First to define broadly a commercial account. Simply it is any rate payer whose Pepco DC invoice does not have an “R” or residential designation. From houses of worship, restaurants, multi-family buildings, warehouses, retail stores, office buildings, gas stations, hotels, and  many more categories. It doesn’t matter if the meter is in Anacostia, Georgetown, Adams Morgan, Chevy Chase, or Columbia Heights, if there isn’t the “residential” category, the meter is considered commercial.

As with residential electricity choice in DC, commercial rate payers have contracted “shopped” with alternative electricity suppliers at a significantly lower rate than their Maryland counterparts. The POR (Purchase of Receivables) option that is not available in DC but is available in Maryland plays a part in this lower shopping rate.  Again the DC Public Service Commission has great information available for commercial rate payers to learn about the process of choosing a third party supplier on their website and probably in their office, but getting someone on the phone can be a challenge.

Just like every the majority of expenses a business incurs, electricity costs can be controlled to some degree. Understanding your options regarding electricity supply rates available through energy brokers like Electric Advisors would allow you to free up cash assets that could be used for energy efficiency improvements, marketing dollars, debt reduction, and the list goes on.

Next posting will talk about renewable energy options available to the DC business community. Most would be surprised to know that buying renewable “green”  in some cases can actually lower your rate as compared to Pepco DC’s supply rate.

The other advantage Maryland has over DC is something called Purchase of Receivables or POR. POR is simply the utility (Pepco DC) taking over the financial responsibility of collecting and owning the accounts that go bad. Part of the reasoning behind this POR program is the fact that third party suppliers can not shut down your electricity if you don’t pay your bill, but the regulated utility can. This POR process does eliminate the majority of the risk from the supplier stand point, not all of the risk. On the consumer side, POR allows rate payers who have has credit issues for what ever reason beefit from lower rates and perhaps help the consumer on his or her way back to financial solvency.

Since POR was introduced in Maryland the number of residential third party suppliers has more than tripled and the benefactors of this are the rate payers who are enjoying the benefits of energy choice. Perhaps it is time for DC to roll out POR, Pepco Maryland is doing it! Meanwhile if you are a DC resident with a Pepco bill, grab your staement and click here to get lower rates for your electricity supply! My Lower Rate

Next up for discussion is how the business community in DC can benefit from energy choice.

www.npr.org/2012/03/07/148036966/is-u-s-energy-independence-finally-within-reach

The interns will be working on a range of projects that involve marketing strategy, new business development, social media, renewable energy education, renewable energy certificates, e-mail marketing, video marketing, and business management.

Interns will be based in our Bethesda, MD office but will be asked to participate in networking events from Downtown DC to Baltimore, MD. This is a non-paying internship with potential full time paid opportunity beginning in June 2012. If you know of someone interested in working with Electric Advisors, Inc please have them send an e-mail to info@electricadvisors.com

www.energycentral.com/generationstorage/wind/news/en/22502335/Wind-farm-opposition-group-hopes-to-educate-public