Electric Paint
A group of students from the Royal College of Art in London have created an electrically conductive paint. This electrical paint called “Bare Paint” makes it possible to apply liquid wiring to paper, plastic, metal, fabric and even skin.
The electrical paint was even used in a video “Humanthesizer” by DJ and producer Calvin Harris featuring his song “Ready for the Weekend”. Dancers who had been painted with the electrical paint triggered audio loops from the song by dancing.
Read the whole story “Liquid lights and musical posters: Welcome to the world of electric paint”
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”
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.
No buyer’s remorse with Realgy Energy Services, We are and remain below ComEd’s pricing
According to the Illinois Commerce Commission, ComEd’s energy price is projected to drop to around 5.55 cents per kilowatt-hour, from the current 8.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, that is a 2.75 cent decrease. The ComEd energy price includes the costs of transmitting electricity from power plants over high-voltage lines to the local distribution system.
Contracts municipal politicians and officials in 15 towns negotiated with power suppliers more than a year ago, to lower residents’ electricity bills, will soon exceed the costs ComEd customers pay starting in June.
The price being paid by most residents in Oak Park, which has an energy-supply contract with Integrys Energy Services Inc. until December 2013, is 5.79 cents per kilowatt-hour, 4 percent higher than the projected ComEd charge.
However this is not the case with Realgy Energy Services, they have been and remain below ComEd’s Pricing.
In northern Illinois, all customers pay ComEd to deliver their electricity but are free to choose a supplier to provide the electricity itself. The cost of electricity typically accounts for about two-thirds of an electric bill while delivery charges make up the rest.
Read the whole story Some suburban electricity deals to be costlier than ComEd
Does your TV use less energy than a 60-watt light bulb?
The Austrian company AMS is introduction new technology that will make it possible for a 42 inch flat screen TV to consume less energy than a 60-watt light bulb. This will exceed the requirements of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star 6.0 proposed standards, which, when implemented this spring, call for 42-inch TVs to consume just 62.9 watts of power. For any size, the maximum power consumption is 85 watts.
Picture courtesy of Alliance To Save Energy
“One of the biggest power users in consumer electronics today is the flat panel TV. Higher efficiencies are being mandated by countries throughout the world to reduce energy consumption,” AMS spokesman Herbert Truppe said in a statement. “By intelligently connecting AMS sensor-driven lighting technologies to current TV designs, high-quality viewing experiences can be delivered with no increase to the cost of the television, while significantly reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions.”
Read the Whole story at Venturebeat.com
Business Energy Saving Tips
Check out this great infographic from The Hub, which highlights easy ways for businesses to reduce energy bills. Print it out and share with everyone in the office; the more people aware of the energy savings possibilities, the more effective it will be.
Simple changes can significantly reduce business electricity costs.
If you are looking for an even larger reduction in your commercial electricity costs, consider enrolling with Realgy Energy Services as your electricity provider. Our customers have realized cost reductions up to 9.6% as compared to the local utility. Find us online www.realgyenergyservices.com or call 877-300-6747 to speak with an account representative today.
Source:
Utility Exchange Online, Business Energy Saving Tips – An infographic
Space Heater Safety
Space heaters can be a convenient way to temporarily heat a room or a small space, but if used improperly, space heaters can cause nasty burns or worse, create a fire hazard.
According to The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, space heaters are associated with an estimated 25,000 residential fires and nearly 300 deaths each year. More than 6,000 people receive ER care for non-lethal burns resulting from contact with the heating elements or hot surfaces of space heaters.
Here are a few tips to use your space heater safely:
- Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing, operating, and maintaining your space heater.
- Keep anything that may be flammable at least three feet away from space heaters.
- Place your space heater on a level, hard, non-flammable surface. Do not ever place on rugs or carpets.
- Avoid using extensions cords, but if absolutely necessary, use a heavy-duty cord of 14-gauge wire or larger.
- Never use your space heater near water because of the possibility of shock or electrocution.
- Always turn off your space heater when leaving the room or going to bed.
Source:
energy.gov, Portable Heaters
Why you should toss those old incandescent holiday lights
For most people the holidays mean time-honored traditions. But this year toss out some of those traditions by tossing out those old incandescent lights in favor of newer LEDs which consume less energy and cost even less to operate.
Older strings of incandescent lights can use up to 99% more energy than new LED light strings. In addition, LEDs are much cooler than their traditional incandescent counterparts, reducing the risk of combustion.
A string of new LED lights could last up to 40 seasons and since they are made with epoxy lenses instead of glass as are most traditional incandescent light strings, they are more resilient to damage.
As an extra bonus you can connect up to 25 strings of LED lights together end-to-end and not worry about overloading a wall socket.
If you are still not convinced that it is time to upgrade your holiday lights, check out these figures from energy.gov.
Estimated cost* of electricity to light a six-foot tree for 12 hours a day for 40 days
| Incandescent C-9 lights | $10.00 |
| LED C-9 lights | $0.27 |
| Incandescent Mini-lights | $2.74 |
| LED Mini-lights | $0.82 |
Estimated cost* of buying and operating lights for 10 holiday seasons
| Incandescent C-9 lights | $122.19 |
| LED C-9 lights | $17.99 |
| Incandescent Mini-lights | $55.62 |
| LED Mini-lights | $33.29 |
*Assumes 50 C-9 bulbs and 200 mini-lights per tree, with electricity at $0.119 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) (AEO 2012 Residential Average). Prices of lights based on quoted prices for low volume purchases from major home improvement retailers. All costs have been discounted at an annual rate of 5.6%. Life span assumed to be three seasons (1,500 hours) for non-LED lights.
Source:
Energy.gov, LED Lighting
Realgy Energy Services has been approved to serve Illinois electric and natural gas commercial and residential markets
At the request of our current Electric and Natural Gas customers Realgy has sought and received approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission to expand our services in the Illinois energy markets.
“This is the next logical step in Realgy’s plan to expand in the Illinois energy market and is the perfect complement to our existing gas services in the Nicor, Peoples, and North Shore markets,” stated Michael Vrtis, President of Realgy.
The Realgy Energy Services Illinois electric service area now includes both commercial and residential customers in Commonwealth Edison, Ameren Illinois, MidAmerican Energy and Mt. Carmel Public Utility. Realgy was previously only approved to serve commercial Commonwealth Edison customers.
The Illinois natural gas service area now includes both commercial and residential customers in Nicor, Peoples Gas, and North Shore. Realgy was previously only approved to serve commercial Nicor, Peoples Gas, and North Shore customers.
If you would like to enroll a residential or commercial account in any of these service areas, contact a Realgy Energy Services Energy Broker, at (877)-300 -6747 X 32 and have your bills ready.
For the full press release please visit the Realgy Energy Services Blog Press Release: Realgy Energy Services Now Offering Electricity Services to all Illinois Customers and Press Release: Realgy Energy Services Now Offering Natural Gas Services to all Illinois Customers