It wasn’t too long ago that you simply had to put up with what you got when it came to Texas electricity. Poor customer service and high rates were the norm, simply because there was no competition. You as a customer were helpless in the face of this poor treatment, because there wasn’t anything you could do about it. With deregulation, though, that’s changed, such that now, you have the POWER TO CHOOSE your provider, based upon a number of factors. That puts you back in the driver’s seat, so that you once again are in charge of what happens to you.

Now, “choosing power” has truly become an exercise in empowerment. Because of deregulation, you as a business electricity customer will have electricity providers competing for your business. That means they have to be more reliable, have better customer service, and lower rates.

There’s more to it than that, too. In addition to saving money, having better customer service, and better quality service, you now have the ability if you wish to choose your Texas electricity provider based upon the type of power that provider offers. In other words, because you don’t have to “take what you get,” you also truly have a say in just where your energy comes from.

The use of “green energy,” or renewable energy that doesn’t come from polluting, nonrenewable energy sources like coal, oil and gas, has long been desired as a goal. This is so that the public can get its energy from renewable and nonpolluting sources instead of from polluting, finite sources. However, it hasn’t always been feasible to work to achieve this goal, until now.

Why now? Now, competition is driving the prices for green energy down, which means providers can offer much more reasonable rates to customers who wish to choose this option. What that means for you is that if you are a business customer and you care about the environment, you can also make a statement about the importance of the environment based upon whom you choose as your electric provider. Choose a green energy provider and it’s likely that you’ll pay about the same for the energy you use, but you also are contributing to green energy research and development. Competition, again, will also likely drive prices down as more businesses and residential customers jump on board and become green energy customers, too.

Even if you do choose a green energy provider, though, you’ll still save money over what you would have paid before deregulation leveled the playing field. That’s because you’ll also have options like choosing fixed or variable rate plans; in general, fixed-rate plans can often save you significant money versus variable rate plans.

So if you are a conscientious business owner who cares about the environment, now, you have the option to have even more of an impact on the environment based upon your choice of provider. Go to www.ChooseEnergy.com/Business to read more about it, or to get quotes from competing electricity that want your business, now.

As you may already know, residential customers can experience significant savings on their electric bills because of deregulation. However, did you know that as a business customer, you can take advantage of this, too with potentially even greater savings?

Now, as a business electricity customer, you can take advantage of the deregulation put in place by choosing the most cost-effective option for you. That is, you have the power to choose how your electricity is provided to you, and you can choose your provider, too. That’s beneficial to you, because the competition among providers means you get better service and lower rates and ChooseEnergy.com has created CE Direct Connect.  CE Direct Connect is a system that puts your information directly into the hands of some of the top business electricity providers as they compete for your business.

Your options as a business customer in Texas

Take a look at the various providers available to business customers in Texas at a site like ChooseEnergy.com. Most customers are going to want to switch providers, because this will almost always mean lower rates and better customer service than you’re used to experiencing. 

• Choose a green energy provider or a traditional energy provider

There’s more to it than that, though. A lot of commercial energy customers are concerned about the impact they have on the environment. Because of deregulation, now, you can choose a provider that gets some or even all of its energy from “green energy” sources instead of those based on fossil fuels. You’ll pay a little more, likely, but rest assured that as more and more people choose this option, prices will go down — and the slightly higher prices you pay will also usually go for research and development so that green energy becomes cheaper over the long run.

• Choose fixed or variable rates

Another option you have as a business customer is to choose between fixed or variable rates. With fixed rates, you’ll usually choose a plan whereby you “lock into” your current rate for a specific period of time, such as 12 or 24 months. Then, you’ll pay that same fixed rate over that time period, regardless of what the market does. In general, this will save you money, because it’s almost always true that rates only go up over time. Theoretically, it’s of course true that if you pay variable rates, you may pay less if market rates go down such that opting for a fixed rate may actually cost you more. However, that’s rarely true; the vast majority of the time, rates only go up over time, which means you’ll save money in the long run by locking into a fixed rate.

• Choose based upon price per kilowatt-hour

Providers rank by the price per kilowatt-hour they charge. Again, this should be taken into consideration along with other factors, since those that offer green energy options may be slightly higher per kilowatt hour, as may those that offer fixed instead of variable rates at least at the start. This is one of the factors you should consider as you weigh all of your options, although it’s certainly not the only one. 

• Choose based upon “perks” offered by providers

Some providers also offer you discounts or special “gifts” if you sign up with them, like offering gift cards, frequent flyer miles, and so on, as a token of their appreciation. Of course, this probably shouldn’t be the “only” reason you choose a particular provider, but taken together with the other factors you’re considering, it may mean you’ll favor one provider over another.

It’s easy to find out what your options are among the various providers; simply go to ChooseEnergy.com, answer a few simple questions, and then wait for providers to send you no-obligation quotes, discreetly. Better customer service and lower rates await you – it’s simple with ChooseEnergy.com.

If you want to be a “green energy” company, you have to do everything possible to make both your energy sources and building “as green” as possible. What does that mean, though?

Energy efficiency.  Energy efficiency is a key part of “green energy”.  That means, you do as much as possible to lower your energy consumption as you can. So, use automated thermostats to keep an even temperature, update heating and cooling systems to get the best performance, replace air filters on a regular basis, and it’s late and seal air ducts.

Replace older incandescent lights or fluorescent lights with new ones, to save up to 35% on energy costs, and use motion and light sensors to automatically turn lights on or off so that they are on only when needed.  Natural lighting, too, should be used whenever possible; this has an added bonus, in that it can improve employees’ performance because they feel better emotionally, in addition to saving energy.

Use recycled and natural products, and use Energy Star equipment.  The equipment you use is also important to having a “green energy” company. Use Energy Star rated computers and other peripherals, and use power strips to shut everything off at night with a single flip of the switch before you go home.

Another thing that’s important in regard to making your business as “green” as possible is to use suppliers of paper products and anything else possible and that those suppliers use as much recycled material as possible in their products; it’s also desirable to use suppliers that take back packaging for reuse, so that it doesn’t end up in a landfill.  Use green suppliers whenever you can for not only consumable products like paper, but for things like office furniture; commercially produced office furniture, for example, can contain plastics and other materials that not only use fossil fuels for their production, but that disperse potentially harmful and polluting inert gases into the environment. By choosing office equipment and furniture carefully, you can do a lot to help the environment. Your employees — and you — will also be healthier if they aren’t exposed to these toxins. 

What can you do about your building if you want to become a “green” company?  If you’re building a new building (or renovating an old one) for your company, it’s going to have to meet certain regulations in order to be considered a green energy building. For example, it has to meet local energy codes, and it also must be specifically designed to meet energy use targets that make it eligible for the Energy Star qualification. With this, new buildings are specifically designed from initial planning through development and building to be as eco-friendly as possible, including reducing the amount of fossil fuels used to run it, if any. Specifically, you apply for your design to meet EPA and energy Star qualifications by submitting a letter of intent to the EPA; all subsequent design revisions must also qualify for the Energy Star label on them as progress continues.

Plus, utilize a green energy supplier of electricity for all of your electricity needs.  Companies like Green Mountain Energy offer clean energy sources for your company like wind energy.  Not only can you save a significant amount of money by shopping your electricity supplier, you can help save the environment as well.

Input all of these strategies into your business – and you and your company will be well on your way to becoming a “green energy” company.  Once that happens – issue a press release on your green energy standards – it might even help boost your revenue with all of the good will you’ve generated.  Go green and save money at the same time.

In addition to the PACE program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been providing many cities and municipalities insightful ways to fund new clean energy, efficiency, and conservation programs. As one of the main components of the ARRA is to provide new jobs and to stimulate the economy, and the fact that green technology and renewable energy are some of the “hottest” industries right now, it is no wonder that the Federal government finds it prudent to invest this market. The Department of Energy currently has the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant under advisement. The EECBG is an umbrella grant program that provides money to state programs, which then disseminates the funds to other local and regional programs to achieve the goals of their overall State Energy Plan. Earlier in 2009, states submitted State Energy Plans (SEPs) of which most have were approved for funding from the EECBG. Each state program has specific energy conservation and efficiency goals, which can be achieved through state incentive programs, municipal building retrofits, and/or the purchase or creation of specific energy credits.

The clean/green energy industry is an extremely volatile industry that is absolutely exploding right now. Numerous start up companies are providing new and innovative ways of not only providing renewable energy, but also the financial resources to obtain it. This has ushered in a completely different type of business model in which a company not only markets to potential customers or clients, but also develops relationships with governmental entities that can assist both the client and company through a variety of funding options. It is this type of all encompassing cooperation between government, corporate entities, and individuals that will ensure the long term viability of the alternative energy market.