Energy savings will always vary because there are so many variables. Every state has different issues, regulations and suppliers. Every business has different usage amounts, usage patterns and different current rates.
So what are the typical energy savings when you find the best deal?
As an energy consultant, I’ve seen savings vary from the 5% area to the 50% area. If I had to guess an average savings, I’d run with about 15%. Now bare in mind that these saving apply to the generation charges only. Whatever your local utility company is charging for the delivery (which includes billing, maintenance, outage calls, customer services, etc.) will continue to be billed at whatever rate you are currently paying them for these services.
In the natural gas world, I haven’t been able to get rates cheaper than what the client has already had for the past few months. This is due to the depressed prices because of the natural gas glut that we had. Some clients switched however, as they were happy to lock-in a flat rate for three years. Now, the summer of 2013 is a great time to lock-in rates for up to three years due to the conditions oulined in Gas Price Watch.
Electricity is a very different story. I have yet to find a situation where I couldn’t save the client a good amount, and lock-in a good rate for a few years. My best was getting a church down from 18.5 cents per kilowatt hour to 8.2 cents per kwhr. That’s more than 50% savings!
What’s ahead in energy prices?
Although rates have had their seasonal increases due to increased demand from air conditioner use, they are headed higher yet. With coal moving out of the picture, rates will climb just because gas is more expensive for the electricity producers to use. As gas supplies dwindle from the increased demand, gas prices will rise further especially as we move towards the heating season. Noone knows how bad this spiraling effect will get but the industry is poised for some major increases.
To learn more about the situations that will affect future prices, read: The Electricty Price Trend
Here are some more actual Energy Savings Examples
To find out how much your business can save on energy, visit Avion Energy today. Avion is proud that over 99% of businesses, municipalities and non-profits have continued their relationship with Avion beyond the expiration of their initial contract. Avion Energy has proven very effective in negotiating the best possible rates for their clients on an ongoing basis.