SaveOnEnergy.com, which lets Texas electricity customers find the best electric rate, is kicking off the new year with a fresh look to its website, but still brings customers all the savings and service thousands of Texas electric customers have already realized through the site.

SaveOnEnergy.com has been saving Texans money on their electric bills for six years now.  Its industry-leading commercial exchange program allows Texas businesses to get up to eight competing offers from pre-screened energy suppliers, all with a few clicks of the mouse, anytime day or night.  Businesses just enter a few simple details such as their address, service area, and monthly usage, and the information is instantly transmitted to eight competing energy providers.  These suppliers then contact the customer directly with their best rates, cutting down on time and effort customers have to take in finding the best deal out there, while assuring them of finding a competent, qualified energy provider that has been vetted by SaveOnEnergy.com’s energy experts.

Three new suppliers have been added to the commercial exchange portal for the new year, and each is a proven, reliable company that can offer Texas businesses savings on their power bills.  New to SaveOnEnergy.com are MidAmerican Energy, the national energy supplier owned by Warren Buffet, local stalwart StarTex Power, and Glacial Energy, another provider with a national footprint.  This trio joins SaveOnEnergy.com’s existing roster including TXU Energy, Reliant Energy, Cirro Energy, and Liberty Power, giving Texas business customers the power of competition and the ability to find the cheapest electric rate.  SaveOnEnergy.com has one spot open on its commercial exchange, and expects to have that spot filled in January.

All the energy companies featured on SaveOnEnergy.com have passed a rigorous qualification process to ensure customers only receive offers from proven, reliable electric companies.  SaveOnEnergy.com’s experts screen suppliers for financial stability, proven track records in the business, a strong management team, good billing systems and high levels of customer service.  Only the best providers make the cut, and customers can be assured that when they shop with SaveOnEnergy.com, they will not only get a great rate, they will get a great provider as well.

SaveOnEnergy.com plans to take its unique commercial exchange program to new states in 2009, which will likely include New York, Illinois, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Connecticut.  Soon customers in those areas will be able to enjoy the power of competition and convenience of SaveOnEnergy.com, and get multiple competing quotes with just a few clicks of the mouse.

SaveOnEnergy.com also helps residential customers find the best rate, too.  Applying the same rigorous criteria to screen energy providers, SaveOnEnergy.com finds the best deals in the market, and recommends the best plans for customers.  Whether customers want a fixed, variable or green product, SaveOnEnergy.com finds the best of each type, and presents the best offers in an easy-to-understand format.  Residential customers can also choose products with bonus features, such as airline miles, gift cards, rebates, or other rewards.  It just takes a few minutes for residential customers to enter their service area and review the best rates on SaveOnEnergy.com.

SaveOnEnergy.com is launching its most aggressive marketing and advertising campaign ever in 2009, including TV, radio, outdoor signage/billboards, print ads, venue sponsorships (such as the Nokia Theatre in Dallas), and internet marketing campaigns.  It’s all to get the word out that Texans can save money by shopping for a better electric rate, and that they don’t have to take a lot of time to do it.  SaveOnEnergy.com makes shopping a breeze, and helps Texas customers find the best electric rate.

Falling energy prices continue to give Texas electric customers an early Christmas gift, as lower electric rates give Texans the opportunity to lock-in a low, fixed electric rate for the coming year.

Fears of a prolonged recession overpowered announced production cuts by OPEC, with oil ending the week at $33.87 a barrel, a four and a half year low.  Natural gas ended the week at $5.55/MMbtu after dropping another 7¢ Friday.  Persisting low energy prices translate into good deals for Texas electric customers, who have an opportunity to lock-in a cheap rate for 12 months or longer, and ensure continued savings even if prices rebound in the new year.

SaveOnEnergy.com allows customers to take advantage of the current lows in the energy market, by empowering them to easily and conveniently find the best electric rate.  By having several qualified and vetted energy suppliers compete online for customers’ business, customers know they’re getting the cheapest rate possible, without having to devote hours to researching all the rates and offers in the market.  And SaveOnEnergy.com’s energy experts ensure customers find a reputable energy provider that will be around for a long time, and won’t leave customers stranded.

In more good news for Texas customers, a study commissioned by the state Public Utility Commission found that a new market design for the state’s grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), will save customers $5.6 billion over 10 years.  The so-called “nodal” market, which will increase the pricing points on the ERCOT system, will allow ERCOT to run the market more efficiently, and use the lowest-cost generation more often.  The nodal market will also reduce the impact of “congestion” on transmission lines, which, just like on the roads, prevents cheaper power from flowing to customers.  Although the market has been delayed to December 2010, and will cost $660 million (double the original cost), the study finds the market will, overall, produce big savings to customers.

Customers in the Houston area will soon be getting another way to save money as the Public Utility Commission approved new “advanced” meters for customers at CenterPoint Energy.  The “smart” meters will allow customers to track their power usage in real-time in their home, allowing them to take more conservation measures to lower their bill.  The meters will also support products that price power more cheaply during certain times of the day, allowing customers to shift some of their usage (such as washing clothes) to times when the rate is cheaper.

The meters will be deployed between now and January 2014, with 145,000 installed in 2009 and 500,000 every year thereafter.  Customers in Dallas are also having smart meters installed by Oncor.

Texas electric customers can still act to lock-in a low electric rate before the start of the new year, but prices may soon rise as OPEC seeks to stop oil’s unprecedented slide.

While oil was still under $50, prices rose nearly 10% last week, on indications producers are willing to cut supply to support higher prices.  News the U.S. government may help automakers through use of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) bailout fund also stopped a slide in prices.

Officials from Saudi Arabia reported that the OPEC member has already delivered cuts promised to OPEC, a sign that world supplies are smaller than traders had estimated.

Saudi Arabia’s oil production was “absolutely” in line with its OPEC quota, Minister Ali al-Naimi said in an interview.  The desert kingdom is the world’s biggest oil producer and OPEC’s most influential member.

Natural gas prices fell to under $5.50/MMBtu, making this a great time to shop around for a cheap electric rate, before higher gas use in the winter heating season pushes prices back up. 

Customers can remove the hassle of finding the best electric rate by using SaveOnEnergy.com to choose their energy provider.  SaveOnEnergy.com allows customers to shop from the comfort of their own home, anytime day or night, and takes the legwork out of finding the right energy supplier.  SaveOnEnergy.com vets and screens several electric companies who compete for customers’ business, meaning customers get the benefits of competition without having to worry about whether their chosen supplier is financially sound and stable, because SaveOnEnergy.com’s team of energy professionals qualify each company so only the best providers with low rates, sound business models and high levels of customer service are listed.

Meanwhile, a report by the Energy Retailer Research Consortium confirmed that Texans have the best choices when it comes to buying electricity.  The analysis ranked Texas’ electric market #1 in the U.S. and Canada for both business and residential customers.  Because of Texas’ progressive electric market, customers can choose from a significant variety of products and services, including: locking in energy prices for a year or more, indexed energy prices, hourly electric rates, green or renewable products, the bundling of maintenance services with electricity, the development of on-site power generation, premium power quality services, backup power and reliability services, energy efficiency services and opportunities for customers to participate in bulk power markets.  Customers in other states don’t have all these custom options to fit their individual needs.

Texas electric prices continue to fall along with other energy commodities, and it’s still a good time to lock-in a low, fixed electric rate through SaveOnEnergy.com.

Electric prices have been falling with the price of oil, which has lost nearly two-thirds of its value since the summer, and is now trading just above $50.  According to news reports, OPEC will probably wait until mid-December to decide whether to cut output.  That means Texans still have a window to shop around and find a cheaper electric rate before any tightening of the oil market.  Some analysts see oil sliding to $40/barrel absent a reduction in output.

SaveOnEnergy.com provides a one-stop shop to find a cheap electric rate and a new energy provider.  Its one-of-a-kind retail exchange portal allows Texas businesses to get multiple rate quotes from several pre-screened energy providers with just a few clicks of the mouse, making saving money on electricity a breeze.

Meanwhile, market reforms in the wholesale Texas electric market have suffered a setback as the state’s grid operator, ERCOT, announced a new “nodal” market meant to combat the volatility in prices seen this spring will likely be delayed until December 2010.  That’s nearly two years later than the original start date of January 2009.  The price tag of the market design has also doubled, to $660 million, though the new market is expected to produce consumer savings of about $6 billion.

The bad news for consumers is that a repeat of this spring’s extreme volatility in electric prices, which saw wholesale prices reach into the thousands of dollars per megawatt-hour, may still be lurking around the corner until the new market is eventually implemented in 2010.  However, due to the ballooning cots of the project, Texas regulators and politicians are taking another look its cost-benefit ratio, to make sure it will still benefit customers overall.  Thus, the project’s future completion is dependent on a new cost-benefit study due in mid-December.

One of the main reasons for this spring’s high prices was “congestion” on the state’s electric wires — just like having too much traffic on the road.  The congestion kept cheap wind power from West Texas from flowing into populated areas like Dallas and Houston.  As a result, consumers in those areas had to be served with more expensive power generated closer to the cities, which raised Texas power prices to unseen levels.

The new “nodal” market is intended to combat such congestion by pricing power differently.  Under this nodal structure, there will be more transparency into congestion, which will let power companies mitigate its effects.  Currently, ERCOT and electric companies can’t always see congestion in real-time, which means they can’t change their operations to reduce energy prices.  By making congestion more easily detectable, the resulting higher prices may be mitigated.

As oil prices continue to fall and recede below $50/barrel, so are Texas electric prices, and customers still have a great opportunity to shop for a long-term, lower rate.  And the ability of Texas electric customers to choose their energy provider is keeping rates lower than what they would be under old-style monopoly regulation, new studies from separate groups confirmed last week — even when comparing higher prices seen this summer.

First, The Analysis Group compared the current electricity prices that Texans are paying with what rates would have been if customers could only buy their power from the old TXU or Houston Light and Power.  The analysis confirmed that electric competition is saving Texans real money.

If customer choice had not been implemented, prices since 2001 in the Dallas and Houston areas would have doubled, and would exceed 20¢/kWh, The Analysis Group determined.  Based on adjustments for today’s higher fuel and labor costs, regulated rates for residential customers today would be 20.28¢/kWh at TXU and 21.67¢ at Houston Light and Power.

That’s significantly higher than the low prices available today, and anywhere from 6¢ to 8¢ more than the prevailing rates under competition, which average in the 12-13¢ range.  Moreover, under the old monopoly system, customers would be paying higher rates with no alternative to choose from.  With competition, not only do Texans get lower prices, they can shop around for electric companies offering renewable energy, rewards and loyalty points, and higher levels of customer service.

A second study by the Northbridge Group confirmed that Texas electric rates are not raising any faster than similarly situated states that depend heavily on natural gas to fuel their power plants.  The study found that rates in regulated and deregulated states tracked each other very closely from 1997-2007, and that deregulation is not responsible for higher prices in Texas.

Texans still need to take action to enjoy the benefits of competition and lower prices, however.  Many Texans still have not switched their energy provider, and remain with their old “legacy” electric company from the monopoly era.  In doing so, customers are paying more than they need to for electricity.

While electric choice may seem like a complicated and time-consuming task, SaveOnEnergy.com has made it easy for Texans to take advantage of competition and find cheaper electric rates.  SaveOnEnergy.com works with several reputable and stable energy providers to find the lowest rates and best products in the market, and then makes it easy for you to compare and select them in the comfort of your own home.  With just a few clicks of the mouse you can compare different options and pick the right electric plan for you, making saving money on your electric bill a breeze.

Continued negative economic data is pushing energy prices down further, giving Texas businesses more opportunities to lock in a cheaper electric rate through SaveOnEnergy.com. 

Even though OPEC is racing to cut production again, it doesn’t appear the cuts will prevent oil from sliding to $50/barrel, as sharply lower retail sales have spooked the market and cast serious doubts on economic growth, and demand for energy. 

The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales fell by a record 2.8% last month, surpassing the old mark of a 2.65% drop set in November 2001 in the wake of the September 11^th terrorist attacks. 

The news prompted OPEC to schedule a second emergency meeting in as many months to shore up prices, but the previous production cut failed to stop oil’s slide, and prices have fallen another 8% since the meeting.  It’s unlikely further action will stop the bleeding either, given global recessionary fears.  Oil fell to $56 during Friday trading, nearly two-thirds off its summer high of just under $150.

Meanwhile, higher-than-expected storage injections of natural gas pushed NYMEX natural gas prices down to $6.05/MMBtu in Friday intraday trading — again, well off historic highs seen earlier this year, although prices rebounded a bit later in the day.

It all means Texas customers who have not taken advantage of the current buying opportunity still have a chance to find a cheap electric rate and lock-in savings. 

Texas business owners can leverage the power of competition to find even lower electric rates using SaveOnEnergy.com’s exclusive retail exchange portal, which lets electric companies compete head-to-head for the customer’s business.

The best part is it’s fast and easy, while still giving business customers the best electric rate with reputable, proven energy suppliers.  It takes just a few minutes to enter the business’s address and usage information on SaveOnEnergy.com’s online exchange portal, and the data is instantly transferred to energy providers in real-time.  Energy suppliers then contact the customer directly with their best energy prices, cutting down on the time and hassle it takes to shop for electricity.

Current electric prices are at levels that were unthinkably low just three months ago, and businesses have a real opportunity to cut back on expenses in a struggling economy where every penny counts.  SaveOnEnergy.com is a quick and easy way to improve your business’s bottom line, and make sure you’re not giving up an advantage to your competitors by paying more for electricity than you need to. 

Texas businesses still have a good opportunity to lock-in a cheap electric rate thanks to falling natural gas and oil prices, but businesses should not wait too long because OPEC is accelerating the date for an emergency meeting where the cartel is expected to cut production in hopes of raising prices, while gas producers are announcing plans to scale back drilling due to lower natural gas prices.

That means the window on lower energy prices may be closing, and Texas businesses should shop around for a cheap fixed electric rate now, before rates start rising again.  Natural gas, the driver of Texas electric rates, has fallen about 50% since summer spikes saw $13/MMBtu, and trading last week saw prices hit the $6.40 mark.  However, lower prices mean producers are starting to shut-in production wells because the price cannot cover extraction.  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week reported several companies have announced plans to shut-in rigs, raising the specter of rising prices from reduced supply, while the total count of U.S. oil and gas rigs fell by 14 last week.

Meanwhile, OPEC moved a planned emergency meeting originally scheduled for late November up to October 24, in a response to the sharp decline in oil prices, with oil closing at $69 on Thursday, about $60 lower than recent highs.  Analysts expect OPEC to cut production 500,000 to 1 million barrels per day in an effort to raise prices, which would likely reverberate throughout the energy market.

With natural gas and oil supplies potentially shrinking in the coming weeks, the currently low electric rates may be put under pressure to rise as wholesale energy prices increase.  That means the opportunity to lock-in a long-term, fixed electric rate may be disappearing.  Texas businesses looking to save money on their electric rates should shop for the best rate now, before prices start rising again.

Cities and counties in Texas have realized the current buying opportunity, and are acting to lock-in today’s favorable prices.  Municipal leaders have recognized the “short-term window” of cheaper electric rates and are acting to save their taxpayers money by shopping around.

While cities can hire attorneys to draft custom Request for Proposals for their electricity deal, Texas businesses can get the same power of competition without forking over thousands in legal fees.  All businesses have to do is log onto SaveOnEnergy.com to quickly and easily get competing quotes from several screened and certified energy providers, ensuring that businesses get the best rate possible. 

SaveOnEnergy.com’s one-of-a-kind commercial retail exchange portal gives businesses bargaining power when searching for a cheap electric rate, and puts the power of competition to work for them.  It takes just a few minutes for business owners to enter their information on the SaveOnEnergy.com exchange portal, and energy suppliers respond directly with their best rate.  It means businesses can shop for the lowest electricity rate without having to spend thousands on consulting fees or lawyers, and can complete the process in just a few days, rather than having to spend weeks researching and vetting energy providers, because SaveOnEnergy.com ensures only the best, financially sound suppliers compete for you business.

Falling natural gas prices make now an excellent time for Texas businesses to lock-in a cheap electricity rate ahead of the winter season, when higher natural gas demand from colder weather could erase the slide in gas prices.

The economic slowdown has depressed natural gas prices from the highs seen during the summer.  Once topping $13 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu), natural gas has tumbled to just over $6.50/mmBtu, bringing down electricity prices with it.  Natural gas is down about 40% from the levels seen in January, when the recent run-up in gas prices started.  The fourth quarter of this year is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of these low prices, and avoid any similar spike in January of 2009 caused by weather or other market conditions. 

Falling oil prices also make this a good time to lock-in a cheap electricity rate, as intraday trading has seen oil hit $77.09, a level not seen since September of 2007.  However, OPEC has called an emergency meeting for November, at which time it will likely cut production to ease the oil price slide and return prices to the $100+/barrel level.  Any such action would likely move natural gas prices higher, meaning business owners have a brief opportunity to lock-in a good electric rate now before the oil and gas markets recover.

Even though the commodity markets are supporting lower energy prices, Texas businesses still need to make sure they’re finding the best deal out there.  But rather than taking days, if not weeks, to research over 100 electric companies in the market, and risk missing out on the current buying opportunity, businesses can simply use SaveOnEnergy.com to find the best electric rate quickly and easily.

SaveOnEnergy.com offers Texas businesses its one-of-a-kind commercial retail exchange portal to directly compare offers from several competing energy providers head-to-head.  All it takes is a few minutes and a click of the mouse, as businesses need to simply enter their address, service area, and monthly bill amount.  The information is instantly transmitted to several competing electricity companies, who then respond directly to the customer with their best deals.  SaveOnEnergy.com’s retail exchange portal cuts down on the time it takes to compare electric rates allowing business owners to shop for and compare rates on their own time.

More importantly, using SaveOnEnergy.com to choose an energy provider means an energy expert is vetting and screening your suppliers.  Businesses do not have to worry about locking-in a fixed rate with an energy provider that might go out of business in the next couple of months.  SaveOnEnergy.com’s energy market experts inspect each supplier to ensure they have the highest financial strength and fundamentals, and also only approve suppliers with low prices and high levels of customer service.  SaveOnEnergy.com’s retail exchange portal takes the work out of finding a cheap electric rate, making shopping a breeze for commercial electric customers.

The financial integrity of Texas energy providers is becoming a top concern for customers again after two of the top electric companies reported significant revenue losses related to Hurricane Ike, and are evaluating strategic options, including possible sale of the companies.  That makes vetting your electric company more important than ever, and SaveOnEnergy.com provides a simple, independent way to find a reputable, stable energy provider that won’t leave customers stranded.

A volatile spring in the Texas electric market saw about eight electric companies exit the business, either by dropping customers to expensive Providers of Last Resort (POLRs), or by selling their businesses to competitors.  Either way, customers may have lost their fixed-price electric rates they had originally contracted for.

Changes in how the wholesale market works made for a calmer summer, and it looked like the rash of failures in the electric market had been stopped.

However, that may change due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike, which has cost electric companies millions, and has put even the biggest, most well-known providers under a cloud of uncertainty.  Energy suppliers have been hurt not only because of lost sales due to outages, but because they bought power in advance to serve customers, then were stuck with that power that customers didn’t end up using.  Electric companies also had to set up emergency and temporary operations as their offices and employees lost power.  It all means that it’s been a rough third quarter for electric companies after a very bad second quarter, and the losses are piling on.  With credit markets tightening, electric companies have little recourse in looking to borrow to shore up their bottom line.

Reliant Energy, one of the dominant energy suppliers in the Houston area, announced that it is undergoing a comprehensive company re-organization after cutting revenue projections by $350 million due to losses from Ike.  The review includes selling to fewer of the largest business customers, in an effort to reduce collateral needs.  According to the Houston Chronicle, “renewing commercial customers may have to accept shorter-term contracts or deals structured so they bear more of the risk from changing commodity prices.”

Reliant has lost more than half of its stock value since Sept. 15, and investors slammed Reliant for its loss-prone retail business, questioning why the unit is not sold-off so Reliant can focus on owning power plants.  Reliant was forced to admit all options were on the table in terms of the future of its retail electric business, though it defended the value of the unit.  Nonetheless, many investors would like to Reliant sell the unit.

Meanwhile, another of the largest electric companies, First Choice Power, announced that it expects a $10 million loss in earnings from Ike. 

Both Reliant and First Choice Power are “incumbent” providers for certain parts of Texas, meaning they took over the customers of the old utilities like Houston Light & Power when competition started.  Because they inherited customers from the old utilities, many Texans see incumbent providers are more stable or reputable than many of the new competitors that entered the market in 2002.  However, with both Reliant and First Choice considering the future viability of their retail energy units, it’s clear that customers cannot just assume the companies they’ve always been with will be around in the next quarter or next year. 

Because of the complexity of the electric industry, it’s hard for customers to research an energy provider’s financial bona fides, especially when many are privately held.  That’s where SaveOnEnergy.com can help customers by vetting and screening electric companies, to get customers the best rates offered by the most reliable companies.  By using SaveOnEnergy.com to find the best electric rate, both residential and commercial customers can be assured their energy provider won’t abruptly leave the market and leave customers stranded on a higher rate.

The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) has acted to help electric customers affected by Hurricane Ike who may have trouble receiving and paying their bills due to the storm’s devastation.

In an order issued last week , the PUC suspended certain market rules regarding customer deposits and disconnection of electric service . For customers impacted by Ike (meeting a certain criteria discussed below), electric companies cannot charge deposits for customers to establish service, or deny service based on not receiving a deposit from such customers. The rule gives customers displaced by Ike a chance to set up new electric service at their new location without having to post an additional security deposit.

Electric companies are also prohibited from disconnecting electric service to customers impacted by Ike. The deposit and disconnection waivers run through October 10, but the PUC will re-examine them at a meeting on October 8 and may decide to extend them.

Customers in certain zip codes in the Houston-Galveston area are automatically eligible for the added disconnection protection and deposit waivers. These are customers in CenterPoint Energy areas whose zip codes as of 9 p.m. on Sept. 23 had outages to more than 60% of customers living in the zip codes.

Customers in other CenterPoint zip codes, and customers at Texas-New Mexico Power, are eligible for the emergency consumer protection measures if they lived in a county that is included in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster declaration (or in Rusk County) and provide evidence that they have been adversely impacted by Hurricane Ike. Such evidence could be aid from FEMA, the Red Cross or similar governmental/non-profit organizations, rental assistance from Disaster Housing Assistance Program-IKE (a joint effort by FEMA and Housing and Urban Development), or proof of home damage. Proof of residency in an affected county, through a driver’s license, electric bill or voter registration card may be required. There are also specific rules for customers in the Entergy area.

Officials have reported that 6,000 Texans remain in shelters after Ike, and another 8,000 are in FEMA-funded hotel rooms. The emergency protections apply to eligible customers whether they remain in the Ike-affected counties or have relocated.

Several electric companies have also announced additional consumer protections for those in affected areas, such as longer times to pay bills, extended bill payment deferral plans, waiving late fees, and extending special summer customer protections for low-income, the ill and disabled and those age 62 or above, which were scheduled to end September 30.

The PUC also moved to make sure customers aren’t hit with overly high estimated bills. Because utilities have been focused on getting the power back on, they haven’t been able to read meters, and bills issued since Hurricane Ike will be estimated until all service is restored.

The PUC ordered utilities to use their best efforts to take into account the fact that customers lost power for several days when estimating bills, to ensure the bills reflect such lower usage. The utilities are also to account for the fact that customers with damaged homes may be using less power, or no power if they have evacuated, when computing the bill estimates.

The PUC also directed the electric companies in the Houston-Galveston area to develop a process to allow customers to initiate electric service . Utilities have not read meters to initiate service for customers moving into that area because workforces are currently devoted to restoring service.

The Commission has put together a website for customers to check on the status of power outages .