California has perfect weather for relaxing by the pool.  A pool’s number one source of energy loss, however, comes through evaporation.  In California this may be doubly true because the sunshine that makes such wonderful pool weather is also the very thing that evaporates the water.  Consider installing a pool cover to use over your pool when you aren’t enjoying it to keep your water out of the atmosphere and where it belongs.  Doing so could save you money on your California electricity bill.

When you find a better deal you can order new service right online through ElectricityRatesinCalifornia.  Don’t worry about being stuck with additional fees when the bill arrives because Electricity Rates in California has already calculated them into the final rate you are shown.  The process is so simple and completely transparent.  When you use ElectricityRatesinCalifornia to find a better deal you know that you truly are getting the best deal possible.

California generally has very agreeable weather with lots of sunshine.  The sun’s energy is free, so take advantage of it by installing a clothesline in your back yard.  Drying your clothes on the line rather than in the dryer will save you tons of money every month on your California electricity bill and the smell that comes with line dried clothes can’t be matched by any laundry product.  It’s also a great way to get your whites their whitest at absolutely no cost.

ElectricRates doesn’t believe in deceptive marketing schemes, so we calculate any fees or surcharges into the final rate you see.  It’s wrong to promise someone one thing and not disclose all of the details until they have already made the deal and ElectricRates will never do you this way.

If you are a business in California you now have the ability to compare electric rates from multiple electricity companies competing in the California energy market. Not all service territories are deregulated but several large ones are. Residential homes do not have the power to choose at this time but if it goes well for commercial electricity choice they may open up deregulation for residential homes as well.

California deregulation is a bit of a touchy subject considering the energy market manipulation that led to the California energy crisis in the early 2,000′s. This time around there are some tight controls and regulations to make sure nothing funny goes on with manipulating the price of energy and electricity power. Hopefully there will never be a Reliant Enron issue in California every again.

When choosing a competitive commercial electricity company it helps to hire a CA energy consultant that can take your electricity usage out to bid to several electricity companies competing to win your business. An energy consultant generally gets paid by the retail electricity provider and that provider considers their fee a cost of doing business. Many times an energy consultant can work the rate down through the reverse bid process and ultimately get you a cheaper price for your commercial electricity in California than you could do on your own.

To begin the process of getting an electricity quote for your California business please click the link below and an energy consultant will call you back within 2 business hours.

Begin the electricity quote process

If you are a small or large business in California you have the option to shop and compare California electric rates from several electricity providers in the state. The way deregulation works is a little counter-intuitive at first as doesn’t one company own the generation, transmission, and selling of electric service? In a large part that is true but to encourage a more fluid, competitive market that has fewer bureaucratic big government trappings the deregulated state will do some things to encourage the deregulation process to work.

To start off with they will separate the  transmission and generation electricity business away from the retail sales business. You would think this doesn’t make since although a large part of retail electricity sales is to hedge the raw electricity power on a commodities market such as the natural gas commodities market. Farmers do the same thing and it is a big part of insuring their profit when selling electricity or in the case of the farmer, corn.

So the power generators make their profits from selling this wholesale power but the retail electricity providers also make a profit by creating a “fixed electricity rate” product that may be fixed in price for a year or more. To make the rate fixed they have to hedge their electricity on the commodities market. The retail electricity provider has a very thin profit margin but they are generally able to save a California business searching for the lowest electricity price a good deal of money.

To use a case study, our energy consulting company was able to save a chemical plant in Texas almost $50,000 a year by choosing a competitive retail electricity provider. The reason they were eager to switch electricity companies without worrying about reliability issues is because the power still comes from the same source. Because there is this separation between power marketers, power generators, transmission and generation and retail electricity sales you don’t have to worry even if your competitive electricity provider were to go bankrupt.

Let me caveat that statement about not having to worry by saying, if the retail electric company in California were to go bankrupt there would be the problem of having to renegotiate the electricity agreement at potentially a higher price with a different electric supplier. Since the retail electric provider in CA went bankrupt they probably lost millions of dollars because they did not hedge their energy but were basically gambling that commodity fuel prices would go there way. Some of the biggest players in the retail electricity space have made this mistake.

What happens when your electricity company in California goes bankrupt is simple. Just as in Texas you would be put with what is commonly known as the provider of last resort. You may not like the electricity price but you are now open to shop around again. The provider of last resort is simply a way to avoid you having your electricity service in California cut off because you no longer have an electricity provider.

So all in all the point is that you will never be disconnected from your electricity service when choosing an unfamiliar retail electric provider unless you fail to pay your electric bill on time and do not respond to disconnect warnings and notices that give you plenty of time to respond.

So what is there to worry about when picking a competitive electricity supplier in California?

Over and over again it ends up being an issue about tricks and gimmicks. CA electricity suppliers that come into the market look for an edge to get your business and this generally translates into hiding certain fees and charges in the finer details of your electricity agreement. Don’t fall for this!!!

To avoid the tricks like these you simply need to work with an experienced energy consultant in California that can send your electricity usage through a reverse auction process. Once this process is complete they put your electricity bids in a detailed electricity proposal that shows you who has the cheapest price. This transparent process includes any potential hidden fees and charges so you will have a clear apples to apples electricity rate comparison side by side your current or favorite electricity company in California.

Contact an experienced energy consultant today by clicking here

The passage of SB 695 means that Direct Access will be reinstated for retail companies, allowing them to choose who supplies their energy needs. Total Direct Access load is capped in each utility service territory, which means that non-residential customers who do not make it in before the cap is reached may not participate. The load caps for each territory are as follows:

Southern California Edison Co. 11,710,000 MWh
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. 9,520,000 MWh
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. 3,562,000 MWh

This bill allows smaller utility companies to compete for your business, which is usually done through competitive pricing.

The California Public Utilities Commission is working on the basis of a phase-in period, with 35% of the total room under the cap being available from reopening of Direct Access through December 31, 2010. The second full calendar year will allow up to 70% of the available room, the third year 90%, and up to 100% in the final year of the phase-in period. At this point, the cap will be monitored on a continuous basis. If additional room under the cap becomes available, new requests can be submitted for Direct Access service. This may happen if a DA customer decides to return to utility service.

The CPUC order goes in to effect on April 16th, so it is important that non-residential consumers sign up as soon as possible. Five business days after this date, the Open Enrollment window starts, meaning customers may submit a Notice of Intent in order to obtain room under the cap for any accounts that are to be served through Direct Access. The reason you should get in as early as possible is that acceptance will be made on a first come, first served basis. These Notices of Intent will be processed every day so that it can easily be ascertained whether the cap has been met.

The second year of the phase in starts on January 15, 2011. Non-residential consumers should be aware that requests are to be submitted 6 months in advance, meaning they must be sent in by July 15th of this year.

Customers who submit a Notice of Intent have 60 days to ensure that a request for service has been submitted to Direct Access to serve their accounts. Those customers whose Notice of Intents were accepted but who fail to enroll in DA within the 60 day period after being notified they were accepted will be taken off, and customers who are on the waiting list will be notified.

No longer are California businesses forced to use the utility services provided. Now, having a choice of who provides you electricity means substantial savings on electricity costs. This is stimulating for the economy, and good for the market place in general in California.

The below chart offers information on some of the commercial electricity providers are available to sell to commercial and industrial electricity companies in California.

Contact Us To Begin The Reverse Auction Process for a Cheaper Electricity Rate

We can assist a business in California in negotiating a cheaper electricity rate with some of these electricity companies and others by taking your usage out to them in our reverse auction process.

Our energy consultants will receive electricity bids back from these electric companies and put together a clear easy to understand proposal that will show you how much money your company can save by choosing a competitive electricity supplier.

ESP’s can serve customers in the service territory of the Utility Distribution Company (UDC) checked	UDC Agreements
	Pacific Gas & Electric	San Diego Gas & Electric	Southern California Edison
3 PHASES RENEWABLES, LLC 2100 SEPULVEDA BLVD., SUITE 37 MANHATTAN BEACH, CA 90266 ; Phone: (310) 939-1283 Fax: (310) 939-1284 E-mail: energy@3phasesrenewables.com Offering new service to: All Customers ESP # 1373
Calpine PowerAmerica-CA, LLC 717 TEXAS AVEUNUE, SUITE 1000 HOUSTON, TX 77002 ; Phone: (713) 830-8935 Fax: (713) 830-8749 E-mail: kevin.boudreaux@calpine.com Offering new service to: Large Customers ESP # 1362
Commerce Energy, Inc. 575 ANTON BOULEVARD SUITE 650 COSTA MESA, CA 92626 ; Phone: (866) 359-6067 71425 Fax: (866) 299-3749 E-mail: darias@justenergy.com Offering new service to: All Customers ESP # 1092
Constellation NewEnergy, Inc. 111 MARKET PLACE, SUITE 500 BALTIMORE, MD 21202 ; Phone: (713) 652-5544 Fax: (713) 652-5597 E-mail: victor.m.gonzalez@constellation.com Offering new service to: Large Customers ESP # 1359
DIRECT ENERGY BUSINESS 7220 AVENIDA ENCINAS SUITE 120 CARLSBAD, CA 92009 ; Phone: (412) 394-6493 Fax: (412) 421-0257 E-mail: kerry.hughes@directenergy.com Offering new service to: All Customers ESP # 1351
DIRECT ENERGY SERVICES, LLC 12 GREENWAY PLAZA, SUITE 600 HOUSTON, TX 77046 ; Phone: (805) 481-2097 Fax: E-mail: andrea.morrison@directenergy.com Offering new service to: None ESP # 1341		;	;
GLACIAL ENERGY OF CALIFORNIA, INC. 11693 SAN VICENTE BLVD. SUITE 482 LOS ANGELES, CA 90049 ; Phone: (888) 452-2425 Fax: (214) 853-9576 E-mail: jessica.evans@glacialenergy.com Offering new service to: None ESP # 1377
LIBERTY POWER DELAWARE LLC 1901 W. CYPRESS CREEK ROAD, SUITE 600 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33309 ; Phone: (954) 598-7060 Fax: E-mail: asantiago@libertypowercorp.com Offering new service to: All Customers ESP # 1372
LIBERTY POWER HOLDINGS LLC 1901 W. CYPRESS CREEK ROAD, SUITE 600 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33309 ; Phone: (954) 598-7060 Fax: (954) 208-0207 E-mail: asantiago@libertypowercorp.com Offering new service to: All Customers ESP # 1371
Pilot Power Group, Inc. 8910 UNIVERSITY CENTER LANE, SUITE 520 SAN DIEGO, CA 92122 ; Phone: (858) 678-0118 Fax: (858) 678-0353 E-mail: tdarton@pilotpowergroup.com Offering new service to: Large Customers ESP # 1365
Praxair Plainfield, Inc. 2711 CENTERVILLE ROAD SUITE 400 WILMINGTON, DE 19808 ; Phone: (925) 866-6809 Fax: (925) 866-6899 E-mail: rick_noger@praxair.com Offering new service to: Large Customers ESP # 1370		;
Sempra Energy Solutions 401 WEST A STREET, SUITE 500 SAN DIEGO, CA 92101-3017 ; Phone: (619) 684-8039 Fax: (619) 684-8355 E-mail: dwelch@semprasolutions.com Offering new service to: Large Customers ESP # 1364
SHELL ENERGY 4445 EASTGATE MALL, SUITE 100 SAN DIEGO, CA 92121 ; Phone: (858) 526-2106 Fax: (858) 320-2606 E-mail: marcie.milner@shell.com Offering new service to: Large Customers ESP # 1374
The Royal Bank of Scotland 36 ST. ANDREW SQUARE EDINBURG – SCOTLAND, UK EH2-2YB ; Phone: (619) 696-3149 Fax: (619) 696-3104 E-mail: dwelch@semprasolutions.com Offering new service to: Large Customers ESP # 1375
TIGER NATURAL GAS, INC. 1422 E. 71ST, SUITE J TULSA, OK 74136 ; Phone: (888) 875-6122 Fax: (918) 491-6659 E-mail: tphillips@tigernaturalgas.com Offering new service to: All Customers ESP # 1376		;	;

The CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission) implemented a plan to increase the amount of “Direct Access” – (another term for saying California commercial and industrial businesses can choose a competitive electricity company), transactions within the service territories of California’s investor-owned electric utilities (IOUs), Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric Company.

Direct Access (California electricity choice) allows eligible customers to purchase electricity service from an independent competitive Electric Service Provider rather than from an IOU (investor Owned Utility or monopoly electric provider)  and was first instituted as an option for retail electric service throughout California in 1998. Currently, about 5 percent of total retail sales across the state are Direct Access transactions.

The authorization for increased Direct Access is being implemented in accordance with the provisions of recently enacted Senate Bill 695 (Kehoe). SB 695, which was supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders including the CPUC’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates, TURN, and each of the utilities, was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger October 11, 2009.

Effective April 11, 2010, all qualifying non-residential customers will be eligible to take Direct Access service, up to specified maximum annual caps that will be phased in over a four-year period. The phase-in approach will be conducted as follows: 35 percent of total allowable DA sales will be allowable in year one, 35 percent in year two, 20 percent in year three, and 10 percent in year four. After the 4-year phase-in period there will be approximately 11 percent of total retail sales being served by entities other than the IOUs. This equates roughly to the historical maximum the state reached in 2001.

The SB 695 cap limits any potential risk associated with reopening of Direct Access by eliminating uncertainty associated with load migration. The adopted phase-in schedule is designed to provide enough lead time for IOUs to account for small shifts in load and thereby avoid unwarranted cost shifting and stranded load.

This simply means that back in 2000 and 2001 when Reliant Energy allegedly manipulated the California energy and electricity markets and Enron was proven to have manipulated CA electricity rates and prices creating major price shifts that safety regulations have been added to prevent this.

So commercial businesses and industrial facilities can now choose a competitive electricity supplier starting April 11 2010.

To begin the shopping and comparison process you will want to be able to speak with an energy consultant who can help your business in finding the best deal on your electric service.

Click here to contact us and one of our energy consultants will take you out to several California electricity suppliers and have them bid on yoru account. This reverse auction will help us transparently obtain the cheapest electricity rate for you and show you your savings. Once you have an apples to apples electricity rate proposal showing you the electricity bids and prices you will be able to make an informed decision.

Electricity rates change daily so once you receive our proposal we can refresh prices when you need them. If you do not act on the proposal the same day that is ok but we will need to get the CA electricity providers bidding on your account to send in pricing again.

This is very good that the California government is taking measures to keep this from happening again considering that energy fiasco cost California about $40bn to $45bn. Man what California could do with that money now, they sure do need it.