Author Archives: GideonBlustein

06.11.15
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Case Study: Small Apartment

Our company is primarily focused on saving Texas consumers money on their electricity. But we also have a unique offering in Illinois that makes up a smaller percentage of our business.

small apartmentAnne was an early adopter of the Energy Simply offering and she has been so pleased with our concept that she’s offered to provide customer testimony for marketing. When I first told Anne about our company I wasn’t sure I would have much chance of gaining her business. Her residence is a small, energy-efficient apartment in Chicago so her electricity use is extremely low. But what struck a chord with Anne wasn’t the money she could save – it was the convenient, no-risk way we could guarantee her the cheapest 100% renewable electricity. She’d carried the guilt around for months and months – knowing she could be buying energy produced from wind and solar, but not knowing where to start or how to avoid paying too much. Energy Simply provided the solution and now Anne’s carbon footprint is smaller – and she’s saving a few bucks a month to boot!

To review – even if you’re in a small apartment, Energy Simply can:

-Help you save if the apartment is older/innefficient

-Lower your carbon footprint by getting you the cheapest 100% renewable

-Ensure you’ll avoid expensive variable rate pricing or hidden fees sometimes associated with renewables

Check out our explainer video or contact us to learn more.

06.08.15
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Powers out…what now?

Who you gonna call?

ghostbustersWhen I was a kid one of my absolute favorite movies was Ghostbusters and the theme song was the absolute best! But even that great song is not going to cheer you up when your power goes out and you’re wondering…”who you gonna call?” And…you may be wondering who the heck to call since there are now so many electricity companies out there. 

When your power goes out, it is important to report it to the utility company that produces and delivers your electricity…not the retail electricity supplier (who you buy your electricity from). It is important because the more information the utility has about where power is out – the better they can respond with repairs to restore the electricity. Also, many utility companies offer some excellent communications services like text message alerts and time estimates for how long until your power is restored. So, here is a little reference guide for who to call when your power goes out… 

 

Illinois Customers 

 

Greater Chicagoland Area: Comed 

 

Western, Central and Southern Illinois: Ameren 

 

Texas Customers 

 

Austin: Austin Energy 

 

Dallas/Ft. Worth and Surrounding Areas: Oncor Electric Delivery 

 

Lewisville and North Texas: Texas-New Mexico Power Company 

 

Houston and Surrounding Areas: CenterPoint Energy or Texas-New Mexico Power Company 

 

South Texas: AEP Texas Central Company 

 

West Texas: AEP Texas North Company or Oncor Electric Delivery or Texas-New Mexico Power Company 

 

Sharyland: Sharyland Utilities

04.29.15
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Illinois Residents: As municipal rate plans expire, rates may go up

If you buy electricity in Illinois there is a good chance you’ve saved a little money due to municipal aggregation. A few years ago when Illinois opened up its retail electricity market the law allowed for companies to negotiate deals with local municipal governments (villages, cities, counties, townships) which typically resulted in cheaper electricity for residents. Okay, hopefully I haven’t already lost you…this is important!tearing contract

Most of those rates were pretty good – unless you’re in Aurora, IL – your rates are very high and you should call us immediately! But, many of those agreements are set to expire in coming months. One very big example is the City of Chicago who’s municipal aggregation agreement expires in May of 2015. However, there are many other agreements that are set to expire soon.

What that means is there will be uncertainty in the market and potential rate increases. Here are a couple of tips to protect yourself from rate increases:

  • Check here to see if your municipal aggregation plan is set to expire soon.
  • If it is, check with your town about the new rates.
  • Keep a close eye on your electricity bill.

With preparation and research you can benefit from the market uncertainty by getting lower rates from competitors. If you don’t have the time to research and manage the switching – we can do it for you.

Many people (Chicago included) will automatically switch to being Comed customers. If you’d prefer cheaper or greener electricity than Comed offers, sign up with Energy Simply and we’ll keep you locked into the cheapest or cheapest green electricity available at all times.

04.22.15
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Make Every Day Earth Day

Have you ever wondered, “What is Earth Day really all about?” According to Wikipedia, Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and is now recognized in 192 countries across the globe. The purpose is to recognize and demonstrate support for environmental protection.

wind farm

Think about how our world has changed since 1970. Threats to our environment may seem greater than ever, but there has also been a proliferation of life options and products we can select that will lessen our impact on the environment. One of the reasons we started Energy Simply was to make it simpler and less costly for residential customers to select green energy for their homes. By choosing electricity produced from 100% renewable sources you can make a significant impact on the health of the planet – every day! And, as we pointed out in an earlier blog post, in many cases it costs only slightly more (if not the same or less) as traditionally sourced electricity.

So make every day Earth Day! Choose a 100% renewable electricity plan and you’ll know that every time you turn on a light, plug in your laptop or charge your phone you are having a mini Earth Day celebration. Better yet, let Energy Simply select the best 100% renewable plan for you and manage your plan switching so you won’t have to worry about hidden fees or rising costs when your plan expires.

04.09.15
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Energy Simply’s new web tools help Texans save on electric company bills

“On average we can save Texans $50 every month, but we’ve saved some of our customers much more.” -Jordan Hobfoll, Energy Simply President and CEO

Energy Simply, an energy services company dedicated to helping Texas consumers choose the right electricity plan, debuted dynamic new tools for its web-based services. The enhancements include a Savings Calculator, Explainer Video and How it Works Page, as well as a streamlined sign-up process.

Choosing the right electricity plan is confusing and time-consuming. Retail electric companies make it even more difficult by offering teaser rates and expensive fees. Energy Simply takes the pain and frustration out of choosing the right plan by doing the work for their customers. Energy Simply employees use proprietary modeling to constantly sort through thousands of electricity plans, choosing the perfect plan for each of their customers – either the cheapest or cheapest 100% renewable based on customer preference.

“Our new explainer video and web tools make our services even easier to understand and access,” said Hobfoll. Consumers can go to http://www.EnergySimp.ly to view the minute and a half, animated video, use the savings calculator and sign up.

04.08.15
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Solving for the “Huh?” Factor: Enhanced Website and Explainer Vid

Okay, okay we get it. The concept behind our company is new and a little hard to understand. Or maybe you get it, but you’ve been trying to explain it to friends and family and they’re like…

I dont get it

Well now you don’t have to be like…

sorry I annoyed you

You can just point them to our majorly enhanced website at www.EnergySimp.ly – THERE IS EVEN A VIDEO!!! Here are a few of the updates on our website:

  • Savings Calculator – To quickly identify how much you can save with us.
  • How it Works Page – For a deep dive on our business model.
  • Customer Testimonials – To feature some of our super smart and great looking customers.
  • Founders’ Bios – So people know they can trust us.
  • Streamlined sign-up process.
  • Explainer Video (below)

Once you’ve shared the website with your friends they’ll be all like…

I love you

Thank you so much for your patronage and go check out the website by clicking here!

P.S. If you’re psyched about our enhanced website and video tell your friends! You can get free stuff by referring friends, follow and tweet about us, like and post about us on Facebook and like and post about us on LinkedIn. Thanks again!

04.03.15
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Texas Tribune: Companies charge you more when you use less…What’s up with that?

“Toni Harrelson tries to limit her electricity use, she says, because every dollar counts for fixed-income folks like her…The fruits of those efforts? A $9.95 surcharge on most of her electric bills. Dallas-based StarTex Power adds the fee whenever she uses fewer than 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in a month.”

What's up with that

Read the whole article here.

There is a law being proposed that would ban this practice. The Texas Power Companies have the gall to be actively lobbying against this! If you’re getting burned by your electricity company we want to hear your story. Get in touch with us through our contact page. And, consider becoming a customer so you’ll know you’re getting the best deal on the market..and no longer have to say…

What's up with that 2

04.02.15
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Dallas Morning News Watchdog: Tips for Choosing Electricity Plans

watchdog

The Dallas Morning News’ Watchdog,  Dave Lieber provides some great tips on choosing the best electricity plan in Texas. If you’re like us (before we started Energy Simply) you’ve been frustrated and maybe even confused by which plan is the best for you. The Watchdog offers these helpful tips (paraphrased):

1. Legacy Providers Don’t Offer an Advantage.

2. Switching is good!

3. By doing your homework you can save hundreds of dollars.

4. Know your current contract’s terms.

5. Decide between fixed rate or variable.

6. Conduct thorough search using powertochoose.org.

7. Fill out all the information and checkboxes to see what plan might be best for you.

8. Study the results: terms of service, facts sheet, signup and special terms

9. Background check the plan that looks like the best for you: Make sure they don’t have any major consumer complaints.

10. Read the contract.

So, while this list is very helpful, it looks like it could take as much time and effort as filing your taxes. Look, there is a reason people hire accountants! You could follow the steps very helpfully outlined by the Watchdog…or, for $5 bucks a month you can hire us to do it for you.

We guarantee we’ll keep you in the cheapest or cheapest 100% renewable electricity plan always…and you’ll never have to worry about it again.

03.30.15
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Heating & Cooling Costs Top Priority for New Home Buyers

The National Association of Realtors recently published an infographic showing why new home buyers are going green. Topping the list of priorities was controlling heating and cooling costs. Energy Simply helps new home buyers (or any residential customer) stay in the cheapest 100% renewable electricity plans on the market at all times – helping consumers save money and go green!

green-home-features-infographic-2015-03-17 (1)

12.19.14
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Illinois Electricity Prices on the Rise

Recent news reports have cast a light on impending increases that will start to show up on your electricity bills. The reports outline obscure policies and conditions that could lead to increases as high as 20%! The time has never been better to shop around for a better electricity supplier, or let Energy Simply do the work for you – you’ll save money as energy prices increase and you won’t have to worry about getting hit with hidden fees or switching penalties.

Crains recently reported on a somewhat obscure court ruling that could have major impacts on your energy bills. They’ve also provided coverage on power company rate hikes that will lead to residential customers’ rates jumping significantly! The Chicago Tribune had a similar article outlining the rate hikes for Chicago-area customers.

Finally, there are many consumers whose municipal aggregation electric plans are set to expire and increase in the near future. The Village of Norridge is planning to switch back to Comed since they haven’t been able to negotiate a lower group price. Arlington Heights has paid major fees to an energy consultant, but their rates still aren’t the cheapest available. In fact, cities and towns all over Illinois are seeing their negotiated rates on the rise. Even if your city or town has negotiated good electricity rates for you, Energy Simply can save you money and find you 100% renewable plans, and there is no penalty for opting out of your municipal plan.

So, to recap: The bad news is that your electricity prices are going up. But, the good news is that when you sign up with Energy Simply, we will shop around to keep you locked into the cheapest or cheapest 100% renewable electricity plan. You can rest assured you’ll get the best deal for your money.

As rates start to rise, Energy Simply is prepared to take the hassle out of getting the best deals on cheap and renewable electricity.

Sign up at www.EnergySimp.ly today.

Gideon Blustein is a Co-Founder and Advisor of Energy Simply. He previously worked in the United States Congress as a Chief of Staff and for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Gideon is pursing an MPA from Northwestern University and holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois.