What are the benefits of a consultant?
Using a consultant for your natural gas and electric programs allows you to focus on building your business while we focus on finding the best deal and ensuring that your programs are being actively maintained. The deregulated electricity and natural gas markets are volatile and confusing commodities where pricing changes on an hourly basis. We monitor wholesale markets constantly to ensure that our clients purchase when there are dips and hold when the market trends upward.
Are all quotes I get from Alternative Electric and Gas Suppliers the same?
No. Many suppliers will offer solicitations in different ways to make their products appear cheaper than their competition. This can cause some shock when you start receiving bills with charges higher than you were expecting when you signed the contract. We ensure that the proposals (offers) we procure for you are structured identically, so you can be sure that you are looking at the identical products for a fair and honest comparison. We also check all the quotes we receive for accuracy and that they meet your expectations before we pass them along to you.
How is ACI compensated for services?
The majority of our competitors in the marketplace claim that they have no up-front costs, you pay them nothing, or some variation of that. The truth is that their compensation comes from the supplier as a cost imbedded into YOUR energy price. This makes us question whose interests these competitors have in mind when the supplier is paying them. Our compensation comes from our customers with no margin provided to us from any supplier. Whether you use more or less…. We get paid the same amount. This makes our customers happy for a few reasons.
- It allows us to legitimately provide the lowest prices available from our suppliers.
- Our customers know exactly how much our fees are without any calculation since they are not tied to your usage.
- Transparency – We leave no questions or doubts in the minds of perspective customers when we leave a meeting.
Can I request electric quotes myself?
Yes, you can request quotes from alternative suppliers directly. This is where it gets difficult… Each supplier offers different products and pricing options that can get confusing quickly or leave you unhappy when you start receiving bills. Several customers may not know the components of an electricity quote (Energy, Capacity, RPS, Transmission and Ancillary, etc.) to ensure that they are looking at identical quotes. Anderson Consultants, Inc has been in existence for 15 years and puts 34 years of industry experience at work for our customers. As an ACI customer, you have the peace of mind knowing that you are receiving the correct information you need to make a calculated decision that could affect your bottom line.
What additional fees are incurred by switching suppliers?
None of the suppliers that we deal with have any fees for switching as long as you complete the terms of any current agreement that you enter in to. The only time you might incur a fee is if you attempt to terminate an executed agreement early (usually known as an “Early Termination/Cancellation Fee). This usually does not come into effect when concerning disconnection of certain meters or accounts if you close a location or a business depending on the amount of your load you are dropping or moving. In any case, always refer to the specific terms outlined in your current agreement.
How will my utility bill be affected when I switch from their supply?
Most suppliers have two billing options available known as (1) Single Billing (2) Combined Billing or use a similar terminology. Combined billing means one of two things.
- Option 1 – Your supplier will receive your charges from the utility and invoice you for both so you only receive one bill.
- Option 2 – Your utility will receive the supply charges from your supplier and invoice you for both so you only receive one bill.
Single Billing keeps the two invoices separate so you will receive your utility charges from your utility and your supply charges from your supplier.
We usually recommend Single Billing for our customers unless you have a great number of meters and accounts. This allows you to see the charges as they are billed from their respective sources so you know that you are being billed properly.
Is a fixed price my only option?
No, each supplier has different product offerings that structure the price you pay differently. We weigh those options with you based on the current operations of your facility to ensure you will be happy with the structure and to save you the most money.
