10-26-12

14C — October 26 - November 8, 2012 — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal

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MABFM ‘12

By Sam Ritter, Plymouth Rock Energy Choosing the right energy partner

At Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweeps MMRFrecovers 75 to80% of disposed material

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ost people do not enjoy that time of the month when

you should find out if there are any price guarantees and if you are able to switch freely between pricing options. Do not forget to ask if there are any penalties for changing pricing options! Also, find out if there are any extra charges for going above or below your usual usage level. 3. Billing Some ESCOs send a sepa- rate bill, so you’ll get two bills – one from the ESCO and one from the utility company. Other ESCOs consolidate their charges onto the bill you currently receive from your utility. It’s generally best to go with an ESCO that offers consolidated billing. If any- thing, it can be considered a tacit endorsement of the ESCO by your utility since they are agreeing to share the bill. 4.Financial Stability You should always choose a provider that is doing well and has been in business for a while. The longer an ESCO has been in business, the more reliable they are, and the longer track record they have. 5.Customer Service Research how the ESCO handles customer complaints – what their customer service hours are, toll-free numbers, ease of speaking to a live per- son, customer satisfaction, etc. Most importantly, find out who you should speak to if an issue arises – the utility or the ESCO? 6.Agreement Terms Get a good understanding of the contract terms. How long are the terms for? 6 months? 1 year? Always find out what their cancelation policy is and if there are any penalties for canceling. Getting the answers to these questions will give you the most insight into choos- ing the ESCO that best suits your needs and start saving money on your energy bills. Sam Ritter is COO of Plymouth Rock Energy. For more information about Plymouth Rock En- ergy, and what switching means to you, please visit their website. ■

the gas and electric bills come, especially during high- demand seasons. What many don’t realize is that they aren’t shackled to their cur- rent provider and the prices they charge. Deregulation of the energy markets introduced compe- tition where none existed before. By the separation of supply (actual supplier) and distribution (means energy is transmitted), de- regulation gave rise to a number of energy service companies (ESCOs) offering lower energy prices and more choices. Taking steps to prop- erly manage energy costs can have positive effects on your bottom-line Switching from your cur- rent utility to an ESCO for your energy needs is often a seamless process. However, there are a few things you should find out to determine which ESCO is right for you. So what are the first things you should look for when deciding on an ESCO? There are 6 main points you should research to find out if a cer- tain ESCO is right for you. 1. First and foremost, find out if the ESCO is listed on your state’s public service/ utility board or commission This department of state government has varying names depending on the state, but nomatter the name they are the department’s re- sponsible for approving and reviewing ESCOs. Check your state government’s web- site to find out the site for that specific department. That department site should have a list of all ESCOs ap- proved to serve customers in your area. Whichever ESCO you are reviewing must be on that list. 2. Price This is probably the num- ber one reason you are think- ing about switching to an ESCO – to get a better deal and lower your energy bill. It then goes without saying that you want the lowest price available. Here are

Sam Ritter

some tips on how to deter- mine the best price: • Call the ESCOs and ask for their price-per-kilowatt hour. Make sure you have your current energy bills at hand so you can know your rates and usage. Make sure to find out if the price quoted includes taxes and other fees. • Find out if there are any promotions or incentives that the ESCO is offering new customers. Many ESCOs have differ- ent pricing options. Typically, there are three kinds: Fixed, variable, and hybrid. • Under Fixed pricing, you agree to pay a set price for the term of your contract. However, you run the risk of paying more if energy market prices drop below your agreed upon rate. Con- versely, you may pay less if energy prices go over your rate. This is a great option if you want predictability for your monthly bill since your energy price does not fluctu- ate with the market. •Variable pricing pegs your energy cost to the wholesale cost of energy in the mar- ket. Your price is typically a percentage of the wholesale cost which means that you generally always save money regardless of the market fluc- tuations. • Hybrid is a mix of fixed and variable pricing. Depend- ing on the terms, you may pay a fixed price for one part of the contract term and a variable price for the other. When researching which pricing option is best for you,

Montecalvo Material Recovery Facility team members give away fun, eco-friendly freebies and educate the Clean Ocean Action volunteers about recycling (Photography: Bayshore Recycling Corp/October 2012)

WOODBRIDGE, NJ—Mon- tecalvo Material Recovery Facility (MMRF) sponsored the Clean OceanAction Beach Sweeps and donated a recy- cling dumpster for the fourth consecutive year at Sandy Hook on Saturday, October 20, 2012. The MMRF will recover ap- proximately 75 to 80 percent of the disposed material from the beach sweep and recycle the debris into reusable products. This provides a green alterna- tive to otherwise sending the many non-biodegradable items to sit for years in a landfill. Advocates of Clean Ocean Action for fifteen years, Valerie and Frank Montecalvo, own- ers of the Montecalvo Material Recovery Facility and Bay- shore Family of Companies, recognize the significance of reducing environmental pollu- tion on New Jersey’s beaches. Shortly after the launch of their material recovery facil- ity in 2007, the Montecalvos began donating a recycling container to help this effort. “I cannot stress how impor- tant it is to be involved in an organization like Clean Ocean Action,” Valerie Montecalvo said. “The abundance of waste and floatable debris found on New Jersey’s beaches is shock- ing. The survival of our ocean and its precious ecosystems are vital to the existence of mankind and its future gen- erations.” Employees from the MMRF volunteered in number on Sat- urday. While some of the team members shared information about the company’s recy-

cling services, others aided in sweeping away the remnants of summer storm debris. The magnitude of discarded waste - chewed-up straws, bottle caps, plastic bags, candy wrap- pers and plastic toys - only solidified Valerie and Frank’s passion to preserve the New Jersey ocean environment. According to the United States Environmental Protec- tion Agency, a plastic bottle would take about 450 years to decompose if not recycled or repurposed. “Human trash is now found on every shoreline in the world and throughout the global ocean,” Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean OceanAction said. “Human trash not only makes beaches ugly, it maims and kills marine wildlife. We must do more to reduce plastic pollution and beach sweeps are one way citizens can help.” Clean Ocean Action is a grass roots organization that the Montecalvos are proud to sponsor and will continue to collaborate with to work to- wards a greener New Jersey. Clean Ocean Action (COA) is a broad-based coalition of 125 active boating, business, community, conservation, div- ing, environmental, fishing, religious, service, student, surfing and women’s groups. These “Ocean Wavemakers” work to clean up and protect the waters of the New York Bight. The groups came to- gether in 1984 to investigate sources, effects, and solutions of ocean pollution. For more information, visit www.clean- oceanaction.org. ■

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