In response to “ComEd rates are set to surge”
Written by Michael Vrtis, President of Realgy Energy Services in response to the Crain’s article “ComEd rates are set to surge”
The headline is clear, the timing is a year away…so what to do?
Short-term power planning normally means a 10 year span because power infrastructure (such as pipelines, power plants, distribution lines, etc) have useful lives of 25 years.
So, while the talk about a year-to-year rate hike is not unique, it is certainly unnecessary.
This is the result of Illinois legislators giving ComEd approval for expenditures (which result in rate or cost increases) that the regulators (think of them as the technical advisors) can’t review, modify, or reject. The result is political involvement and rate shock.
Perhaps the 23% rate increase will provide benefit; that is usually how the regulators hold the utility accountable. However, when the politicians approved this increase, guess who will, in turn, hold the utility accountable? That’s right, not a soul.
What to do? Sign up with Realgy Energy Services. Realgy has delivered costs below ComEd for over 5 years. We will continue to provide a fixed price that will reduce this unnecessary rate shock.
Check out Realgy Energy Services ComEd rates for May 2013 and see how much you could be saving www.realgyenergyservices.com Or Call one of our Energy Brokers today 877-300-6747.
Read the whole Crain’s article: “ComEd rates are set to surge”
In response to “Quinn vetoes ComEd rate hike bill”
Written by Michael Vrtis, President of Realgy Energy Services in response to the Crain’s article “Quinn vetoes ComEd rate hike bill”
Governor Quinn is sending a political message that should not pass through more thoughtful consideration of legislators. ComEd has already received approval from the legislators to bypass the ICC in their review and approval of their rates. ComEd has politicized the rate setting process instead of relying on the experienced technical and financial input of regulators.
While they may be successful in the short term, eventually the regulators will have to review their rates and then the balance will likely be restored. Allowing politicians to approve utility plans is not good policy and is even worse for rate payers.
Check out the Crain’s article: “Quinn vetoes ComEd rate hike bill”
The City of Northville has accepted a bid from Realgy Energy Services to supply natural gas
PRESS RELEASE 17 MAY 2013 | By: Realgy, LLC
Realgy Energy Services has won a bid to supply the City of Northville with natural gas through the Michigan utility Consumers Energy.
On Monday May 6th the City Council of Northville approved a bid placed by Realgy Energy Services to supply natural gas to the city. Realgy Energy Services out bid two other competing companies for the right to supply the city with natural gas.
The City of Northville started exploring the possibility of finding a lower cost alternative gas supplier in April. The City Council sent a request for proposals to seven alternative gas suppliers, all licensed with the Michigan Public Service Commission and also certified to operate in the Consumers Energy territory.
Out of the seven alternative gas suppliers, the top three were Options Utility Consulting, Xoom Energy, and Realgy Energy Services. By contracting with Realgy Energy Services, the City of Northville will save approximately 19% or $7,592.70 per year, based on their usage from last year and an average cost of $4.03/MCF. Realgy Energy Services will provide natural gas to the City of Northville, city employees and city employee family members for the term of the contract.
Realgy Energy Services is comprised of a group of people who worked for many years with large utilities, energy service companies, and energy marketers. Within these organizations, they saw the limitations of the systems and software and decided they could provide a more efficient service. First formed in 1999, Realgy Energy Services today is a retail energy marketer and wholesale energy provider in three deregulated states, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois with plans to expand. Realgy has had a perfect record (certified A+) with the Better Business Bureau; http://ct.bbb.org since 2003 and has been recognized as an Inc 500 | 5000 company in 2011 and 2012. http://www.inc.com/inc5000/profile/realgy
Contacts:
Realgy, LLC
Michael Vrtis
675 Oakwood Avenue
West Hartford, CT
860-233-2270
www.realgyenergyservices.com
ServiceMatch™
For all our natural gas and electric customers not currently on a fixed price, Realgy offers ServiceMatchTM as follows:
ServiceMatchTMBuyer has the right to present all written offers to RES that provide pricing and terms for service under the Program. RES will match the proposed terms and pricing from all qualified electric or natural gas service providers. If RES cannot offer better terms or pricing or match the same terms and pricing, RES will transfer Buyer to the new electric or natural gas supplier upon Buyer’s written request at the end of the Term. ServiceMatchTM is not valid when Buyer has a Fixed Price.
Please be aware that ServiceMatchTM is not a new service.
Realgy offers this and other services including but not limited to PriceWatchTM and natural gas storage, to all our eligible customers.
If you have any questions regarding ServiceMatchTM, fixed prices, or the end of your current Term, contact a Realgy Energy Services customer service representative at 860-300-6747.
The Realgy Energy Saver
Realgy Energy Services has a server room that generates plenty of heat from the hardware housed there. Accordingly, we have to use air conditioners to prevent damage to the hardware. This past winter, Mathew Sudowski, Director of Sales, came up with a way for Realgy Energy Services to recover the heat lost by the air conditioner exhaust from the Realgy server room. This heat recovery helped to increase the efficiency of the furnace. Because the furnace draws in air from the two upper levels as well as the basement where the server room and air conditioner are located, this plan worked perfectly.
Mathew Sudowski, Director of Sales
With the help of a local HVAC company, Realgy was able to retrofit the air conditioner exhaust, and reduce the workload of the Realgy office furnace. This retrofit also helped to save the company money over the winter season.
View of the AC exhaust retrofit
To find out how a natural gas furnace works check out this article “How a Natural Gas Furnace Works”
How a Natural Gas Furnace Works
Natural gas forced-air furnaces are by far the most popular method of heating in North America, mainly because they can distribute heated air from a central furnace to every room of the house and they can also be used in conjunction with a central AC unit.
The basic components of a forced-air system include:
- An air handler, which may be either a stand-alone blower cabinet used with a heat pump or a forced-air furnace that includes a blower
- A means of heating air, such as natural gas-fueled burners
- Ductwork for delivering cold air to the heater via a return
- Ductwork for sending heated air back to rooms via some vents
- A thermostat for turning the system on and off
A natural gas furnace reacts to changes in a room’s temperature. When the air temperature in the room drops below the thermostat’s set temperature, it alerts the furnace. Cold air is then drawn from the room’s return through ductwork into the cold air return and through an air filter. The burner ignites to heat the air as it moves through the furnace. The circulating fan helps the warmed air circulate through the ductwork and back into the room via vents. The cycle continues until the set comfort level is reached at which point the thermostat turns the system off until the next time the temperature drops.
Sources:
Wikipedia, “Furnace”
Buzzl, “How does a Gas Furnace Work“