MI utilities are misleading you….
MISO area of electricity control is shown below in Green
If you don’t have a cup of flour but your neighbor does, can you still bake your cookies? Sure, you borrow a cup and share the cookies.
A Michigan marketing group, on behalf of two MI electric utilities, is running advertisements trying to say that the closing of state coal fired power plants will leave MI without energy. This statement is WRONG. Michigan like most of Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Iowa are all interconnected with Michigan. That is; each state’s energy generation and electric consumption is shared amongst all. A shortfall in one state is met by a surplus in another state. The electric transmission system ensures the power is delivered.
So MISO, which stand for Midwest Independent System Operator, is responsible for the electricity throughout the Midwest. Their forecast; a surplus of energy for the foreseeable future.
MI utilities want to retain coal generation to improve their companies economics. It has nothing to do with supplying power. In fact, retaining those coal fired power plants will prevent cleaner and renewable energy resources from generating electricity.
So don’t believe the scare tactics that you might see. If MI utilities want to retain coal generation, they can choose to do so. Modernize them and keep them viable. That way, they can serve the public and their companies honestly.
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:
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report 10/19/15
Working gas in storage was 3,733 Bcf as of Friday, October 9, 2015, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 100 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 447 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 168 Bcf above the 5-year average of 3,565 Bcf.
EIA estimates 91-95 Bcf
vs
Actual inject was 100 Bcf
An injection within expectations would be less than the 96-Bcf build reported at this time in 2014 but more than the 87-Bcf five-year average increase, according to EIA data. The wider range of analysts’ expectations for this week was for an injection of 77 Bcf to 104 Bcf. Last week, the EIA reported a 95-Bcf injection that increased inventories to 3.633 Tcf, which was 443 Bcf, or 13.9%, more than the year-ago inventory of 3.19 Tcf, and 155 Bcf, or 4.5%, more than the five-year average of 3.48 Tcf. “Demand picked up slightly, mostly due to increased heating load as temperatures are starting to decline on seasonal trends,” said Bentek Energy, a unit of Platts. “The increased heating demand was met with lower power burn demand. However, power-burn demand trended higher as the week progressed after starting … the week at relatively weak levels, and set a new single-day high for the month of October late in the storage week.” Greater demand decreased injection activity 24% week over week in the East Region, Bentek said. “This was partially offset by stronger injection activity within Bentek’s sample of facilities in both the Producing Region and the West,” Bentek said. FirstEnergy Capital analyst Martin King said that despite above-average temperatures during the reporting week, temperatures were cooler in the East, causing some “noticeable overnight heating loads.”
One program offers energy efficiency, savings and improved air quality… so why do MI lawmakers want to get rid of it?
Imagine: every $1 dollar you spent provided actual savings of $4.38 in ONE YEAR! Now, consider this is energy savings, so your savings continue every year going forward.
Awesome, right…. well, not if you’re a MI state lawmaker.
The average MI customer pays $1-$2 each month to fund energy efficiency programs under Integrated Resource Planning (IRP). The IRP program invests in the energy savings programs that provide energy savings, cleaner air and reduced energy consumption. While this is certainly a cost to consumers, the benefits accrue for everyone.
Gov. Rick Snyder has advocated expanding energy efficiency standards, and there appears no better way than to continue the IRP. Realgy supports the continuation of the IRP program.
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:
A race car in the Australian outback improves solar performance in US
Engineering, sometimes forgotten but is the cause of so much of the “cool” gadgets, buildings, machines and working stuff in the world.
Ever wonder what gets engineers excited, it’s to win!
In this case, the World Solar Challenge run in Australia challenges the world’s engineering schools to develop a car to run 1,800 miles on only solar power.
….and, if you are going to compete you want to win.
Their win thou give us all benefits. Improving solar performance for automobiles will improve solar performance on your house and will ultimately be used in cars.
So, Go Blue….University of Michigan and bring home the win and the benefits to us all.
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.wired.com/2015/10/car-racing-outback-can-boost-solar-us/
The Debate Over Michigan’s Electricity Deregulation: Should be in favor of Energy Consumers
Customer Choice programs are well established in the utility market. In fact, a recent study covering the last 20 years concludes that monopoly utilities that have no customer choice program pricing went up over 19% more than in utility markets with customer choice.
The debate is over; customer choice lowers prices for consumers, improves power plant utilization and supports local jobs.
It does so by utilizing the wholesale market (which has abundant power reserves), buying the energy at market pricing (ensuring jobs) and utilizes the existing utilities for delivering the energy (strengthening utilities by making them more competitive so companies won’t leave for less expensive energy).
The argument of subsidy, loss of state jobs or not enough power have all been proven to be false.
Michigan should fully embrace customer choice for the benefit of its residents and the strengthening of its economy and environment.
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, MangedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM and Index, Fixed pricing.
Additional information: www.realgyenergyservices.com
Supporting Article:
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2015/09/27/the-debate-over-michigans-electricity-deregulation-what-you-need-to-know/
and
http://www.governing.com/blogs/view/gov-local-government-electricity-competition-monopoly-challenge.html
20 Years of Customer Choice: Savings of 19%
Do you remember what you were doing 20 years ago? That’s how long ago many customer choice programs have been around.
Customer Choice is approved by a state and offered by a utility as an alternative to a utilities’ default service. By choosing a customer choice program, you are in fact, choosing only to buy direct wholesale power without ANY utility cost applied. The utility continues to provide all their traditional services such as billing, meter reading, emergency response, etc. So, the only reason to choose a customer choice offer is to provide savings compared to the utility default service. Energy marketers, those approved by the state and local utilities, contact with customer directly to serve them the wholesale power.
So after 20 years how does customer choice compare to utility default service. How does 19% sound?
That’s right. Utilities with only default service were 19% higher than utilities with customer choice over the last 20 years.
Many detractors have tried to make arguments that customer choice wouldn’t work by suggesting subsidies, not enough power is available, it would weaken the utility, loss of jobs, etc. However, this study, and others like it, have demonstrated that a customer choice program offers energy consumers a viable option other than default service by the utility. Energy marketers, in turn, purchase energy in the wholesale market (improving utilization of existing power plants), delivery it through the utility (increasing their revenues) and saving residents money (retain local jobs as business don’t move to chase lower energy costs).
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, MangedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM and Index, Fixed pricing.
Additional information: www.realgyenergyservices.com
Supporting Article: