choosing energy companies
Has anyone actually shopped around for gas and electricity companies? obviously the most common is CON ED and KEYSPAN… but is it worth doing some research with other providers out there to see if there is a chance at saving money? anyone have any prior experience or recommendations of alternative energy companies? This might also…
Has anyone actually shopped around for gas and electricity companies? obviously the most common is CON ED and KEYSPAN… but is it worth doing some research with other providers out there to see if there is a chance at saving money? anyone have any prior experience or recommendations of alternative energy companies? This might also be a stupid question, I apologize in advance but is Keyspan and ConEd practically the same company? The only reason I ask is because they share the same address in Queens. THANKS.
I just recently enrolled with MxEnergy. They are great and have no contracts on variable plans and competitive and lower rates to Con Edison. I didn’t have to pay to enroll and I can cancel whenever I want without any penalities. Another thing my rep told me to look out for with ESCOs is hidden fees. A lot of companies quote a rate, lock you into a contract then charge these extra fees. This company does not do this! My reps name is Kristi Chacon. She said I could post on this her information so you can contact her directly. Phone Number is 800-480-5192 ext.3252 Her e-mail is kristichacon@mxenergychoice.com
I have so far been saving about 30% on my utilities a month now!!!
Yes, you are correct, Keyspan does not provide electric service in New York City. You must go to ConEd.
Just to be sure I have this straight… Keyspan only provides Gas Services right? Not Electrical? I tried to look them up under “Elecrtic” on the link provided above but there were no listings for Keyspan (only Gas)… We had just started paying a Keyspan bill for Gas recently, and I wasnt sure if we could also set up an electric account with them as well. But I’ll just take everyones advice and just go with Con Ed for that. Thanks for all your comments…
And in particular beware IDT, who go around trying to get people to switch from Con Ed, then whack the prices up after a couple of months. They even have guys put on Con Ed uniforms!
Yrs ago I tried switching suppliers it was a disaster. No savings actually went back to orignal Con ed and Keyspan. I just recently got approached again by someone to switch….
NO Way won’t make that mistake twice…
Don’t do it..
The only real savings (unless you get lucky) is a tax that you have to pay thru the utility that you do not thru the ESCO. Not worth a lot of time.
This is a question that many people don’t understand well. First, ConEd and Keyspan are NOT the same company. ConEd is its own company, while Keyspan is owned by a British company called National Grid.
As far as choosing your supplier, what you need to know is this: your power bill contains two parts – the “Supply charge” which is the cost of the gas or power you used, and the “delivery charge” – which is the cost to bring it to your house, just like a shipping charge when you order something from a catalog. Changing suppliers will not affect your delivery charge – ConEd and Keyspan have a state sanctioned monopoly (at least where yo live), and their delivery charge is set by state regulators. In NY State (and a few others), you can, however, shop around for suppliers. If you do, just remember this: Neither company makes a profit on the sale of gas or power. They buy it at market rates and resell it to you at cost. Now, about 10 years ago when you had “utility deregulation” everyone though they could get a better deal by introducing competition. We can argue about whether that has indeed happened – but its a fact that relatively few customers who can switch suppliers do. Its difficult to compare prices, and the deal you get with your incumbent utility is not that bad to begin with.
All this is to say that, in my opinion, you can spend your time better playing with your kids or taking a nap than you can by shopping around for a different power or gas supplier.
Here is a link to companies you can buy gas/power from that are not Keypan/ConEd.
http://www3.dps.state.ny.us/e/esco6.nsf/