APPI Advisor | July

Discover the APPI Energy Advisor, a monthly publication of retail energy market trends, pricing analysis and insights.

Case Study: Grow West

An in-depth look at how APPI Energy successfully partners with and advises cultivators and growers in their energy management needs. 

Peak Alerts: What they Mean & How to Benefit from Them  

By reducing energy consumption on the days when the highest demand on the electricity grid occurs, you can have an impact on your monthly electricity expenses for the following year. 

Case Studies: PA State Association of Boroughs

An in-depth look at how APPI Energy successfully works with Associations and Chambers of Commerce to provide valuable, cost-saving benefits to their members. 

Summer Strategies: Keeping Demand in Check as Electricity Prices Rise

A brief overview of what to expect this summer in regards to energy prices, including strategies for curtailing your energy usage. 

Exploring the Benefits of Waste Heat to Power (WHP)

Exploring the financial and functional benefits of capturing waste heat during high-temperature industrial processes to generate emission-free electricity.

The Growing Interest in Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)

For organizations looking to tout 'green' practices in their energy usage, RECs are a viable and fairly simple option for procuring renewable energy. 

Safeguarding Your Organization from "Slamming"

Tips from our team of experts on how to identify and ideally prevent "slamming" from happening to your organization and its current energy supply contracts. 

The Growing Interest in Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for Schools

For schools looking to set and meet energy sustainability goals, RECs are a viable and readily available option worth exploring. 

Will the Cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline Affect Your Power Prices?

A brief overview on the recent cyberattacks on the Colonial Pipeline and how it could affect your energy pricing. 

Does Your Bank Have an Energy Management Strategy in Place?

A closer look at how banks can streamline their energy management to yield more favorable results to both their bottom line and their sustainability goals. 

Energy 101: Common Customer Service Needs

If your organization faces issues with your energy supply contract, a trusted advisor and a top notch customer service team can assist quickly and effectively, easing the burden for your team. 

Considering the Ideal Time to Renew Your Energy Supply Contract

If you are unsure when to revisit your current energy supply contract, APPI Energy has answers, with insights that will help your organize to minimize budgetary risk and avoid unforeseen expenses.  

Protecting Your Bottom Line in 2021 (and Beyond)

Energy is one of the largest expenses for businesses and organizations, but did you know there are a number of ways to better manage your energy strategy to reduce costs and reduce demand?

Energy 101: What is Energy Choice?

With energy choice, if your organization is located in a deregulated state, than your organization has the option to shop around for the best pricing for your electricity and/or natural gas supply. 

Potential Impacts to Your Organization from Volatility in the Energy Market

A closer look at the ways Covid-19 and the recent weather events in Texas could be impacting your organizations' energy supply contract and/or electricity and natural gas bills. 

Holistic Energy Management: What It Means & Why Your Organization Could Benefit

At APPI Energy, we take a holistic, comprehensive approach to to decreasing your energy costs, minimizing budgetary risks, reducing demand, and improving resiliency and sustainability. Save time and money on electricity and natural gas procurement while concurrently setting and meeting energy efficiency goals. 

Case Study: Northwest Bank

Taking a closer look at how APPI Energy was able to assist a large, regional bank, including all electricity and natural gas accounts serviced by 20 utilities across the 3 states (PA, NY, OH).

Covid-19 Update & the Energy Industry

A brief update on the potential impacts of Covid-19 on your energy usage and energy bills. 

6 Steps to Determining if You’re Spending Too Much on Energy

6 Steps to determining if you're taking full advantage of the energy cost saving solutions available to your business or organization. 

Benefits of Participating in a Demand Response Program

Participating in a demand response program can help your business or organization to not only save on energy costs, but also produce a revenue stream in the process.

What to Expect from an Energy Procurement Consultation

A closer look at what to expect from an electricity or natural gas procurement consultation with APPI Energy. 

Why Solar is Inevitable for Auto Dealers

A closer look at the benefits of installing solar at your business or organization, with a focus on the benefits for auto dealerships. 

Case Study: Warrell Creations

A look at how APPI Energy was able to reduce costs while improving lighting with no upfront capital needed. 

Polar Vortex and Its Effects on Energy Costs

A closer look at what a polar vortex is, how (and if) the impending polar vortex will affect your energy prices, and what your best course of action is. 

Benefits of an LED Lighting Retrofit Project

Did you know that lighting is one of the largest electricity expenses for your facility, organization, borough or municipality? One way to reduce energy costs while improving your sustainability and increasing efficiency is through an LED lighting retrofit. With rebates and incentives available, and the opportunity for no capital expense upfront, you're looking at the potential for a quick ROI as well! 

Municipal Electricity Aggregation: Does it Make Sense for Your Organization?

Municipal electricity aggregations can be beneficial to businesses, but in many cases there is opportunity for a more advantageous electricity supply contract outside of the aggregation. 

Why an Energy Management Strategy Should Be a Goal for 2021

A core component of risk management is mitigating exposure to volatile energy prices that can cause budget uncertainty and operating cost increases. Effectively managing energy supply contracts yields substantial cost reductions and improved business performance.

Potential Utility Price Increases & What to Expect

With price volatility on the horizon in the energy markets and utility price to compares increasing in some areas, this could be an ideal time to assess your current and future energy contracts.

Hurricane Season & How it Affects Your Energy Prices

2020 has been one of the most active hurricane seasons yet, but what effect does that have on natural gas prices?

Understanding Your Energy Contract: Part 2

Why It Matters and How APPI Energy Can Shed Valuable Light on Your Current (and Future) Contract 

Last month, we launched the first in a 2-part series on Understanding Your Energy Contract, taking a closer look at the nuts and bolts of your energy contract, but also diving into the common questions and drilldowns that companies can expect in an assessment of their contract terms.

We continue down that path this month, highlighting a few of the key areas to take note of when evaluating your contract.

Understanding Your Energy Contract: Part 1

APPI Energy provides our clients a comprehensive way to reduce energy expenses and create budget certainty.  Unbiased and independent, we perform extensive due diligence of competitive suppliers in deregulated markets to provide data-driven expert consulting for the procurement of electricity and natural gas. Our experience in deciphering energy contracts differentiates us as consultants and allows us to fully analyze the details of your current and future opportunities. As a consumer, it is important to understand the terms and conditions included (or not included) in your contract and be aware of how they may affect your bottom line. Here are a few important questions to discuss with your APPI Energy Consultant.

Best Practices: How to Prevent Slamming

There are numerous benefits to energy deregulation and procurement, such as negotiating lower prices for electricity and natural gas, peace of mind provided with budget certainty, and a worry-free fixed all in pricing, to name a few.   Despite these benefits, deregulation can sometimes lead to confusion and misinformation for the consumer leaving them unsure who to trust.  When an active supply agreement is trumped by a new supply agreement, with or without the consumer’s knowledge, this is known as “slamming”. 

Why Choose Solar Power Generation and How Does It Work?

APPI Energy is committed to providing innovative and sustainable solutions for our clients. Renewable energy options are expanding and implementation of solutions is growing nation-wide. Renewables are projected to provide half of the world’s electricity within the next 30 years.

Today's Energy Market and COVID-19: Part 2

APPI Energy continuously monitors the energy markets to provide data-driven procurement and consulting strategies. Now is an ideal time to review your energy contracts and possible changes to your energy usage. Conditions are favorable for renewing  as the physical commodity pricing is at an all-time low, keeping in mind that other cost components may be higher.  APPI Energy can help you navigate the energy market to ensure you are able to take advantage of these benefits.

Today's Energy Market and COVID-19

APPI Energy is committed to monitoring the COVID-19 developments and how it is affecting the current energy markets and what that means for the foreseeable future. We are dedicated to serving our clients and making the best recommendations based on the market and client needs, even in the most uncertain of times.

The Importance of Renewing Your Energy Contracts

As energy consultants, our mission is to offer our clients a comprehensive way to reduce energy expenses and create budget certainty. Now let’s look at why it is so important to enter the energy contract renewal process with eyes wide open. 

4 Steps to Reduce Energy Costs and Increase Resiliency at Your Facility

Improving your energy management and energy efficiency can reduce costs and increase the resiliency and sustainability of your facility. Follow these four steps to make energy-efficient improvements.

APPI Energy: Past, Present, and Future

With the end of the year approaching and the beginning of a new decade upon us, it is a good time to reflect on the past; more specifically the past 23 years. APPI Energy is completing it’s 23^rd year of business and we are just getting started.

Pennsylvania Price Changes on Electric Generation

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) warns consumers that electric utilities adjusted electric generation prices December 1, 2019 for default customers.

The Rise of the Renewable Energy Economy

Renewable energy is projected to provide half of the world’s electricity within the next 30 years. This may seem like a lofty prediction; however, renewable energy currently accounts for 28% of the global electricity and power capacity is expected to increase by 49% in the next 5 years.

What to Expect this Winter in the Energy Market

The warm summer breezes have turned to chilly fall nights which signal changes within the energy market. The 2019-2020 winter weather predictions have been made which we utilize to determine the impacts to the natural gas and electricity markets during the volatile winter season.

Could Pressures in the Natural Gas Market Cause Rising Prices?

Natural gas, and therefore, electricity pricing, has been at an all time low for much of the year, bottoming out at $2.10MMbtu’s in August 2019.  However, there are multiple factors that are likely to cause a spike in pricing going forward.

Avoid the Upcoming Electricity Rate Increase in Maryland

This bill increases the State’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) from 25% by 2020 to 50% by 2030 and makes other related changes. Both Tier 1 and solar (which is a carve-out of Tier 1) compliance percentages will increase effective October 1, 2019. All new electricity contracts signed on or after that date will be priced at these new RPS compliance rates. 

Electricity and Natural Gas Prices: Nowhere To Go But Up

Retail electricity prices are largely driven by natural gas prices. Even though power is generated from a variety of sources—hydroelectric, wind, solar, nuclear, coal, gas— generating plants are paid based on the last fuel used to meet demand, which is almost always natural gas.

Reaping the benefits of distributed generation

Across the United States, business operators are reducing energy costs and improving environmental footprints with distributed generation. Also known as onsite power generation, distributed generation systems use renewable energy sources, such as solar power or combined heat and power, to generate energy at the end user’s site.

Battery Storage: A Paradigm Shift for the Energy Industry

Energy storage and AI have the potential to dramatically change the way we look at energy.

The State of the Natural Gas Market

As we move into late winter, it's time to look at the various supply and demand factors influencing the natural gas market

Mid-Winter Market Update: What We Expected and What We Got

We're halfway through a volatile winter season. Let's check in and see what the market looks like.

Winter Energy Market Update: Low Storage, Low Temperatures, High Volatility

All the latest updates on this winter's volatile energy market.

What You Need to Know about Energy This Winter

Winter is once again upon us. Here's what you need to know.

Why You Might Want to Start Evaluating Electricity and Natural Gas Prices Now

Forward markets indicate now is an ideal time to start examining prices

APPI Energy Explainer: Natural Gas as a Byproduct of Oil Drilling

Natural gas rig count plummets, but natural gas production is higher than ever. Here's why.

What is Natural Gas Storage?

We talk about natural gas storage a lot. But what, exactly, are we talking about when we discuss natural gas storage?

Energy Market Update: Natural Gas Factors and Trends

A mid-year analysis of the supply and demand factors in the natural gas industry

With a Hot Summer Ahead, Don’t Let Energy Procurement Make You Sweat

Summer is coming. Here's what you need to know.

Beyond Procurement: What the APPI Energy Intelligence Suite Can Do for You

The APPI Energy Intelligence Suite offers our customers access to a number of valuable programs.

Marcellus and Utica: What Are They, and Why Do We Care?

The Marcellus and Utica Shale have dramatically changed the natural gas markets in the US. Here's how.

How Rising Capacity Costs Will Affect Your Energy Bill

Capacity costs are set to increase across the country. Here's what you need to know.

Energy Market Update: Natural Gas Production

We've had a cold winter. Why are natural gas prices remaining stable?

The History of APPI Energy

Founded in 1996, follow APPI Energy's origins in the earliest days of energy deregulation to its status as an award-winning energy consulting firm in 2018.

Low Temperatures Don't Have to Spell High Electric Bills

Winter is coming. Here's how you can keep your electric bill in check.

Factors to Consider when Choosing an Electricity Supplier

Price, while important, isn't the only thing to consider when choosing a contract.

Hedging Power Prices

In this article, we explain hedging, and how locking in contracts years in advance can reduce energy expenses.

Why Backwardation Represents a Real Opportunity

Long-term electricity prices have been lower than short-term prices for the past several months in many deregulated states. Here's why.

Reduce electricity costs on summer peak demand days

Reduce energy consumption on the five days of the year when the highest demand on the electricity grid occurs. Your peak load contribution in 2017 will determine your monthly capacity costs in 2018.

7 Expectations for Energy Customer Service Excellence

Billing errors, unauthorized changes to service, and opening or closing locations are just a few occurrences that cause customers to seek support. Whether you procure energy from a utility company or from a retail supplier, or you trust an energy advisor to manage your supplier selection, what should you expect from customer service regarding your energy supply and consumption?

Why your business needs an energy management strategy

Business executives in deregulated energy markets have unprecedented flexibility to create energy management strategies that align with corporate goals, budgets, and fiscal calendars. Effectively managing energy supply contracts yields substantial cost reductions and improved business performance.

Nine Ways to Reduce Energy Costs

Read on for nine easy, fast, and permanent ways to reduce a major operating expense—electricity costs.

Early Contract Terminations

The APPI Energy Customer Service team has resolved an increasing number of issues involving electricity supply contract terminations. Assertive energy salespeople are targeting customers through mailings, phone calls, and door-to-door solicitation. Read on for eight ways to prevent early electricity supply contract termination from happening.