What Influences Texas Electrical Rates?

By Jeremiah Bradshaw

With energy rates across the nation being affected by so many factors, Texas is no exception.Unlike many other western states, Texas does not have a lot of hydro-electric power so it has to plan to find electricity from another source.

When it gets hot in Texas, it gets extremely hot so you can imagine what millions of its residents turn to, air conditioning.

With backup generators that are powered by natural gas, Texas energy prices are directly tied to natural gas rates. With main generators already running on coal, the energy consumers and leaders of the state are limited in their options.

With several more variables in the equation that most other states, the prices of coal and natural gas can cause major log jams in the Texas energy market. In typical fashion the energy companies simply pass that added expense right on to the end user, as opposed to spend resources on finding a solution.

Texas spans more land than any of the contiguous 48 states, but also has one of the highest populations, which are evenly distributed across the land, making for interesting mitigation of any problems that arise. With so many more miles of cable, wire and other necessities, the grid in Texas is strained physically too.

With the rare problems previously discussed, the solutions are few and becoming fewer. It seems obvious in such a large state with so much sunshine that the Texas electricity grid should emphasize solar power development as it is refined and developed more.

As electrical efficiency becomes prominent as a national matter, we can anticipate to see Texas played up in the discussion and finally take the lead in direction. As we study the power landscape across the nation, few states have the resources and need to figure out the best way to solve the electricity difficulties. With more and more alternatives entering the arena of feasibility each day through technological learning, our answer will be a revolution for the entire world. - 31375

About the Author:

The author enjoys writing articles about California utility rates & California gas rates. Click on the links above to learn more about these topics!

California To Guide The Nation In Deregulation

By Jeremiah Bradshaw

Energy customer from all over the U.S. can exercise their freedom of choice in regard to the energy provider. It has taken several years in the making but it is finally here. The old way of doing things had the government negotiate on behalf of all of the people, a standard and consistent energy rate, but now Californians can seek out the lowest price for themselves.

The idea that bureaucrats could negotiate a better deal than the average consumer, and that the utility companies were going to grant a fair price just because the government said so, is ludicrous.

There were many good effects of regulation. With energy wholesalers accepting a baseline price, the energy prices were stable which allowed many people to budget accordingly, but this price was not necessarily the best price. If handing a large corporation millions of customers can ever be a good thing, then regulation was a good thing, but it so rarely is.

Regulation essentially granted the energy conglomerations huge amounts of customers they otherwise would never have gotten due to market limitations. Given that a broad assortment of providers is always in the best interest of customers, regulations sold them short.

When the government allows high dollar energy corporations to determine what is an acceptable price for the consumer, the only winner is the utility company. With regulation out of the way, energy providers are forced to start wheeling and dealing to find new energy sources and actually deal with customers in the free market way of reducing their prices to be competitive.

With the customers holding all the cards, the energy market will benefit and innovation will bring greater developments to the industry. Without the vital energy innovation brings to the energy industry, there would be no reason to bring about the desperately needed changes in our energy grid. - 31375

About the Author:

The author enjoys writing articles on retail energy provider & commercial utility company. Click on the links above to learn more!

Electricity Costs Can Cripple Your Business!

By Jeremiah Bradshaw

Being in a state or area that has allowed competition for power makes a person become no stranger to shopping for the lowest rate. The unit price for power that most people will compare between companies is pennies per kilowatt-hour. Along with shopping for the lowest rate comes looking at the corresponding restrictions, the criteria required to get the lowest rate. Yet with rates differing between six cents and thirteen cents in a given area, a shopper could easily expect many "hoops to jump" in order to receive a low rate. Start up fees, contract length, minimum hourly usage, and other such terms are just a start. Moreover, these charges can be varied from month to month for each patron or be fixed. Consistency from month to month in the rate pricing is usually categorized by the terms variable, fixed, or indexed.

Fixed, variable, and indexed are the most common terms which apply to the change in rate from one month to the next. Since fixed charges stay the same, a fixed rate plan will usually be paired with a minimum period of time on the contract and can "lock in" a low rate when rates are expected to rise. To the contrary, variable fees would be advantageous when the charges might be expected to remain stagnant and the patron would like the option to switch providers or cancel a contract in a short time frame.

Indexed rate plans, however, can add complexity to the range of choices and confusion about what determines the rate. Variable fees vary because they are based on the cost of the raw energy used to create the electricity, like the cost of natural gas. Indexed plans share the idea of variable rate plans that the rate varies from month to month AND that the rate is based on the cost of production, i.e., it is raised when the power provider must pass on to the end-user any rise in price of energy production. The uniqueness of the indexed plan is that it is more directly tied to the cost of the raw energy such that the end-user, the power customer, can be certain they are paying the lowest possible at the moment the raw energy is at its lowest cost.

A variable rate plan can, however, have an advantage when the electrical provider is trying to compete with other providers because the provider can choose to charge less just to be competitive. Whether variable or indexed or fixed and which provider will ultimately be chosen based on two things, whether the provider's wholesale energy costs are expected to rise and how long the patron can commit to being a customer of one provider or another.

Indexed rate plans, however, can add complexity to the range of choices and confusion about what determines the rate. The reason fees vary is because of the fluctuation in costs to produce electrical. Indexed plans share the idea of variable rate plans that the rate varies from month to month AND that the rate is based on the cost of production, i.e., it is raised when the electricity provider must pass on to the end-user any rise in price of energy production. The uniqueness of the indexed plan is that it is more directly tied to the cost of the raw energy such that the end-user, the energy customer, can be certain they are paying the lowest possible at the moment the raw energy is at its lowest cost. Variable rate plans can be based on other factors which are totally the choice of the electricity provider and can include such things as the customer's credit score. A variable rate plan can, however, have an advantage when the power provider is trying to compete with other providers because the provider can choose to charge less just to be competitive. Therefore, the end user may decide their commitment to a plan is based on two factors: whether raw energy cost -- the cost of producing energy -- is expected to rise or fall or maintain and whether their commitment is long term or short term. In one scenario, an electricity consumer would feel confident that the cost of raw energy used to produce power would go up in the near future, and that same consumer feels able to commit to a year with one provider, then that consumer might choose a plan with a fixed rate. Plans that lock in the rate for a year will likely have the lowest rate, as long as the customer's credit score, their lack of usage, or some other restriction does not bump the rate back up.

In another scenario, the cost of energy production might be predicted to fall, and even if a lengthy contract is preferable, a customer might choose an indexed plan to get the lowest price as soon as possible. But then let's say charges of electrical are declining while a patron is not willing to commit to a lengthy contract, then that patron would possibly select a variable rate and be able to shop for other competitive pricing as soon as desired. Not sure where to go from here? An electrical customer who doesn't wish to research all of this information every time their contract for power is fulfilled should consider the use of an energy broker, one who could shop on behalf of the customer and give the customer even lower rates than the customer could receive by working directly with the electricity providers.

Want help sifting through all the info? Consider the use of an energy broker, a company that can shop on your behalf to get the lowest rate possible, not only saving the hassle of shopping for you but can offer you lower charges from a specific provider than even that provider can offer. Energy brokers are like the generic "wireless" stores which offer prices from all different providers lower than could be attained at each provider's store because they are allowed to sell cheaper as an incentive from the provider to bring additional customers. - 31375

About the Author:

The author enjoys writing articles about cheap business utility & retail energy provider. Click on the above links for more information.