Energy Procurement
Interested in finding your company the best rate for purchasing your Electric and Natural Gas needs? End users in many states can purchase their energy supply from individual suppliers. URA is licensed in multiple states and has the expertise to assist your company in purchasing both your Electric and Natural Gas needs.
Electric Supply Procurement
In deregulated states, end users can competitively bid their electric supply costs to try to find the lowest cost on any particular day. At URA, our value is in the additional expertise that we will bring to your company. Our services include, but are not limited to:
- Constant market monitoring to advise your company to purchase when the markets are at a low
- Load profile reviews to determine the best way for your company to purchase
- Education and resources to help your company manage other aspects of your electric supply, aside from just the commodity
- Strategic planning on how to purchase your supply based on business type
Similar to electric, end users can competitively bid their natural gas supply costs to find the supplier offering the lowest price on any given day. It is important to understand how the markets work so you can find the right time to buy your commodities, which is where URA comes in. Our services include, but are not limited to:
- Constant market monitoring to advise your company when to purchase based on historical trends, current events, weather patterns, basis markets, etc.
- Strategic planning to determine the best recommendation for how to purchase based on rate class and current market conditions
Starting conversations today can help you save money in the future, even if you are locked into a certain rate for the time being.
URA does not set the generation prices that you pay; this is done by the electric supplier.
Demand Response and Peak Load Contribution Management
Utility Rates Analysts (URA) prides ourselves on customer education so you know the various components that go into your electric supply price, and also know which costs can be managed lower by actively participating in curtailments.
There are multiple curtailment programs that you can participate in which allow your business to save (or make) money:
Peak Load Contribution Management
Your Peak Load Contribution (PLC) is the amount of energy (in kW or MW) that you contribute to PJM’s 5 Coincident Peak (5CP) hours. You pay for the amount of energy that you contribute to these 5CP hours year-round – these costs are either fixed into your electric price or passed-through as a separate line item, depending on how your contract is structured.
Capacity charges make up roughly 15-20% of your total electric supply (if you do NOT manage them). In short, your usage during 5 hours during the year (.0006% of the year) are disproportionately related to your electric price. If you can curtail usage during these 5 hours, you can significantly lower your electric rate.
So, how do you know when a 5CP hour may occur? URA will monitor the grid and send out notifications when we believe you should curtail. These peaks have always occurred over the summer – usually between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM.
URA’s goal is to inform when a PJM peak may occur so you can take the necessary measures to cut usage during the projected peak hour and hopefully lower (or keep consistent) your capacity costs in the future.
Sign up for URA’s 5CP Notifications Today!
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Emergency DR is the most common and well known type of Demand Response. This is a mandatory commitment to reduce load to a certain baseline, called the Firm Service Level (FSL), when the PJM Interconnection is in need of capacity. The general rules and regulations for this program are as follows:
- Program runs from June 1st to May 31st of each year
- Curtailment calls are unlimited and can last up to 10 hours
- 30 Minute – 2 Hour Event Notice
- If no events are called, PJM mandates that the supplier must perform a 1 hour test to be sure your facility can perform
- Payments for each 1,000 kW curtailed generally range between $25,000 to $50,000
Let URA help you find out how much you can make by enrolling in Demand Response! Contact Us today!
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Synchronized Reserve is a commitment to reduce usage within 10 minutes of an event. These can occur year round, but last a maximum of 30 minutes. Events occur when the PJM Interconnection is in immediate need for extra capacity (example: generator is temporarily disabled). The value of the curtailment is based on the market at the time of the call, but can be very profitable. This program is great for high-draw equipment that can be shut off for short periods of time (at any point during the day) without sacrificing product quality, such as freezers.
Each year, the value of both your capacity costs (PLC Management) and Demand Response payments will change based on the value set by the PJM Grid. URA will help you determine the best program(s) for your business to participate in, as well as acquire multiple competitive quotes when/if applicable.
Energy Efficiency and Renewables
URA can help your business evaluate the viability of renewables/energy efficiency and pair you with partners to develop/implement various projects, including:
Everyone is interested in Solar Energy. Have you checked recently whether it makes sense for your organization? Some states are more solar-friendly than others and some are getting better, including Pennsylvania. You can build an array with $0 down (non-profits) or get 100% of your deposit money back within one year.
Review Solar for your facility now!
Do you use a lot of hot water or steam in your process? If so, why not generate your own electricity and recover waste heat to create the hot water and/or steam. You can be green and lower your costs at the same time.
Find out if a CHP is right for you!
Still using old, inefficient lights? URA can perform a study to see if a lighting conversion makes sense. If so, let us help you find an installation partner.
Building Management
URA can provide you with ideas on how to adjust your Building Management Systems (BMS) to lower your capacity costs.
Building Envelope- We have the tools to find leaks.
Any other ideas? Ask us if we can help!
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