Josh Kessler, Author at Environment + Energy Leader

Shopping Advice for Retail Energy Buyers

May 20, 2015 by Josh Kessler

An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer considered whether shopping for retail energy was worth the effort and provided advice on how customers can get the best deal. The article focused on residential customers, but many of the findings are relevant for businesses as well. The author noted that customers with ... Read more »

Demand Management vs Battery Storage

May 20, 2015 by Josh Kessler

A column posted on The Energy Collective recommends that businesses consider demand management before pursuing battery storage. This process involves coordinating operations and using system controls to suppress demand at large commercial and industrial sites. The businesses or institutions can benefit by reducing the per-kW demand charges they pay. Often, ... Read more »

What Happens When Deregulated Utilities Own Generation?

May 20, 2015 by Josh Kessler

One of the foundational principles of deregulation is that power generation companies must compete with one another to ensure that their prices are in line with market prices. If they cannot profit by doing so, they must choose to either operate at a loss or opt not to operate for ... Read more »

NY Summer Electricity Prices Should Remain Flat

May 20, 2015 by Josh Kessler

The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) issued a press release on May 14 forecasting that power providers have sufficient resources to meet peak demand this summer. This should cause wholesale power prices to stay flat in New York State from June through September compared with last summer thanks to ... Read more »

Natural Gas Prices See Brief Spike

May 20, 2015 by Josh Kessler

Wholesale natural gas prices jumped to their highest level since January earlier this week, according to Bloomberg. The price reached $3.105 per MMBtu on May 19 before falling back to $2.948 per MMBtu. Gas storage inventories are 66 percent higher than at this time last year. The Wall Street Journal ... Read more »

Cable, Internet and Energy Services?

May 20, 2015 by Josh Kessler

Comcast is the market leader in broadband Internet services, controlling a 56 percent share of the market, according to Ars Technica. The company also boasts 30 million cable subscribers, according to CNN Money. But now the company is entering a seemingly different business based on running wires to customer homes ... Read more »

Three Insights from EIA’s May Energy Outlook

May 13, 2015 by Josh Kessler

Risk of Natural Gas Price Increases The Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s price model shows that natural gas prices are likely to increase beginning this month and will trend upward through the end of next year. Perhaps more importantly, the potential magnitude of a price increase is far greater than a ... Read more »

Integrated Energy Planning

May 13, 2015 by Josh Kessler

In the past, retail energy buyers and providers often considered energy procurement an entirely separate activity from other energy management practices like implementing energy efficiency and distributed generation. When Constellation Energy CEO Joe Nigro addressed the recent DNV GL Retail Energy Executive Forum, according to the website Finances, he described ... Read more »

Energy Risk Management Considerations this Summer

May 13, 2015 by Josh Kessler

In an article titled “Summer 2015 Weather and Energy Outlook,” the Energy Market Exchange (EMEX) advised that natural gas and power prices have fallen substantially in the past year, but prices cannot fall much further. From a retail buyer perspective, there is far more risk that prices will rise significantly. The ... Read more »

Are Texas Power Prices Poised to Rise?

May 13, 2015 by Josh Kessler

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) forecasted higher reserve margins in its latest Capacity, Demand and Reserves (CDR) report, according to an article in Energy Choice Matters. If accurate, this is likely to spell continued low prices for Texas electricity customers. The previous forecast, completed in December 2014, showed ... Read more »

New England Energy Customers Catch a Break

May 13, 2015 by Josh Kessler

Over the past two winters, New Englanders have seen soaring electricity prices as a result of a sustained natural gas shortage. Last winter, liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies helped mitigate supply shortages. That led to a drop in wholesale electricity prices, but utility rates remained elevated, which led many consumers ... Read more »

EnergySage Launches Solar Market Portal in NY

May 13, 2015 by Josh Kessler

EnergySage launched its Solar Marketplace for New York State this week. The company is receiving funding from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative as well as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The Marketplace site is designed to help streamline the process of matching customers interested in ... Read more »

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