I wrote an article about the “Glacial Energy Scam” claiming it was “not a scam” but perhaps I spoke too soon. On Tuesday the 9th of January the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) recommended revoking the company’s license.  The PUCT is now reviewing Glacial Energy to see if it is necessary to revoke its Retail Electric Provider’s (REP) license.

The company is being fined over $235,000 for over-billing its customers. To make matters worse, Glacial Energy’s owner, Gary Mole, also owned Franklin Power Company. It seems harmless to go from owning one energy company to another but not in this case. According to TXU Delivery Company and CenterPoint, Franklin Power Company failed to pay its bills which led to its license being revoked in 2006.

I don’t know if the PUCT had any knowledge about Mole’s ownership of the Franklin Power Company. This makes me question the validity of the process to get licensed because the PUCT has to approve REPs before they can sell electricity in Texas.

Another crazy thing about Glacial Energy is the lawsuit in a Dallas federal court about its involvement in financing “blood diamonds.” The case also includes charges of “racketeering” and “money laundering” to help fund the mining operation in Africa.

So was I right about claiming Glacial Energy was not a scam? If the allegations hold up in court, it looks like I was wrong. To barrow the old cliché; “you’re innocent until proven guilty” gives me comfort that maybe this is all wrong but it does not soften the blow to my confidence in the PUCT.

ElectricRates.com does not represent nor sell electricity through Glacial Energy.

Glacial Energy does not sell residential electricity services.

Mechanical meters are being replaced with evolved Smart Meters. The two-way digital communication capabilities give you the benefits of tracking you electricity consumption in 15 minute periods.

Electric suppliers (poles and wires) will be able to track power outages caused by fallen trees with the Smart Meter technology. You will also be able to track your usage through smartmetertexas.com. It is easy to save money when you can buy an in-home monitor from your Retail Electric Provider (REP) which converts usage into dollars.

Smart Meters allow energy companies like TXU, Direct Energy, Payless Power and several others the ability to sell Pre-paid (no-deposit) electricity plans. If you are looking for an energy company and you don’t have the money for a deposit you should look into signing up with a prepaid light company.

Oncor’s electricity service area is the only area in which no-deposit plans are offered at this time. You can expect smart meters in other service areas soon because of the benefits they offer to you and the energy companies.

You can compare prepaid light companies in Texas by typing your zip code into the compare box and clicking “Compare.” There will be several tabs on the top of the compare chart. Click the “No-deposit” to see electricity plans in your area.

Are Smart Meters Safe?

The radio frequency or RF transmission signals the smart meter puts out are comparable to the low level radio frequency of other common electronic devices. The Smart Meters pass the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards to be considered a safe electronic device.

What About Smart Meters For My Business?

Smart Meters give small business the ability to track usage. Large businesses already have energy managers or hire energy constants to analyze with IDRs (Interval Data Recorders). If you own a small business you will be able to use the smart meters to manage cost while keeping your company competitive.

Call 1-800-971-4020 to speak with an energy consultant.

An energy consultant may be able to help you save money whether or not you have a smart meter.

As the year comes to an end you start to think about making and keeping New Year Resolutions. Last year is over and hopefully you have made good on your promises and keep last year’s resolutions.

Let me challenge you this year to make a “New” New Year Resolution to save energy. Lots of Texas energy companies offer competitive green energy plans which fit into your budget. Most renewable electricity plans do cost more so if your budget is tight work on using less energy.

In the last year in Texas you have seen the energy market give you the consumer more options. Variable pay as you go plans offer you a no-deposit no contract option. Green plans have become less expensive. You can buy 100% green energy or just get a plan with 5% renewable electricity.

This year has been filled with promotional from several energy companies. TXU partnered with SolarCity to give Dallas-Fort Worth residents rebates to install solar panels on homes. Bounce Energy did the “12 days of Christmas” which gave you gift card, discounts and more when you sign up with electric service.

Note: Prepaid plans are only available if you have a smart meter on your home. To see if you have a smart meter use the compare box. Once you have typed in your zip code you will see a chart with tabs on the top. Click the “No-Deposit” tab. If there is Texas electricity suppliers listed you may have a smart meter.

Bounce Energy has been promoting its products through facebook, android market, iTunes and YouTube which is helping it sell more electricity. Bounce has been getting the most out of social and mobile media.

By developing apps for smart phones Texas energy companies gives customers easy ways to access their accounts on the go where ever they are. Making payments, scheduling auto drafts, and much more can be done right on customers’ smart phones.

Bounce Energy company has made the sign up process even easier for customers by adding it to its facebook. Signing up with a Texas electric supplier on facebook is really cool. Not every Texas electricity provider can offers customer the sign up process on facebook.

Getting Bounce Energy’s brand on YouTube gives it access to the second most popluar search engine. Offering energy saving tips on YouTube helps educate consumers on easy ways to save money.

Bounce Energy offers competitive rates on energy in Texas. Consumers can compare Bounce Energy’s electric rates by typing in their zip code into the compare box.

Every now and then Bounce Energy comes out with a promotional with some really good deals. Bounce offers completive energy rates throughout the year. This Christmas, Bounce has brought back its promotional the “12 Days of Christmas.”

As if the savings were not enough to get customers, Bounce is giving gift cards to various place, discounted rates, and even a chance to win free electricity for a month.

The “12 Days of Christmas” started on the 5^th and ends on the 20^th. All customers need to do is sign up with the promo plan and enter the promo code.

Many Texas energy companies have offered consumer gift card if they sign up for electricity services. This holiday season compare some of the great offers on the market with electricrates.com. Type your zip code into the compare box to get started.

Energy managers or small business owners can use the compare box or call 1-800-971-4020.

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Thanks

Black Friday has come and gone and now you are realizing Christmas is just a few short weeks away. If you are like me the budget this year is a little smaller than last year which means I’m looking for anyway to save money.

The easiest way to save during the Holiday season is simplely cutting back. Eating out less or spending more time at home is what you do to save money. I recommend an easer way to save. Find cheaper electricity services.

ElectricRates.com is probably not your first place to search for something to help you buy all your Christmas presents but using the compare chart can save you money. Saving money on your electric bill makes spending hundreds of dollars on presents easier.

I have noticed a big change in the way you are shopping for electricity service providers in Pennsylvania. When the Rate Caps expired last year you had a choice to stay with your current provider or switch to a new one. Lots of you switch saving you money on your electric bill.

Some of you switched and did not save money. Why? One of the most common mistakes you may have made when trying to sign up with a new electricity service is choosing the wrong rate.

Met Ed | Default West Penn Power

PAPowerSwitch.com makes it easy to see what your default energy service provider is charging in your area. The “Price To Compare” makes it easy to see if rates are lower with a different provider BUT it does not show which rate is best for you.

You may think the lowest price rate plan will save you the most money but the truth is that is not always the case. The variable rate plans are in most cases the lowest price. You may have signed up with one of these variable plans and saw some saving in the first month but after that you saw a big increase.

Variable rate plans, like the name says, can change. If you want to lock in your price choose a fixed rate plan. Most fixed rate plans have a contract.

The Fee for ending the contract varies from provider to provider. You may prefer a fixed rate plan if you don’t have the time to shop for a new electricity service provider each month.

Go spend the money you save from your electric bill on your friends and family.

Happy Holidays from ElectricRates.com

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Recent news about slowing down the government lending on renewable energy companies could help the private sector.

SolarCity said it will consider getting private financial help after the government said it was not going to fund the SolarStrong project.

The SolarStrong project was going to install solar panels on military homes. Jobs would have been created to help install the panels on over 160,000 rooftops. This leaves people wondering “if government is always trying to help the economy and create jobs why not give SolarCity the loan?”

The recent struggle with getting “green” government loans is due to the now bankrupt Solar company Solyndra. The Department of Energy gave Solyndra Company $535 million in loans before the company went bankrupt.

SolarCity is not the only company suffering from the aftermath of Solyndra. California is not going to get a solar power plant from First Solar Inc, because it did not meet the DOE’s deadline, even though it received conditional approval for a 1.9 billion dollar loan back in June.

The private sector should see growth if other companies follow SolarCity’s lead and seek loans outside of the government.

Past News About SolarCity

SolarCity recently partnered with TXU to provide Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas residents a $1000 discount to customers who installed solar panels on their homes.

Texas has many Retail Electric Providers (REP) offering services to you just like Amigo Energy.

Why choose Amigo Energy?

The simplest reason is it can save you money on your electric bill. Every electricity company in Texas offers competitive prices for your home or business but Amigo Energy offers even more.

Type your zip code into the compare box and see if Amigo Energy offers services in your area.

You will see a compare chart with information from several energy companies including rate plans, term length and more.

Amigo offers you 100 percent renewable energy. Saving energy by turning off a light when you leave a room helps but with 100 percent renewable energy you can rest assured that every kw used is not going to waste.

Amigo Energy Review For Commercial Electricity

Amigo Energy’s straight-forward billing terms helps you stop worrying about electricity procurement and focus on your core management activities.

Call Electric Rates at 1-800-971-4020 to speak with an energy consultant about your business electricity needs.

Electric Rates offers a no-obligation proposal prepared by a knowledgeable energy consultant. With several energy companies competing for your business it makes it easy to save money on your electric bill.

If you are shopping for residential electricity service Amigo Energy can help you. The company takes pride in offering you both great rates and customer service. Amigo wants you to start a lasting relationship by signing up with electricity service.

Thousands of customers like you trust Amigo Energy with their business and home electricity needs. What are you waiting for?

For more Amigo Energy reviews visit the PUCT’s website.

TXU electricity is giving a $1000 discount to residential customers who install solar panels on their homes. The offer is through TXU and Solar City.

Customers that live in Fort Worth and Dallas can participate in the five million dollar program.

To sum up the program home owners can save $1000 on a possible $6000 solar panel revamp of their home however the cost to buy solar array outright is higher than $6000. People living in the 60 mile radius of Solar City can apply for the discount.

Green energy product are becoming like 3D TVs, there is a lot of hype for both but not everyone can afford them.

What are the Benefits?

The savings a solar panel system has on a home’s energy bill could be over $100 depending on the Texas electricity rate plan. Other savings include a tax incentive of 30 percent tax credit on the purchase of the solar panels. Taking care of the planet for future generations is a non-monetary benefit of participating in the program.

TXU has always been a formidable foe when it comes to competition in the Texas energy market. Now TXU is raising the bar even more with the latest program.

TXU offers competitive rates in Texas. Customers can compare TXU electric rates to ours by visiting TXU’s website.

Electric Rates does not sell electricity through TXU.

To see Electric Rates’ providers plans customers can type in their zip codes into the compare box in the upper right.

Commercial customers can do the same or call 1-800-971-4020 to speak with a Texas energy consultant.

To get the latest news from Electric Rates follow us on Twitter.

I did some recent research about Glacial Energy and came across “scam” articles. One article on www.ripoffreport.com claimed the company was not paying commissions to its representatives. The article was a few years old and the author has since withdrawn his statements.

New developments about Glacial Energy Scam Click Here

I also came across the normal scam issues associated with energy companies: variable rate plans. I don’t want to go into great detail about this issue but if you have never shopped for an energy company before do some research about variable rate plans.

Is the so called “Glacial Energy Scam” real?

No! I might have too much faith in the Public Utility Commission but as far as I can tell there is no Glacial Energy Scam even tho there are several website claim there is.

Former or current employees of companies get mad all the time when they feel mistreated. I wish these types of employees would voice their concerns in a different way. Putting complaints on every website that will take them does nothing to help them or the company they work for.

If you have a complaint about your energy company send it to the Public Utility Commission.

It is troubling to hear employees criticizing their companies. If the claims from every website were true we are all in a lot of trouble.

Electric Rates does not represent Glacial Energy nor sell electricity through Glacial. To see Glacial Energy’s rate plans visit GlacialEnergy.com.

More Information

Glacial Energy sells electricity to commercial and industrial customers in several deregulated states. The company offers competitive energy pricing which means you can save money on your business’ electric bill.