How to Shop for Energy
Did you know that you can choose your energy provider?
Did you also know that partnering with the right energy services company can help you gain a competitive advantage?
At Vanguard, we realize that shopping for energy can be challenging and confusing. So we recommend the following steps to make the process easier.
Navigating the Energy Shopping Process
Step 1: Identify the Commodity
Do you want to shop for natural gas? Electricity? Both? Identifying the energy commodities you need is your first step in finding the right energy provider for your business.
Step 2: Understand Your Current Rates and Contract, if Any
What are you currently paying? If you are buying energy from your utility, review your latest bill. Ignore the delivery charges and identify the energy rates – therms for natural gas and KWh for electricity. If you are buying energy from a non-utility energy provider, identify the energy rates and the length of your current contract.
Step 3: Identify Other Potential Providers
While your energy can only be delivered by the utilities (because they own the physical delivery infrastructure of pipes, wires, and meters), your energy can be purchased from a variety of state certified energy suppliers.
Step 4: Create a Short List
Once you have identified other potential energy suppliers, what criteria should you use to shorten the list and choose an energy provider? At Vanguard we recommend comparing the combination of reputation, dependability, market expertise, product offerings, flexibility, customer service, and price.
Step 5: Make Your Choice and Make the Switch
We hope you will choose Vanguard as your energy partner. If you are ready to make the switch: