Five Questions to Ask When You Shop for Electricity Rates
During the last decade, there have been several changes and evolutions in the electricity industry following both State and Federal initiatives. One of the most radical and controversial among these changes involved the restructuring of the power market into something more competitive and deregulated. Several states across the country have adopted energy deregulation, giving their consumers the power to choose providers and shop for electricity rates according to their convenience.
From the regulated monopolies of local utility companies to the deregulation of retail electric providers, energy deregulation spurred higher levels of competition among electricity companies in states like Texas that implemented such changes to the market. Although the production and transmission of electricity remains regulated and under the control of governing bodies like the Public Utility Commission of Texas, retail providers compete for consumers’ attention when they shop for electricity rates.
To gain the most benefit from your option to shop for electricity rates, one must first make several considerations and ask the following basic questions to guide them when they choose suppliers. Althoughcheap electricity rates are undoubtedly the most common reason why a consumer would switch electric provider, there are other things to consider that you should include in the selection process.
Do I live in an energy deregulated market?
The power t0 choose retail electric providers is logically available only to states that have a deregulated energy market. But not all areas in a particular state have a competitive market. In the case of Texas, some cities like Austin and San Antonio do not have electricity competition available yet, although major cities like Houston, Dallas, and Forth Worth have deregulated markets.
Am I satisfied with my current Texas electricity provider?
Before you decide to shop for electricity rates and make a switch to another electricity provider, you must first ask yourself if you are not satisfied with your current one. As mentioned earlier, the price of electricity should not be the only reason for making the switch as there are other tangible and intangible benefits that you can get from one supplier that you will not get from another.
Do I have an existing contract with my current electricity provider?
As simple as this may seem, you should check if you are bound by whatever contract you may have with your current retail electricity provider before allocating the resources to shop for electricity rates and new providers. If your current contract is about to expire and you feel that you are not satisfied with your current supplier, then by all means start with the selection process and get the best deals available.
What terms would give me the most benefit: fixed-rate or variable-rate terms?
There are several terms of services and payment schemes that you should consider when you shop for electricity rates. Depending on your needs and lifestyle, you can choose between and long-term fixed-rate plan that can lock in you electricity rates for a specified period of time, or you can opt for a variable rate plan that would depend on what the overall electricity market dictates.
Are Green Energy options of interest to me?
Ready to go green? You can do so by choosing a retail electric provider that sells electricity coming from alternative energy resources like solar and wind – forms of renewable energy that is slowly making a dent in the Texas electricity market. Participating in a green energy plan like this allows you to give your part in the battle for climate change and offset its negative effects by using green energy.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
Save Money by Switching Texas Commercial Electricity Providers
One of the biggest benefits consumers get from the deregulated Texas electricity industry aside from their power to choose electric providers is that they can enjoy cheap electricity and competitive commercial electricity rates. In fact, Texas consumers enjoy the 3rd cheapest rates in the country and this is due to the price caps placed on wholesale electricity. To give you a better figure, the wholesale price cap currently sits at only $3000 per MWh which is lower compared to other states and five times lower than the $12,500 per MWh market cap employed in Australia.
To get the full benefits and save lots of money from your electric bills, business owners can exercise their advantage and switch commercial electricity providers. These providers compete for your business and are utilizing various ways to gain your trust and eventually work with them as the power provider for your business or commercial establishments. However, shopping for commercial electricity providers can be a complicated task, particularly true if you have little understanding of how things work in the Texas electricity industry and how you can compute for all the charges and rates and come up with the final dollar figure that you have to pay for.
Shop for Texas Commercial Electricity Providers
There are more than a hundred retail electric providers competing as your commercial electricity provider. Going through this maze can be a daunting task if you want to strike out on this road on your own. You need to go through all the details required for you to switch providers, as well as understand the complex jumble of applicable fees, electric rates and payment plans – a very time consuming and tedious activity can cost you substantial amounts of money if not done properly.
One of the good things in a deregulated Texas electricity market however is the emergence of consolidators, aggregators or brokerage companies that help simplify the shopping experience for your business. These companies can do the market evaluation for you, even providing you with a customized analysis that takes into account the commercial electricity provider’s energy rates, your historical electricity usages, and other pertinent fees and charges in your desired plans and come up with a package that you can use in the selection process.
Where to Start
Working with a licensed energy aggregator or brokerage company to help you in shopping for a commercial electricity provider can assure that you are doing the selection process right and come out with the best choice that will give you the highest overall benefits. You can make the selection and purchasing process online through the brokerage or aggregator company’s website and they will take care of the rest. In this way, you don’t need to go through all the hassle of negotiations and focus on what you should do best – running your business.
When choosing a brokerage company, select one that works and maintains a non-agency relationship with several commercial electricity providers. These companies have already screened these companies from among the several retail electric providers all competing against each other for your business. They can work as your energy consultant and help you get the best and cheapest commercial electricity rates as possible.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
Dallas electricity providers as well as other Texas electricity utilities in the state won a temporary victory as U.S. Federal appeals court recently issued a delay order to the January implementation of the new EPA Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The decision was made after state legislators, the Texas electric grid operator and several other sectors of Texas society challenged the new ruling, pointing out the lack of time and resources for electric utilities to meet demands as well as the apparent threat to power capacity with the closing down of non-compliant power plants.
The new EPA rule aims to address the threat to human health brought about by the downwind pollution coming from the emissions of old, coal-fired power plants identified from 27 states across the country including Texas. The new rule also includes new standards for mercury, sulfur dioxide, and other toxic pollutants from electric plant smokestacks. Dallas electricity providers and other power generators across Texas and other affected states indicated that there is no enough time for them to meet the redesign, installation and upgrading of these power plants, not to mention the enormous costs such upgrades would entail.
Dallas electricity providers and other Texas electric companies challenged the new EPA rule pointing out that the government agency relied in faulty assumptions regarding the impact of this new rule to the state when the EPA included Texas in the list of affected areas. These companies claimed that they were given no opportunities to provide their inputs regarding the matter, forcing them to shut down power plants that could not be upgraded in time.
Loss of Texas Electricity Grid Capacity
In a survey conducted by the Associated Press among 55 power plant operators, it was estimated that at least 32 power plants will be forced to shut down unless they comply with the new EPA emission rules. Most of these plants are coal-fired while others are antiquated units that would require large amount of capitalization to be upgraded. The survey also pointed out that 36 more power plants will be shutdown when all the EPA rules have taken effect by 2014-2015 – equivalent to 14.7 gigawatts, enough to provide 11 million households with electricity.
One gigawatt is 1,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for Dallas electricity providers to power hundreds of thousands. Closing down coal-fired plants will definitely affect not only Dallas but the whole Texas electricity grid in terms of capacity. With the ever increasing demand for electricity in the state, compounded by high temperature levels during summer, the state will not have enough excess capacity to prevent rolling blackouts should peak demand increase beyond current levels.
Loss of Texas Jobs
Dallas-based Luminant Generation Company was among the first Dallas electricity providers that announced that they will not be able to meet the new EPA requirements and will be forced to shut down at least three lignite coal mines and power plants, losing up to 1,300 megawatts of capacity. The company will also be forced to cut 500 jobs from the plants and mines should the new EPA rule take effect during January.
The U.S. Federal appeal court stay order gives Dallas electricity providers some respite and time to make changes to their power plants for them to meet the new rules. However, although many Texas electricity providers and the grid operator announced plans for power plant upgrades, there are no certainties given yet if these projects will push through.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
Business Electric Rates and the Looming Texas Electricity Crisis
The announcements from ERCOT, the Texas state electrical grid operator, of a potential Texas electricity crisis and the occurrence of rolling blackouts during the next summer cycle has raised several mixed reactions from different sectors. Many saw the threat as real and blame the shutting down of old power plants in compliance with new EPA environmental rules. Others remain skeptical that there is indeed a looming electricity crisis and could be resolved by increasing consumer and business electric rates.
The real issue behind this predicament is capacity and in an energy-only deregulated Texas electricity market there was a lack of incentives for electric companies to build new power plants due to lower price caps. To incentivize Texas electric companies to build new power plants and address the potential threat of power shortages and rolling blackouts, the Texas Public Utility Commission is considering raising the price caps for wholesale Texas electricity.
This will give electric utilities guaranteed additional payments as incentives for building new power plants. However, many are apprehensive as the raised prices will be passed along to consumers through higher residential and business electric rates.
The Texas Energy Only Market
The state went for an Energy-Only system after the Texas electricity market was deregulated back in 1999 and had plenty of excess capacity, making residential and business electric rates affected only by market forces and not dictated by legislators and politicians. In this system, the power plant operators are only paid for the power they supply, and this price is dictated by the price caps set for wholesale power.
This is different from a capacity market wherein the generating Texas electric companies are paid an additional flat amount above the whole price, giving power plant operators an incentive and the means to recoup the cost of building new power plant generators. Texas is not the only market with an energy-only system as countries like Australia adopt the same practice.
The difference however is that Australia has wholesale market price caps that are five times higher than Texas and this price difference is enough incentive for electric companies to build new power plants. With this lack of incentives, not enough new power plants have been built and the capacity margins in the state continued to shrink while demand continued to expand.
Raising the Market Price Cap
The deregulated energy market in Texas not only gave consumers the power to choose their electric options but also allowed consumers to enjoy cheap electricity and competitive business electric rates – the 3rd cheapest rates in the country. The wholesale price cap is also at the low end and currently sits a $3000 per MWh, far from the $12,500 per MWh market cap in Australia.
To address the issue, the Texas Public Utility Commission is working on raising the current price cap to $4000 or even up to $6000, to give new investors incentives to look into building new power plants as profitable ventures in Texas. However, there are concerns that these increases may not be high enough to incentivize electric companies to invest in a new multibillion dollar power plant facility.
There are other less drastic means that the Public Utility Commission is initiating to address the looming electricity crisis that will come to the state as early as next summer. One thing is for sure though – there will be higher residential and business electric rates that consumers will absorb to ensure that homes and business will have enough electric juice to run through the cold winters and the scorching heat of the Texas summer.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
Texas Electricity Reserves: Grim Outlook for Electric Companies in Texas
It will be a grim outlook for electric companies in Texas as they will be caught in a “power” play between keeping the fires burning in old power plants and keep Texas electricity reserves at safe levels, and complying with new environmental rules imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Unlike water or gas, electricity is not stored but generated as needed and the shutting down of antiquated power plants will have serious implications on the state’s generating capacity.
In a latest assessment by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), significant concerns were raised regarding the lack of Texas electricity reserves by next summer and that electric companies in Texas may not have enough generating capacity to meet demand by the year 2013. What complicates things is the fact that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid is isolated from the emergency power supply systems from other states and can be cut off – a catastrophic event in the making that should be addressed now.
Capacity Assessments
ERCOT is targeting at least 13.75 percent Texas electricity reserve levels to ensure continued grid operation even during high temperature scenarios similar to what was experienced last summer. This reserve may be enough for electric companies in Texas to sustain increase in usage from consumers as well as generator outages and breakdowns.
However, the latest biannual assessment released by the grid operator for the next 10 years projects reserve margins to be only at 12 percent, or 2,600 megawatts less for the peak seasons in upcoming summers of 2012 and 2013. This lower projection was assessed after higher load forecasts were announced, compounded by additional announcements from electric companies in Texas planning to shut down several outdated power plants.
Power Play
The US Department of Energy recently stated that it has the legal authority backed by the Federal Power Act to require the continued operation of power plants during energy emergencies to keep the grid capacity safely above the projected demand. This puts electric companies in Texas in a dilemma as many plans to shut down coal-fired power plants to comply with the new EPA rule – compliance to either federal ruling would mean defiance against the other.
What this imply is that when electric companies in Texas keep the power plants running to prevent rolling blackouts from occurring, they would be penalized for environmental violations. ERCOT’s forecasts however indicate that rolling blackouts is not a theory but an upcoming possibility and will come to reality the moment power generating units are idled or shutdown.
ERCOT however reported that it would not put electric companies in Texas to be in position that would break the law by asking them to continue operating power plants to ensure grid reliability. The EPA on the other hand insist that generators need not close down power plants to comply with the new rule but instead should switch fuels, purchase emissions allowances, and boost pollution controls.
With ERCOT’s forecast putting a grim outlook for Texas electricity reserves in the coming periods, legislations are currently being drafted by Texas lawmakers that aim to protect power plants from lawsuits from breaking environmental laws by continuing operation as a response to Department of Energy orders. Experts on Environmental and Natural Resource Law stated that the EPA can waive compliance for electric companies in Texas and would do so according to the needs of the state.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
The Time to Shop for Texas Electricity Rates is Now
In a deregulated energy market such as what is implemented in Texas and one of the main things people who have the power to choose energy options would like to know what would be the best time when they would shop for Texas electricity rates. As experienced over the last few years, the best period to shop would be during the winter months when historically Texas electricity rates were at their lowest and by locking in these rates in a long-term fixed rate plan, consumers would definitely get big savings.
Now, recent events and projected scenarios in the Texas electricity landscape are affirming the wisdom in shopping for Texas electricity rates now. Many residents will definitely remember the rash of electrical emergencies announced by ERCOT during the height of last summer’s heat wave that placed the state in a brink of rolling blackouts due to lack of capacity. Demand shoot up as consumers turned on their air conditioning at full power to combat the heat, almost eating up Texas electricity reserves prompting the electric grid operator to declare emergencies.
The same problem is foreseen the next time summer comes around unless additional capacities are realized. However, the cold winter conditions in the coming months are also projected to affect overall Texas electricity capacity. So, before all these projections commence and eventually affecting supply, it would be wise to be proactive and start to shop Texas electricity rates.
Threats in Texas Electricity Supply
When the extreme winter conditions start to hit the state, it is projected that Texas electricity demand will shoot up to 60,000 megawatts. This is higher than the 54,000 peak demand that current grid capacities can supply during normal weather conditions. Current overall generating capacity is at 64,000 megawatts which could dip down to only 57,000 when extreme weather conditions strike.
This is further aggravated by the looming changes in clean air policies announced by the EPA, which could dip generating capacities further as old coal-fired power plants will most likely be shut down. With these developments, Texas electricity capacities may not be enough to maintain the 13.75 percent margin required during extreme weather conditions. There are over 59,000 megawatts of capacity under review and unless these additional capacities are realized, residents could be facing a serious threat to the Texas Electricity supply in the horizon.
The Ideal Time to Shop for Texas Electricity Rates
With these projected scarcity in supply that the state could potentially encounter in the coming months, it is expected that electric companies will increase Texas electricity rates to recoup their losses in revenues. What this implies is that consumers should not wait for the full impact on winter to shop for Texas electricity but should make their move now – before Texas electricity rates shoot up.
Texas residents should start looking around the marketplace and start shopping for Texas electricity rates while they are still low. The next step would be to lock in these rates for a long term plan, preferably for a 12-month period as indicators point to potentially much higher rates not only in the coming winter season, but is projected to roll over to the subsequent months as well.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
Are Texas Electricity Providers Ready for the Coming Extreme Weather?
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s electricity grid operator, recently announced that the coming extreme weather conditions this winter may require more generating capacity from Texas electricity generators. Without this additional capacity, the state may face a new rash of electricity emergencies and may eventually result in rolling blackouts, similar to what occurred in February of this year.
The question now hanging in consumers’ minds is whether Texas electricity providers have enough generating capacity to meet potential simultaneous worst case scenarios: extreme winter weather that may cause damages to utilities and power plants resulting in generation outages and the mothballing of several coal-fired power plants by Texas electricity providers to comply with new EPA clean air requirements. Although ERCOT admitted that the risk for outages may be on the low side, the potential issues are still present and worthy of being highlighted for increased consumer awareness.
As a proactive step, ERCOT is currently working on changing some rules pertaining to the grid operator’s emergency demand response program and has coordinated the Public Utility Commission of Texas in this regard. On top of that, ERCOT has also asked Texas electricity providers to review their existing capacity levels and work out additional capacity that they can contribute to the overall grid.
Winter and Rolling Blackouts
Under normal weather conditions, Texas electricity providers can have an overall capacity of 64,000 megawatts which could effectively supply power to the 54,000 demand during peak hours. However, the extreme weather conditions this coming winter could increase Texas electricity demand to 60,000 megawatts. This can be aggravated by the fact that power generation could dip down to 57,000 during such conditions and would be unable to meet demands during peak hours.
This is reminiscent to the occurrence of rolling blackouts last February, the second time it hit the energy capital during the last few decades. The extreme weather conditions during that time forced Texas electricity providers to shutdown power generators. The problem almost repeated last summer when the extremely high temperature levels triggered increasedTexas electricity demand, prompting ERCOT to mobilize its emergency demand response program.
Are Texas Electricity Providers Ready to Meet Demands?
Since May, available generating capacity by Texas electricity providers dropped by 4 percent according to ERCOT. This raised concerns from several sectors fearing that demand during the coming extreme weather cycles in winter and subsequently during the next summer may not be met unless additional capacity is generated.
Each megawatt generated by Texas electricity providers is enough to feed 500 homes on the average under normal weather conditions and electricity usage. This figure drops down to only 200 homes during extremely hot weather conditions, brought about by longer air conditioning operating times.
ERCOT reported that 13.75 percent marginTexaselectricity generating capacity reserves are sufficient to meet abnormal weather conditions and potential generator outages. However, the grid operator projected that reserve generating capacity may fall short and will reach only 12 percent margins. There are however, an additional 59,000 megawatts of capacity in review that could be used to beef up the grid, but there are no substantial finalizations that such capacities in review will ever materialize.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
Texas Electricity and the New EPA Rule
Despite several protests and lobbying efforts, the state of Texashas been included in the new clean air regulations that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently implemented to reduce the amount of harmful emissions generated by power plants. The new EPA rule requires electric power plants from 27 different states including Texas electricity generating plants to reduce harmful emissions down to specified levels.
For Texas electric power plants, the EPA rule requires a 47 percent reduction of harmful emissions or estimated as equivalent to the reduction of 244,000 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions each year. The EPA stated that Texas electricity power plants can utilize several viable options to reduce emissions such as upgrading power plants to include more boilers and scrubber, switch to a different fuel other than coal, or use coal with lower-sulfur content.Texas electric companies have up to March of 2013 to comply with these new EPA requirements.
Cleaner Air… Better Health… Less Jobs?
Most of Texas electricity is generated through coal-fired boilers that emit sulfur dioxide. This chemical is known to cause several environmental hazards such as soot, haze and even acid rain. Soot is made up of very tiny and fine particles that can be absorbed or inhaled into the body and has been clinically proven to cause breathing problems, heart issues and even premature death.
According to the EPA, clamping down on the amount of sulfur dioxide from these coal-fired electric power plants will give huge health benefits to the people ofTexas and surrounding states. The EPA estimates that the specified reduction of emissions with this new rule could save up to 1,700 Texan lives each year on top of the tens of thousands of lives saved from other affected states.
To comply with this new ruling, Texas electricity producers such as Luminant will be shutting down coal-fired electric plants with the highest emission levels. It will also shut down the lignite coal mines where the fuel used to feed these power plants are coming from. The company will instead use low-sulfur fuel on some of its power plants that will be retrofitted and at the same time the company will also invest over $280 million on enhanced pollution control systems with their other electric power plants.
While the EPA and other proponents of this new environmental ruling is happy that some of the older, outdated and inefficient coal-fired Texas electricity power plants will be shut down, thousands of Texas residents will lose their jobs in the process. As in the case of Luminant that will layoff more than 500 employees from the lignite mines that will be shut down, other companies shutting down their power plants will also encounter the same scenario. However, new jobs will also be created as focus on mining will be shifted towards low-sulfur coal mining.
Impact on Texas Electricity Supply
Another fear that people lobbying against the new EPA rule is voicing out is the impact on Texas electricity supply. Shutting down the power plants will definitely affect the total electric grid capacity of the state. A 1,200 to 1,400 megawatt reduction in capacity will result in rolling blackouts across the state. Earlier this summer, Texas encountered an electricity emergency due to the significantly immense increase in demand for electricity brought about by the extremely high temperature levels.
What this implies is that new Texas electricity power generation capacity should also be undertaken to supplement the loss in capacity from the electric power plants that will be shut down. While some companies are refocusing investments on low-sulfur coal power plants, other companies that have already invested in new lignite coal power plants will not have enough capital to pour into new capacities. The EPA however is confident that supplies and capacities will be met, while new emission levels are complied with.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
New Updates on Advanced Metering System Deployment in Texas
The state of Texas is at the forefront in the deployment of Advanced Metering technology, or what people refer to now as smart meters. The “smart” in advanced meters is the real-time communication and interaction between customers and their Texas electricity utility. This opens up a whole new world of benefits for the consumers with the power to select electric options.
In summary, what advanced metering systems do is to help consumers take better control of their Texas electricity usage, lower their bills and reduce their impact on the environment. On the other side of distribution channel, Texas electric companies can better manage and operate the power grid with automated features and real-time electricity usage analyses – unlike the old grid where many processes are still performed manually.
The Benefits of Advanced Metering Systems
The following discusses the benefits of advanced metering systems in further detail, both from the consumer side and the Texas electric utility side.
- Increased Usage Control – the real time feedback that consumers can get from the smart grid give them better control of their electric usage. With better control of their usage come lower Texas electricity bills. On top of that, reduced or more controlled usage will also reduce the amount of harmful emissions and thus contribute in the protection of the environment.
- Automated Systems – Unlike the old grid, advanced metering systems will provide greater automation for the new Texas electricity grid. Manual meter readings will be a thing of the past and so will inaccurate billing. In a deregulated electricity market such as in Texas, consumers can easily and more swiftly switch from one Retail Electric Provider to another. This will also prompt the Texas electricity suppliers to provide better services and more innovative products
- Better Grid Maintenance – The real-time feedback that smart meters give provide Texas electricity utility companies a better maintenance and monitoring system for the grid. Problems with the electric supply can easily be detected and addressed by the companies. There will also be lesser need for Texas electric companies to routinely check the grid, providing increased safety for employees and better privacy for consumers.
- A Modern Texas Electricity Grid – Advanced metering systems will also allow the use of gadgets, tools, and other home appliances with “smart” capabilities to be used in homes and offices. Usage settings can be adjusted automatically and will also allow scheduled reduction during peak grid load.
- Greener Options – Aside from reduced emissions due to the reduction of electricity usage during peak hours, advanced metering systems also enable proper integration of Texas electricity supplies coming from renewable energy resources into the main grid.
Advanced Metering System Deployment in Texas
As of August 15, 2011, there are over 3.6 million advanced metering units installed in the state of Texas, delivering real-time feedback and control for Texas electricity consumers and utility companies. Texas electric companies that are already ahead in the deployment race are already registering over 69% deployment among their users, while other companies have also initiated deployment now.
A Texas electricity consumer that has already been hooked up with a smart meter can monitor their usage data using a separate In Home Device (IHD) that will be provided. This set-up will also open up the influx of innovative products from Retail Electric Providers such as energy monitoring services, pricing schemes based on time of use, and the possibility of pre-paid systems for transient consumers.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
Recently, the announcement of federal projects involving the creation of new electric transmission lines brought new hope for residents of affected states, all eagerly anticipating the creation of new jobs plus an increase in their electrical grid capacity. Not only that, the project also involves the modernization of the electricity grid which will facilitate better integration and growth of renewable energy sources.
Texas electricity stands among the leaders of electrical grid modernization with the roll out of smart meters in various cities and localities. Not only will this give full monitoring control for consumers, but it will also enable the grid operator to predict or determine when electricity produced from the renewable energy source is available for integration into the grid. Not only will this further enhance consumers’ power to choose energy choices, but they will also benefit significantly from higher energy efficiency and electricity savings.
Integration of Renewable Energy Sources
One of the most important elements for the production of Texas electricity through renewable energy means is predictability particularly with regards to integration during peak hours. Knowing how much Texas electricity capacity is available from renewable energy will rely heavily on how smart the electrical grid will be. With the use of new technologies for wind and solar energy forecasting and then integrating smart grid technologies such as smart meters and other systems.
Funding has already been released by the US Department of Energy to develop advanced forecasting methods for solar and wind energy generation. Through these methods, accurate forecasts on when and where Texas electricity is generated from alternative or renewable energy means. Once this integration is completed and the smart grid fully established, consumers will eventually enjoy a fully interactive, intelligent and digitized electric grid.
Smart Meter Deployment
Smart meter deployment had its share of issues and concerns raised by consumer groups, particularly with the increased Texas electricity bills that surprised many. Although there were other factors such as the weather condition, lack of education and awareness about what the smart grid and smart meters can do proved to be a more important factor.
There are now more than 1.3 million smart meters deployed across Texas and this fully integrated advanced metering system can help reduce peak loads as well as provide better reliability. On the part of the utility company, they will have greater visibility of the operations and will most likely reduce maintenance and operational costs. A great example is the deployment and integration of the smart meter system to the Houston electricity grid.
As part of the modernization of the country’s electricity grid, more than five million smart meters have already been issued and installed. Smart meters provide real-time feedback that would give both consumers and utility companies a better insight about their electricity usage. This will allow utility companies to react in real time to electrical emergencies as well as monitor peak usages, allowing them to tap renewable energy resources when the demand calls for additional capacity – hereby securing a good future for the Texas electricity grid.
About Shop Texas Electricity- Shop Texas Electricity helps consumers and businesses compare and shop for their electricity plans in Texas. Learn more about Shop Texas Electricity by visiting us at www.ShopTexasElectricity.com
