That’s the message of “A Primer on Retail Power Contract Options,” the July tip of the month at www.energybuyer.org, a service of Energywiz, Inc.

Energywiz is a New York-based energy consulting firm that focuses on helping commercial and industrial energy customers and their consultants get the most out of the competitive energy marketplace.

The website’s tip lists point out 14 basic types of retail power deals that have each appeared in at least one deregulated U.S. or foreign market, followed by 10 additional strategies for improving pricing through sharing risk with one’s power supplier.

“In many cases, customers new to competitive energy procurement are handicapped by their limited knowledge of how power may be priced, and end up taking whatever offer is put in front of them,” said Energywiz president Lindsay Audin. “While our list is not exhaustive, we believe that showing the breadth of possible choices could serve to improve competition and savings under deregulation.”

The mixing of basic pricing deals and strategies provides customers with many possible combinations for finding better power pricing, noted Audin. The options listed in the July website tip range from a simple rate freeze, to various types of indexed pricing, and even cover the ability to trade one’s goods for power. Those having curtailable loads or on-site generation will also find a variety of ways to exploit those assets for profit.

This month’s tip on the website also suggests ways to ensure savings by monitoring market and

fuel pricing.

“Regular visitors to our site will also find that we have updated past tips covering online power purchasing, and how to find the 20 largest power customers in your area. Unlike other websites that have shut down or become outdated, we work hard to keep our site fresh and relevant to the competitive energy marketplace,” said Audin.

For more information on Energywiz — which serves large energy customers, government agencies (both in the United States and abroad), and unregulated energy vendors through a variety of services including energy procurement, energy efficiency, product development, and training — visit www.energywiz.com.

Publication date: 07/16/2001