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
5 energy-saving tips that cost $10 or less
There are plenty of very expensive ways to save energy and reduce your utility bills, but if you’re on a budget or don’t want to spend unnecessary money on home improvements, Realgy Energy Services has a list of 5 energy-saving ideas that will cost $10 or less.
1. Turning off your lights when you’re not in the room will cost $0 but will save you money!
Lighting accounts for about 10 percent of a typical household’s electricity bill, so turning off your lights when you’re not in the room is a great way to save some money off lighting costs, whether or not you upgrade to CFL light bulbs.
To find out how much money you can save simply by turning off lights when you’re not using them, head over to energy.gov
2. Installing low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators for under $10 each can help reduce the amount of hot water you use in your home.
This improvement can be a significant source of energy savings since about 73 percent of the water used in a typical shower is hot water. Using low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators can reduce your home’s water heating costs by as much as 50 percent.
3. Replacing an old incandescent light bulb with a CFL will cost less than $10.
Incandescent light bulbs may be cheaper than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) but they also waste a lot of energy, Ninety percent of the energy used by a traditional incandescent bulb is given off as heat. In addition, incandescent bulbs burn out much faster than CFLs which last at least 6 times longer and use about 75 percent less energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, upgrading 15 inefficient incandescent light bulbs to CFL or LED bulbs could save about $50 per year.
Still confused about the difference between watts and lumens? Check out this Realgy Energy Services blog post: Watt vs Lumens: How bright is that light?
4. Use a $10 power strip to slay energy vampires.
Just plug your devices into it and flip the strip’s power switch on when you want to use your devices and off when you don’t. Make sure not to use power strips with devices that have to run in standby mode to operate, like DVRs
Standby or vampire power as it is most commonly referred to, wastes $10 billion of electricity annually in the United States alone. The average US household has about 40 electronic devices that constantly draw small amounts of power.
5. Depending on how much you need, most homeowners can weather strip their windows and doors for under $10.
More than 20 percent of all the heated and cooled air that escapes your home sneaks out through gaps around windows and doors. When installing weather stripping, it is a good idea to measure the perimeters of the doors and windows needing weather stripping, total them up, and add about 10 percent to that number to make sure you have enough weather stripping.
Learn how to select and apply weather stripping at energy.gov
If you are still looking for ways to reduce your energy bills, enroll with a registered energy supplier like Realgy Energy Services. Check out Realgy Energy Services rates and see how much you could be saving www.realgyenergyservices.com
Sources:
ENERGY STAR, “Light Bulbs”
Energy.Gov, “Lighting Choices to Save You Money”
Energy.Gov, “Reduce Hot Water Use for Energy Savings”
ENERGY STAR, “Standby Power and Energy Vampires”
Energy.Gov, “Weather Stripping”
Energy.Gov, “When to Turn Off Your Lights”
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 Now Offering Electricity Services to All Illinois Customers
PRESS RELEASE 21 SEPTEMBER 2012 | By: Realgy, LLC
At their customers’ request Realgy Energy Services is now serving all Illinois electricity markets.
The president of Realgy, Michael Vrtis announced that the Illinois Commerce Commission has given authorization to extend service to residential customers in the Commonwealth Edison service territory. Realgy has also been approved to start serving all customers in the Ameren Illinois, MidAmerican Energy, and Mt. Carmel Public Utility. Realgy was previously authorized to service only retail commercial accounts.
“Our expansion in the ComEd residential electric market as well our entry into the Ameren, MidAmerican Energy, and Mt. Carmel Public Utility markets is the next logical step in Realgy’s plans to expand service to our customers in the Illinois market,” said Vrtis. “It’s the perfect complement to our existing Illinois gas services in the Nicor, Peoples, and North Shore markets. This expansion will give our customers a chance to save money on both their natural gas and electric. In addition, we will be expanding our Solar and Green Energy division, already established in Indiana, into the state of Illinois.”
Realgy Energy Services is an energy marketer serving retail and residential customers in Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. They have been serving Illinois customers beginning in 2004; since that time they have had a perfect record (certified A+) with the Better Business Bureau; and have been recognized as an Inc 500 company in 2011 and 2012.
Contact:
Realgy, LLC
Michael Vrtis
675 Oakwood Avenue
West Hartford, CT
860-233-2270
www.realgyenergyservices.com
Three ComEd smart Meters have caught fire
The Illinois Utility Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) announced Thursday that three of their new digital smart meters overheated causing fires in customer’s homes. The fires damaged metering equipment and the “immediate area around the meter,” ComEd said, adding that tests showed the smart meter design was not the cause of the problem.
“The cause was related to fitting and connection issues with an older-model socket that had a poor connection at the point where the customer’s wires and ComEd’s wires meet,” ComEd said in a statement.
Smart meters allow for communication between utility and meter. They can record and send temperature data, and alert the utility when outages occur.
Smart meters were installed by ComEd in 130,000 homes in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood and 10 western suburbs as part of a pilot program approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission in 2009.
To Learn more about smart meters check out the ComEd website
Find the whole story here
Sources:
Chicago Sun-Times, Comed says three smart meters have caught fire
Inc. Magazine has Unveiled Its Annual Exclusive List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies – The Inc.500|5000
PRESS RELEASE August 28, 2012 | By: Realgy, LLC
Realgy Energy Services Ranks No. 180 on the 2012 Inc. 500|5000
Inc. magazine has ranked Realgy Energy Services No. 180 on its sixth annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the fastest growing private companies. This list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – American’s independent entrepreneurs. Realgy joins Yelp, yogurt maker Chobani, Giftcards.com, KIND and famed hat maker Tilly’s, among other prominent brands featured on this year’s list.
“I am honored to see Realgy featured on the Inc. 500|5000 list for the second year.” says Michael Vrtis, President, “I would like to thank our vendors for allowing us to focus on our customers, the state of Connecticut for promoting small businesses and our employees for helping us to provide excellence in energy marketing.”
In a stagnant economic environment, median growth rate of 2012 Inc. 500|5000 companies remains an impressive 97 percent. Over the past three years Realgy has grown 1,919%, and is ranked 11th out of 103 companies in the energy industry. The companies on this year’s list report having created over 400,000 jobs in the past three years, and aggregate revenue among the honorees reached $299 billion. By comparison Realgy has created eight full time positions in Connecticut in the last six months, and had revenue of $32.3 Million in 2011.
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/5000.
“Now, more than ever, we depend on Inc. 500/5000 companies to spur innovation, provide jobs, and drive the economy forward. Growth companies, not large corporations, are where the action is,” says Inc. Editor Eric Schurenberg.
Realgy, LLC DBA Realgy Energy Services was founded in 1999 by individuals 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. Today Realgy Energy Services is an energy supplier in three deregulated states Michigan, Indiana and Illinois with plans to expand.
Contact: Realgy, LLC Michael Vrtis 675 Oakwood Avenue West Hartford, CT 860-233-2270 www.realgyenergyservices.comThe power has already gone out a few times this summer, were you prepared?
Here are 10 power outage tips from Realgy Energy Services to help you prepare for the next time the lights go out.
1. If you lose power, report the outage to your local utility
Many utility’s now have mobile apps that you can use to report your outage.
2. Stay away from downed power lines and call 911 to report them
Always assume electric lines are live and treat them with caution and respect. Even low-voltage electric lines and cords can be hazardous if damaged or improperly handled.
3. Set your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings before the storm hits
Be sure to return the settings to their normal position as soon as electricity has been restored.
Use Ice to keep your perishable food cold
4. Get extra ice to help maintain the temperatures in your freezer and refrigerator during the outage
Use plastic bags filled with ice (or water, if you have enough time to freeze it) in the freezer. Use block ice, if possible, in the refrigerator. And should the ice melt, you can drink the water.
5. Set aside water
Sanitize and fill spare containers with water for drinking. Fill your bathtub with water for use in the toilet. A bucket of water poured in the toilet bowl is all that’s needed for flushing.
6. Be prepared to cook outside
It is possible that your stove will not work, so you may wish to use your backyard grill for cooking. Do not use your grill indoors, without proper ventilation it can be deadly.
7. Stock up on batteries and easy-to-prepare food
Don’t forget flashlights (one for each person in your family), batteries and a manual can opener.
8. Unplug sensitive equipment
Voltage irregularities can occur for any number of reasons during or after a storm, especially if there has been damage on or near your home. Unplug any sensitive electrical devices such as your television, DVD Player, stereo, microwave, computer, iPod, answering machine, and garage door opener to name just a few.
9. Fill your car’s gas tank
It is important to fill your tank before a storm, since gas stations may not be operating during an outage.
Example of a “Lights out” kit
10. Prepare a “lights out” kit
Your kit should contain a flashlight, battery-operated radio, fresh water, prescription medicine, prepared foods and any other items you may need when the lights go out. It’s also a good idea to have some extra cash on hand and to fully charge your mobile phone.
Before the power goes out again make sure you are prepared!
Sources:
American Red Cross, Power Outage Checklist
FDA, Power Outages: Key Tips for Consumers About Food Safety
Solar cells you can see through
A team of researchers at UCLA have developed a new transparent solar cell that has the ability to generate electricity while still allowing a view of the outside.
This new kind of polymer solar cell (PSC) produces an electrical current by absorbing infrared light and not visible light, which makes the cells nearly 70% transparent to the human eye.
Visibly Transparent Polymer Solar Cells Produced by Solution Processing courtesy of UCLA
“Our new PSCs are made from plastic-like materials and are lightweight and flexible,” said study leader Yang Yang, a UCLA professor of materials science and engineering. “More importantly, they can be produced in high volume at low cost.”
The transparent conductor, another breakthrough, is made of silver nanowire and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which replaces the opaque metal electrodes used in the past. This composite electrode also allows the solar cells to be fabricated economically by solution processing. With this combination, 4% power-conversion efficiency for solution-processed and visibly transparent polymer solar cells has been achieved.
“We are excited by this new invention on transparent solar cells, which applied our recent advances in transparent conducting windows (also published in ACS Nano) to fabricate these devices,” said Paul S.Weiss, CNSI director and Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences.
Source
UCLA Newsroom, UCLA researchers create highly transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity