Tag Archives: going green

05.02.17
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Think only big companies can go carbon neutral? Think again.

In the sharing, maker, collaboration economy of today, there are many new small business entrepreneurs. Whether you’re running your business from a home office or have a store-front or other facility, you can join companies like Microsoft that are making major strides to offset their carbon footprint.

carbon footprintAs the Puget Sound Business Journal reports, Microsoft is purchasing carbon neutral energy on the open market. This helps reduce their carbon impact on the planet, but also helps to encourage clean energy production and investment. But, did you know you can do the exact same thing?

If you’re a small business owner (or residential consumer of electric) you should consider purchasing electricity sourced from clean production such as wind and solar. In fact, when we analyzed prices we found that the cost premium maxes at about 15% but often times it is cost neutral or even cheaper to buy green electric. The only potential drawback is in selecting the right plan and switching plans at the right time to avoid getting socked with variable rates or up-charges.

That’s where Energy Simply comes in; we’ll do it for you. We analyze your usage, select and switch your energy plans for you. That way you can rest easy knowing you’re getting the best rate – and saving the planet!

11.22.16
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ES (energy simply) and EVs (electric vehicles)

Energy Simply customers are part of a special market segment. Busy, upscale professionals who are sophisticated in leveraging their consumer powers. That is why we’re dedicating today’s post to the intersection of ES and EVs.

Recently, the Chevy Bolt EV was named Motor Trend’s 2017 car of the year. “Simply put, it’s twice the car for half the price of a BMW i3,” guest judge Chris Theodore said. “A better car, better package, much better handling, with twice the range.”bolt

On the flip side of the news cycle, Tesla recently came under a bit of fire for announcing they’d no longer offer free electric charge-ups to their customers. Depending on how much driving and electric rates, the added costs are estimated between $300 to $1000 per year.

But we’re not just shilling for Chevy or slinging at Tesla. Those who wish to save on their fuel costs by purchasing an EV can save even more if they are in the cheapest electricity plan. Why? Because electric rates vary widely in Texas between lows of 3 cents and highs of 14 cents and if you are charging your vehicle you would not want to pay nearly 5 times more than you have to, right? So, smart and savvy consumer, sign up for http://www.EnergySimp.ly, and take a deep breath knowing that you’ll always have the cheapest electric rate available.

04.22.16
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Obligatory Earth Day Post

Too cynical? Probably, but if you’re like me you’re probably a little tired of every company using Earth Day as a way to sell its wares. Well, today we aren’t buying into the hype. We make good decisions every day to promote Earth’s health and environmentalism, and our company is working – one household at a time – to try and get more people using renewably produced electricity.

Here’s an article from Inhabitat writer Jill Fehrenbacher about the top 5 worst Earth Day Gimmicks. It’s a fun read, and a good reminder that our actions every day are what count. It’s a good reason to think about what habitual changes you can make to protect the health of the planet. Might we suggest choosing 100% renewable electric? There’s a good chance it won’t even cost more than traditional. Happy Earth Day!

11.26.15
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Don’t be a Turkey: Stop paying too much for Electric

The electric companies love you. Every month they can count on you to not review your bill, check for competitive pricing and they are taking that to the bank! You’ve helped pay for a lot of lavish Thanksgiving feasts for energy executives today.

It’s Thanksgiving, so don’t be a Turkey – compare prices on your turkeyelectricity. Perhaps you’ll even find that you can get 100% renewable electricity for cheaper than traditional, dirty electric. If you don’t have the time to shop the electric markets let us do it for you. For $5 a month we’re saving our customers $10, $25 – many as much as $50 every month!

And, because we are thankful for our customers we have incentives to help you sign your friends up such as a free Nest thermostat. Loosen that belt after dinner, grab your electricity bill and sign up to start saving.

11.10.15
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Winter is coming: let us help you save

It’s November and winter is coming.  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 65% of energy costs are tied to heating or lighting; and these are costs that will increase in the winter months: Winter is coming jpg

  • Colder outside temperatures mean more energy is needed to heat your home and water
  • Shorter winter daylight hours mean more energy is needed to light your home

There’s a good chance you’re probably paying more than you need for the electricity you’re going to need more of.  Energy Simply is a consumer-focused service that monitors the complex and frequently changing energy market and helps you get the best deal, personalized FOR YOUR electricity usage.  Learn more about how Energy Simply works and sign-up to start saving today:https://www.energysimp.ly/users/sign_up.

(Data and graphic from: U.S. Department of Energy)

11.05.15
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Chicagoland Residents could go green AND save 5% vs ComEd

A large number of people in the Chicagoland area are with their incumbent electricity provider, ComEd, and likely paying too much for electricity.

From, October 2015 through May 2016, ComEd is charging its customers $0.07006/kWh.  If you’re in a two-bedroom apartment and using 1,000 kWh/month, you’re paying $70.06 (plus a fixed delivery fee) per month.  If you’re in a four-paying too muchbedroom house using 2,000 kWh/month, you’re paying $140.12 (plus delivery fee) per month.

If you just wanted the cheapest plan, you could be saving about 15% and if you wanted to go green with 100% renewable energy, you could still be saving 5% compared to your default ComEd rate.

Energy Simply actively monitors the Illinois energy market including the nearly 80 plans available for Chicagoland residents as of early October and watches for the best deals for our customers.  We automatically switch you to the cheapest electricity provider for your home based on applying our proprietary models to your own energy usage.  Learn more at:https://www.energysimp.ly/how-it-works or sign-up at: https://www.energysimp.ly/users/sign_up.

10.28.15
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Chicago Case Study: Go Green and Save Green

Case Study: Go Green and Save Green

Abbie works for an environmental non-profit in the Chicago-area.  She cares deeply about the environment and wants to use renewable energy for her small apartment.  BUT, Abbie also works for a non-profit so she was worried that green energy would be too expensive.   girl_environmental_activist_H

Abbie saw our cost comparison for green energy and decided that for about 0% – 15% premium, she could afford to choose 100% renewable energy.  Abbie had been on the default plan for her area and by signing-up for Energy Simply she actually was able to get a lower price on 100% renewable energy than she had been paying.

Sign up for Energy Simply’s service and you can rest easy knowing you’re getting the cheapest or cheapest green energy at all times.

10.14.15
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It’s Rob’s Birthday and he wants you to switch to renewable

Ecofriendly Birthday Cake

Picture courtesy of http://www.ecofriend.com

This week I celebrate a milestone birthday and I have a small favor to ask: please consider switching to 100% renewable energy.  As shown in a previous blog post, renewable energy is sometimes the same price as or sometimes 10%-15% more expensive than non-renewable energy.

This was a big year for my spouse and I as we raise our first child in (see my personal Facebook page for pictures) and we are experiencing all of the joys and challenges of parenthood.  One of those joys and challenges is thinking about the world you want your child to live in.

I have heard people say that the current generation is the first generation to experience the effects of pollution and the last one that can make a major change.  I hope that for sake of the next generation, we have the collective will to make a change.

Thanks–

–Rob

P.S. Energy Simply is only available in some states, but there are options to go 100% renewable in nearly all states.  For example, in Washington state, Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Energy both offer programs to go renewable:

Rob Dolin is the Co-Founder and CTO of Energy Simply.  He has over a dozen years experience in the technology industry including work in the Office, MSN, and Windows divisions of Microsoft Corp. and technical partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Sina Weibo.  Rob holds a B.S. in Engineering with Honors from the University of Illinois and a Graduate Certificate in User-Centered Design from the University of Washington..

06.19.15
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FAQ: Can I switch my electric power company?

You don’t have to keep overpaying for electricity,  or keep polluting the world with dirty electricity.  If you live in Texas or Illinois, you can switch and start getting cheaper and/or greener power now.

changesameIn Texas, if you are currently not under contract (on a month-to-month or pay as you go plan)  you can switch right now.  You can also switch right now, with no termination fee, if your plan expires in the next 14 days (you are within the state mandated grace period).  If you are not in either of those 2 groups, you can still switch right now, but you are likely under contract and subject to a termination fee ranging from $100-$200 if you switch.

If you fall into one of the first 2 groups you  should always switch right now.  You are definitely paying more than you need to if you have a month-to-month plan or a pay as you go plan, and if your plan expires in the next 14 days you want to switch now so the company can’t hit you with month-to-month variable rates upon contract expiration.  If you have a cancellation charge, it may still be worthwhile to switch.  Our average customers save ~$50/month and some of our customers have saved $100s/month.  If you haven’t changed providers in more than a year, you have more than a few months left on your contract, and you live in a 2000+ square-foot house, chances are you can save money by switching.  You can go to www.powertochoose.org and pick a plan.

Things to remember when picking a Texas plan:

1) Always choose a fixed price plan

2) You can often save money with 3-6 month plans

3) Make sure you note your contract end date, so you can sign yourself up for your next plan before the one you choose expires

4) Your use varies so take a look at www.smartmetertexas.com to help you figure out what your expected usage will actually be

5) Always look at the fact label and make sure the company isn’t playing games with pricing using large credits or other tricks to make their plan look cheaper

In Illinois, the vast majority of people will have no cost to switch (basically if you’ve never switched before there will be no cost to switch).  So you can go to www.pluginillinois.org,  choose a cheaper (current price to compare from ComEd is ~7¢/kWh ) or greener plan and in 3 to 7 weeks you will be receiving power from your new provider.

Two things to remember when choosing an Illinois plan:

1) Always choose a fixed price plan!

2) Make sure you know when your plan will end and remember to switch again to a new plan ~5 weeks before the end of your plan to avoid getting hit with variable rates at the end of your contract (to figure this out you also need to know when it starts).

And lastly,  remember there is an alternative to spending your precious tine staying on top of this stuff.  You can let Energy Simply manage it all for you.  We are electricity market experts and we are always thinking of ways to keep you in the best cheapest (and potentially greenest) plans.  We sign you up for the best available plan, track prices in case it ever makes sense to switch mid-contract, and switch you before your contract expires so you never get stuck paying variable rates.  And it will only cost you $5/month.  Sign up today!

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.