobbyist were able to skirt this protection.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM and Index, Fixed pricing.
Additional Information:
http://www.energychoicematters.com/stories/20160318d.html
Illinois leads the Midwest in clean energy jobs
Good news in Illinois. Jobs. Manufacturing and energy efficiency jobs from growing clean energy industry.
A recent survey of Illinois and the surrounding states was conducted by the Chicago based Clean Energy Trust.
The job growth is in part fueled by the states declared 25% goal for clean sourced electric supply by 2025.
However, it was noted Illinois would have even more jobs if it wasn’t for current budget impasse and allocation of clean energy funds to developers.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM and Index, Fixed pricing.
Additional Information:
Will Natural Gas surpasses coal for electric generation?
When hell freezes over, well actually this year!
Over the last 10 years, the United States will have moved from generating over 60% of its electricity from coal and about 2% from natural gas to natural gas and coal suppling about 33% each.
What caused this shift, the drivers include:
- Costs
- Coal is increasing
- Converting coal to electricity is increase (due to emission controls)
- Natural gas is decreasing
- Converting natural gas to electricity is cheaper than coal
- Coal is increasing
- Meeting environmental emissions; natural gas produces much less carbon emissions and none of the mercury or metals of coal
- Cost of mining coal; mountain top mining has been nearly eliminated requiring more expensive underground mining
- Abundance of natural gas; proven reserve in the US have grown by 400%
What may be lost in this process is over reliance on a single fuel supply. When the next polar vortex hits it will expose the fact that not only is our electric generation tied to natural gas but so is the majority of our heating.
And what really hasn’t increased in these past 15 years; pipelines into our major population centers. The majority of our urban areas still are served by natural gas pipelines that will be fully committed, without capacity for supplying more. So the law of supply and demand will be balanced; and costs will rise and rise dramatically.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM and Index, Fixed pricing.
Additional Information:
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/natural-gas-to-surpass-coal-for-electricity-20154
Electric rates are a heavy tax on Wisconsin industries
What’s the number one issue for most business owners, politicians and homeowners; it’s the economy…right!
So the cost of basic services (water, sewer, electricity, etc.) is sometimes considered a tax. If so, it’s a tax that industry and homeowners can reduce given the choice.
In Illinois, the Illinois Customer Choice program has saved its business and residents $75 BILLION; http://realgyenergyservices.com/competition-work-tune-37-billion/
The savings are calculated by comparing what the monopoly’s default service costs compared to what consumers paid to energy suppliers offering supply service. By any objective analysis; a great success.
Wisconsin does not have a customer choice program. Which means that the utility retains a monopoly on supplying electricity. The result; Wisconsin pays about 25% more than surrounding states.
Wisconsin’s electric rates are projected to increase 4.2% over the next 3 years.
Competition for supply lowers costs and provides cleaner power. This has been proven by the states where customer choice has been offered.
Wisconsin may get customer choice if the regulators and politicians listen to their constituents.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM and Index, Fixed pricing.
Additional Information:
“full” regulation of brokers…
So, the all stop in New York for Customer Choice (http://realgyenergyservices.com/deregulation-of-a-small-part-of-a-highly-regulated-industry-just-collapsed/) is having ripples. One of the issues emerging is the role and cost of brokers. This may become a rallying cry as it allows marketers (who are already licensed, bonded and have “skin in the game”) to scapegoat brokers as the “bad actor”.
Realgy supports competitive agents. Realgy does not work with or support agents, brokers, consultants or aggregators that do not serve their client’s interest and do so in a honest and open manner. Sometimes, this means we do not serve a customer that is represented by such a broker/agent. Sometimes it requires us to cease doing business with a consultant or broker who puts their own interests ahead of the customer.
Realgy has seen where brokers can and do mislead customers. Realgy has seen where marketers can and do mislead customers.
Each state has oversight over marketers and has enforcement against fraud, abuse or misleading a customer. Realgy supports each state aligning the Customer Choice market to function as an open market and allow fair competition to set service and pricing.
Realgy will continue to provide competitive energy offers, through agents, brokers, consultants and directly to customers, to reduce costs and save as compared to the utility default service.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM and Index, Fixed pricing.
Additional Information: