Who oversees a monopoly that is spending recklessly?
A utility is granted a monopoly to conduct its business for the benefit of the public. Without competition (and who would want more poles on the street or the road ripped more for more pipes), state regulators decide if the utility is spending money in the public interest; that is for improving the distribution of energy.
Peoples Gas estimated repairs to maintain its pipes at $4.5 Billion in just a year that number is now $8 BILLION.
This after a consultant was hired that reviewed Peoples work practice in the repairs and found them to be in disarray.
Recall, a utility monopoly earns profit by spending money; that is they earn a rate of return for borrowing money and investing it to perform its job. The regulators are charged with making sure we, the public, get its money worth.
In Illinois, the regulators overseeing utilities is called the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Without diligence and competency by the ICC, Peoples Gas can waste money and still earn a profit without the residents receiving any benefit.
If there is no competition for service, we need a strong watchdog to ensure we get value for our investment.
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: www.realgyenergyservices.com
Supporting Article:
Monopoly or Market Choice: should the monopolies decide?
State law makers are the ones who decide on the passage of laws, but business and their lobbyist try to steer them.
So do monopolies…as has been recently demonstrated in Michigan.
State lawmakers passed an energy bill reasserting monopoly control back to the state electric utilities.
The state lawmakers in rewarding DTE and Consumers Energy with more monopoly control did so at the expense to state residents.
Consider:
- With only 10% of business able to choose their wholesale supplier since 2001; they saved $1.1 billion. But they want to roll this back.
- They will protect outdated and polluting power plants because it benefits the utilities.
- Michigan has some of the highest electrical costs in the Mid-west, because they have little competition and state lawmakers want it this way.
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: www.realgyenergyservices.com
Supporting Article:
http://blogs.detroitnews.com/politics/2015/11/09/dte-consumers-closer-full-energy-monopoly/
Price Protection vs. Realgy PriceWatchTM
NIPSCO sent out a letter to residents offer a fixed price . Realgy sent out an email, followed by a phone call offering a fixed price.
What’s the difference:
| Realgy PriceWatchTM | NIPSCO Price Protection |
| Term: Nov 2015 – Mar 2016 | TERM: 12 months |
| Price: $0.0345 / therm | Price: $0.0475 / therm |
BIG Difference: $0.0131 / therm
NIPSCo’s offer covers the summer months when natural gas pricing tends to drop.
Realgy’s PriceWatchTM covers only the winter months, when gas pricing is the highest and most likely to go higher.
Over the last 12 months Realgy has been 27.74% below NIPSCo’s price; this amounted to $3,784 in savings for our average customer.
So which fixed price is protecting you?
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: www.realgyenergyservices.com
Supporting Article:
Realgy’s PriceWatchTM: http://realgyenergyservices.com/request-for-service/pricewatchtm/
NIPSCO Price Protection Service: https://www.nipsco.com/our-services/price-protection-services
Utilities spent over $500,000 on lobbying politicians…guess who they were lobbying against?
Michigan utilities are monopolies; they have no competitors. So, why spend $1,600,000 (one million six hundred thousand dollars):
1. $500,000 in donations to political office holders
2. $800,000 in TV ads
3. 39 registered lobbying firms
4. 30 lobbyist agents
Who is this lobbying action against…. in a word, US. Anyone who uses energy in Michigan.
The utilities are attempting to prevent cleaner energy, expanding customer choice programs and allowing competition.
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: www.realgyenergyservices.com
Supporting Article:
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2015/11/utility_influence_in_michigan.html
MI Lawmakers target electric cars to fund roads
So, the theory is; that state and federal taxes on gasoline purchases fund road construction and maintenance. Yes, that is theory.
In practice, the gas tax goes to the general fund and is used at the discretion of lawmakers.
So, it’s interesting that the some 5% of car owners that own electric or hybrid vehicles would be targeted for a tax increase.
Yes, some MI lawmakers think of these car owners as not paying their share for road maintenance because they do not purchase gasoline (or purchase less of it).
Ah, theory…..
In reality; there are not enough electric or hybrid cars to make a real difference and taxing them with the idea that it would actually contribute to road maintenance…. sounds like a dead end to me.
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: www.realgyenergyservices.com
Supporting Article:
http://www.htrnews.com/story/news/2015/11/02/lawmakers-target-electric-cars-fund-roads/75049254/
PriceWatchTM
NG Futures Hit Fresh 14-yr Lows.
As Realgy is preparing to issue our annual PriceWatchTM Service, natural gas pricing is hitting its lows.
Look for the coming winter fixed price offer soon.