The Energy CX Blog

Decarbonization means reducing or eliminating the carbon emissions tied to how a business produces and uses energy. For most companies, that means shifting away from fossil fuel electricity and equipment toward renewable power, electrification, and more efficient buildings. It isn't only an environmental decision. It changes how much a company pays for energy, how exposed it is to fuel price swings, and how it looks to investors, lenders and tenants.

What Is Decarbonization?

Decarbonization is the process of cutting the greenhouse gas emissions connected to energy use. Most of those emissions come from burning fossil fuels like natural gas and coal to generate electricity or heat.

Businesses decarbonize in a few concrete ways: buying renewable electricity directly, purchasing renewable energy credits to certify a portion of their power came from clean sources, replacing gas-powered equipment with electric versions, and upgrading buildings to use less energy overall. Companies also track Scope 2 emissions, the indirect emissions created by the electricity they buy, as a baseline for measuring progress.

What Benefits Do Businesses See When They Cut Emissions?

The benefits of decarbonization for businesses show up first in cost predictability. Renewable power contracts are typically priced for a fixed term, which shields a company from the price spikes that hit natural gas and, by extension, electricity markets. A business running on a mix of renewable and efficient equipment also uses less energy overall, which lowers the base cost before any market volatility even enters the picture.

Decarbonization also reduces regulatory risk. Cities and states are moving faster on emissions rules for commercial buildings, including laws like New York's Local Law 97, which penalizes large buildings that exceed emissions caps. Businesses that have already lowered their emissions face less exposure when new rules take effect.

Access to capital is a third factor. Lenders and investors increasingly tie financing terms to a company's emissions profile, so a documented decarbonization strategy, ideally built into a company’s energy strategy, can translate directly into better loan terms or investor interest.

How Is Growing Decarbonization Changing the Energy Industry?

As more businesses and utilities shift toward renewable power, the makeup of the electric grid is changing. Renewables now account for a growing share of U.S. electricity generation, according to the Energy Information Administration, and that shift is reshaping how grid operators manage supply.

Solar and wind don't produce power on a fixed schedule the way a gas plant does, so grid operators are leaning more heavily on battery storage to bank excess renewable power for when it's needed. They're also relying more on demand response programs, which pay businesses to reduce usage during periods of grid stress, to balance supply without building new fossil fuel plants.

On the corporate side, more companies are setting formal emissions targets through frameworks like the Science Based Targets initiative, which is pushing suppliers and utilities to offer more renewable contract options. That demand is part of why renewable and hybrid supply products have become more common in deregulated markets over the past several years.

Key Takeaway

Decarbonization means cutting the emissions tied to a business's energy use, mainly by shifting to renewable power, electrifying equipment, and improving efficiency. The businesses that do it well get more predictable costs, lower regulatory risk, and better access to financing. Across the industry, that same shift is changing how the grid operates, pushing more investment into storage and demand response as renewables take up a larger share of the supply mix.

Grid reliability and energy prices are now moving together for a structural reason, not a one-off one: the grid is running closer to its limit more often, and every mechanism built to manage that strain (capacity payments, emergency orders, auction pricing, etc.) shows up as a cost on a commercial energy bill.

What just happened on the ERCOT and PJM grids?

Two records fell within weeks of each other in the summer of 2026. ERCOT, the grid operator for most of Texas, hit a new all-time peak of roughly 91,308 megawatts on July 22, 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a 6 percent jump over the previous record of 85.5 gigawatts set in August 2023. Days earlier, PJM (the grid operator for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and 10 other states) reached 162,648 megawatts of demand on July 2, 2026, its highest reading in nearly two decades, falling just short of the region's all-time record only because utilities paid large energy users to cut demand through demand response programs, per PJM's own reporting.

Neither grid was caught off guard. Both had forecast the strain months in advance. That is itself the point: this isn't a freak weather event, it's the expected outcome of demand growing faster than new generation is coming online, driven largely by data centers and electrification.

Why is the Department of Energy issuing emergency orders instead of letting weak plants retire?

A Section 202(c) order is the Department of Energy's emergency authority to keep a specific power plant running past its planned retirement date when the grid operator says reliability is at risk. From 2000 through mid-2025, the DOE used this authority 20 times in 25 years. Since May 2025, it has issued more than 43 of them, according to the DOE's own order log and reporting from Power Magazine, stalling the retirement of at least 4.4 gigawatts of coal capacity.

That pace change matters more than any single order. A tool used twice a year on average is now being used more than three times a month. Keeping older, less efficient plants online past their planned exit isn't free: those costs flow into capacity markets, and capacity markets flow into commercial energy bills.

Why does this make price volatility structural instead of one-off?

The clearest evidence is in the capacity market itself. PJM's most recent Base Residual Auction, for the 2027/28 delivery year, cleared at $333.44 per megawatt-day, the maximum price allowed and a new record, while procuring 6,623 megawatts less capacity than the reliability target called for, per RTO Insider's coverage of the auction. When an auction clears at the ceiling and still falls short of what the grid needs, that isn't a one-time spike correcting itself next year. It's the market pricing in a shortage that current generation additions aren't fixing fast enough to reverse.

What should CRE and manufacturing energy buyers do about this?

Treat this as a multi-year risk, not a single bad quarter. A fixed rate (one locked-in price for the length of the contract) protects against exactly this kind of structural capacity cost increase, while index pricing (paying the market rate each month) can leave a business exposed to it. Businesses can opt to use a hybrid structure which blends fixed and index to hedge part of your usage while the rest floats with the market. Picking the right rate structure for your business depends on your company’s financial goals and appetite for risk. The buyers best positioned heading into 2027 are the ones analyzing capacity exposure now, ahead of the next auction cycle, rather than waiting for a renewal date to force the decision.

Key Takeaway

ERCOT and PJM both set demand records in the summer of 2026, the Department of Energy has more than doubled its historical pace of emergency reliability orders since May 2025, and PJM's capacity auction cleared at its price cap while still falling short of its reliability target. Together, these point to grid reliability as a structural driver of energy costs, not a temporary event, which is why CRE and manufacturing buyers should treat hedging and rate-locking as a 2027 planning decision, not a renewal-time reaction.

On Friday, August 7, 2026, Energy CX held its 5th Annual META24 Gala. This year, the event was hosted at the Adler Planetarium, which was filled with guests who gathered under the stars together in support of META24.

Through the support of sponsors and guests, the gala raised $111,529 for META24, a nonprofit reimagining education through entrepreneurship by giving at-risk students in Chicago the tools, resources and real-world experience to build their futures. This year's fundraising total surpasses the $80,000 that was raised at the 2025 gala.

Founded in 2012, META24 converts school and community spaces into maker spaces where students learn vocational skills they use to launch their own businesses. The organization currently has 20+ labs across 11 institutional sites, providing resources to 15,000+ students. At this year’s gala, students were able to showcase what they have built, selling their products and connecting with entrepreneurs.

The ongoing partnership with META24 is one way Energy CX delivers on its commitment to continuous growth and continuing education, and to doing good for the community it operates in.

"Watching that number climb from $80,000 to $111,529 in a single year tells you how much this community believes in what META24 is building. These aren't just donations, they're investments in kids who've been told to expect less from the world,” said Co-CEO Miles Rice. “Every year I get to stand in a room and watch a student talk about the business they built with their own hands, and every year it reminds me why we keep showing up."

For those interested in supporting META24's mission or exploring sponsorship opportunities, please email communications@energycx.com.

Thank you to all of sponsors of this years event:

• Gas South

• Mansfield

• Tully & Associates

• Res Publica Group

• The Crown Family

• NextEra Energy

• Core Spaces

• Competitive Power Ventures

• Smartest Energy

• Champion

Capacity tags, sometimes called capacity obligations or peak tags, are charges that show up on commercial electricity bills separate from the energy itself. They represent what you pay for the right to draw power from the grid, not the power you actually use.

Here is how it works: regional grid operators, like PJM (the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection, which manages the grid across 13 states in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest), or ERCOT (the grid operator for most of Texas), need to ensure that enough power generation exists to meet peak demand. To fund that capacity, they assign each large energy user a share of the cost based on how much electricity that user drew from the grid during the highest-stress hours of the prior year.

That share is your capacity tag. And it follows you into the next contract period, often for 12 months or more.

Why Does a Heat Wave Matter?

Grid stress peaks when demand peaks. Demand peaks when millions of buildings and facilities crank up air conditioning at the same time during extreme heat.

This week's heat wave is affecting areas like the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Texas and the Midwest, which sit inside PJM, ERCOT and other major grid regions. When temperatures spike across those regions simultaneously, grid operators record their highest demand hours of the year.

Those hours are the measurement window that determines capacity tags. If your building is consuming heavily during those peak hours your capacity tag goes up. That higher tag then gets priced into your electricity supply contract and delivered as a line item on your bills.

The cost difference between a high capacity tag and a low one can be significant for large commercial users.

What are Transmission Tags, and do They Work the Same Way?

Transmission tags, also called transmission charges or network service charges, cover the cost of moving electricity from where it is generated to where it is used. Like capacity tags, they are typically calculated based on your usage during a set of peak demand hours.

The measurement windows for transmission tags vary by grid region and utility, but the core dynamic is the same: the more electricity you pull from the grid during high-stress moments, the higher your transmission obligation. Heat waves create exactly the kind of high-stress moments that move these numbers.

Together, capacity and transmission charges can represent a meaningful portion of a commercial energy bill, often 25-30%, and they are almost entirely invisible to buyers who only look at their supply rate.

How can Commercial Energy Users Limit the Damage?

The short answer: reduce consumption during peak demand hours, specifically during extreme heat events.

For most commercial buildings, that means shifting non-essential load away from afternoon hours on the hottest days, pre-cooling a building before peak hours, adjusting thermostat set points slightly, or curtailing equipment that does not need to run during a demand spike. This is sometimes called load curtailment or demand response.

The challenge is that peak hours are not always predictable in advance, and grid operators do not always announce them publicly with enough lead time to act. Businesses that actively track grid conditions, or work with an advisor who does, are in a much better position to respond than those who only see the consequences on their next bill.

For businesses operating in deregulated energy markets, capacity and transmission tags are a key reason why choosing an energy supplier based on supply rate alone can be misleading. A supplier quoting a low per-kilowatt-hour rate may still expose a buyer to significant tag-related costs that were never factored into the comparison. Understanding the full cost structure of an energy contract, not just the commodity rate, is what separates a defensible energy procurement strategy from a guess.

Key Takeaway

Capacity and transmission tags are charges assigned to commercial energy users based on how much electricity they consume during peak demand hours, and extreme heat waves are when those hours happen. If your building runs hard during a heat event, you may carry a higher cost obligation into your next contract period. Reducing consumption during the hottest peak hours is the most direct way to limit that exposure.

If you operate a business in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, or anywhere else in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) footprint, the MISO capacity auction just reshaped your energy bill. It absorbed one of the sharpest capacity cost increases in the market's history, and most businesses never saw it coming. Many still don't understand what changed.

Here's what happened, where things stand now, and what to do about it.

What is the MISO capacity auction?

The MISO capacity auction — formally the Planning Resource Auction (PRA) — is the annual market where MISO secures enough generating capacity to meet forecast peak demand plus a reliability buffer. It sets a clearing price in dollars per megawatt-day ($/MW-day), and that price flows through to the capacity charges embedded in what your business pays for electricity. When the auction clears high, your supply costs rise with it — usually before most buyers notice.

The 2025/26 MISO capacity auction spike

In MISO's 2024/25 planning year capacity auction, summer capacity cleared at $30/MW-day which is within the historical range.

One year later, the 2025/26 auction cleared at $666.50/MW-day, a more than 2,000% year-over-year increase. 

Three factors caused the spike:

• A new demand curve. The 2025/26 auction was the first to use MISO's new Reliability-Based Demand Curve (RBDC), which replaced the old vertical demand curve. The RBDC is designed to price in reliability risk more precisely, which means prices rise steeply when reserves are tight, rather than clearing near zero even when the grid is stressed.

• Accelerating retirements. Coal and older gas plants have been retiring faster than new capacity has come online, shrinking the pool of available supply.

• Declining surplus. MISO's summer surplus fell from approximately 6.5 GW in 2023 to 4.6 GW in 2024, and to just 2.6 GW in 2025. Less buffer means the market prices risk more aggressively.

2026/27 MISO Capacity Auction Results: Where Things Stand Now

The 2026/27 auction cleared at $424.30/MW-day, a decent drop from last year's record, driven by a 4% increase in offered capacity as new resources entered the market.

The less comfortable reality is that $424.30/MW-day is still among the highest prices in MISO's history, and still 14x what the market cleared in 2024. The structural pressure isn't easing. MISO projects peak load to grow from 121 GW in 2025 to 163 GW by 2035, driven by data centers, AI infrastructure and broader electrification of transportation and industrial processes. New supply is coming online, but it's racing against accelerating demand.

Know your Peak Load Contribution (PLC)

• Your supplier or utility can provide your current PLC. If you don't know this number, you're budgeting blind. Request it, then compare it year-over-year.

Manage demand during peak hours

• PLCs are largely determined by your load during a small number of critical summer afternoons, typically the hottest days in late July and August. Reducing consumption during those windows, even by 10–15%, can meaningfully lower your capacity obligation for the following year. HVAC setpoint adjustments, load shifting and demand response enrollment are all tools.

Think carefully about contract timing

• Capacity costs are embedded in supplier pricing. Locking in a multi-year contract when forward capacity prices are elevated means carrying that cost for the full term. Understanding the forward curve before you renew matters more than it used to.

Revisit your budget assumptions

• If your energy budget was built using pre-2025 capacity baselines, it's likely understating your actual costs. A current rate analysis will show the gap.

The Midwest capacity market has entered a new normal. The auction prices may fluctuate year to year, but the underlying drivers like load growth outpacing new supply, tighter reserve margins, a demand curve designed to price reliability risk, aren't temporary. Planning around last decade's numbers is a liability.

Key Takeaway

MISO's capacity auction cleared at $424.30/MW-day for 2026/27, still 14 times higher than 2024 despite easing from last year's record. The increase reflects a new demand curve, faster plant retirements and shrinking reserve margins, not a one-year fluke. Businesses in the MISO footprint should confirm their Peak Load Contribution, manage demand during peak summer afternoons, and factor current capacity prices into contract timing decisions.

CHICAGO, June 11th, 2026 - Energy CX has been ranked No. 29 on Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50, the annual ranking of the fastest-growing companies in the Chicago area.

The Fast 50 ranks companies by revenue growth over the last five years. This year's class is a snapshot of Chicago's growth economy: the 50 honorees employ more than 36,000 workers combined and pulled in a collective $21.1 billion in revenue last year. Energy CX's placement reflects the company's sustained revenue growth, expanding national footprint and job creation during a period of historic energy market volatility.

"Making the Crain's Fast 50 is a milestone our entire team should be proud of. We're honored to be counted among Chicago's fastest-growing companies and hope to be back on this list for years to come." says Co-CEO Scott Hammes.

Founded in 2010, Energy CX is a leading national energy brokerage redefining how businesses buy energy. The company replaces fragmented tools and legacy broker models with a centralized, math-based buying platform that delivers transparency, efficiency and better outcomes for commercial and industrial energy buyers. Today, Energy CX manages more than 2 billion square feet of real estate across 20-plus deregulated states, and roughly 40% of the top 50 commercial real estate owners in the U.S. use its proprietary platform, ABEL™.

The recognition follows a stretch of measurable growth for Energy CX, with back-to-back appearances on the Inc. 5000 in 2024 and 2025. As volatility has pushed energy higher on the corporate agenda, more large energy users are moving from reactive renewals to smarter purchasing decisions, treating energy like a managed financial asset rather than a line item handled once a year.

"The Fast 50 ranks companies on growth, and ours comes from a simple bet: that large energy buyers should treat energy like a financial asset, not a bill they react to once a year. The market keeps proving that bet right. As volatility rises, more companies are looking for a real strategy, and that's the demand we're built to meet next." says Co-CEO Miles Rice.

About Crain's Chicago Business

Crain's Chicago Business is the leading source of business news and analysis for the Chicago region, covering the companies, executives and trends shaping the local economy. Its annual Fast 50 ranks the area's fastest-growing companies by revenue growth over the last five years. For more information, visit www.chicagobusiness.com.

On April 28, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved PJM’s request to extend its capacity auction price collar for two additional delivery years. This decision is projected to save 67 million electricity buyers across the PJM footprint roughly $27 billion on their energy bills.

For commercial real estate owners with portfolios across PJM’s 13-state region, which spans from Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. to Chicago, Philadelphia and northern New Jersey, the PJM capacity price cap extension brings a measure of predictability to one of the most volatile commodities. But it doesn’t eliminate the underlying pressure, and the next auction is only weeks away.

In this blog, we’ll cover what the extension does, why it’s happening and what commercial real estate owners should be watching.

What Does the PJM Capacity Price Cap Extension Actually Change?

The price collar caps how high, and how low, PJM’s capacity auction can clear. Under the extended framework, prices are bounded by a $325/MW-day ceiling (the cap) and a $175/MW-day floor.

That collar will apply to two auctions: the Base Residual Auction closing July 7, 2026, which procures capacity for the 2028/2029 delivery year and the auction closing December 15, 2026, for the 2029/2030 delivery year. Without the extension, the 2028/2029 auction was scheduled to run with a $550/MW-day cap and no floor, a structure that, given current grid conditions, would almost certainly have produced another record-high clearing price.

For context, the most recent 2027/2028 auction cleared at $333.44/MW-day, which was the maximum allowable under the original temporary cap. Three PJM capacity auctions in a row have now cleared at or near their ceiling.

Why Did PJM Extend the Capacity Price Cap?

The capacity market exists to make sure there’s enough committed generation to meet peak demand three years out. When supply tightens, prices spike and PJM’s supply is tightening fast.

The single biggest driver is data centers. PJM’s footprint contains the world’s largest concentration of data centers in Northern Virginia, with significant new build-out underway across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Illinois. PJM’s most recent demand forecast jumped significantly, with nearly all of that growth attributable to AI infrastructure and large-load interconnections.

That demand surge has run ahead of new generation coming online. The result is a structural supply-demand imbalance that capacity auctions, if left uncapped, translate directly into pass-through costs on every customer’s bill.

The price collar is one piece of a broader PJM Board reform package designed to contain volatility while the grid catches up. Combined with prior market interventions, total projected savings now stand at roughly $45 billion over the four years the collar will be in effect.

What Does the Extension Mean for Commercial Real Estate Portfolios?

Capacity charges show up on commercial electricity bills as a pass-through cost, typically a per-kW or per-kWh adder calibrated to each property’s contribution to peak demand. When auction prices clear higher, those adders rise. For a large multi-state commercial real estate portfolio, capacity costs can swing six- and seven-figure annual totals based on a single auction outcome.

The extension does three useful things for commercial real estate owners:

1. It puts a ceiling on the worst case. A $325 cap is still elevated by historical standards, but it removes the tail risk of an uncapped auction clearing well above $500/MW-day.

2. It improves budget visibility through 2030. Capacity costs are now bounded for the next four delivery years, which makes multi-year contract decisions less of a guessing game.

3. It does not eliminate volatility. A $175 floor means capacity costs won’t collapse if the supply picture suddenly improves. CRE owners locking in long-dated contracts still need to model where within the collar prices are likely to clear.

What to Watch Next

The July 7 auction is the first real test of the extended collar. If it clears at or near the $325 ceiling, as the last three auctions have, that confirms the market is still supply-constrained even with the cap in place. The signal would be continued upward pressure on capacity-driven line items through at least the 2029/2030 delivery year.

Commercial real estate owners should be asking three questions right now:

• Do my current supply contracts pass capacity costs through, and at what reference price?

• Are my properties in load zones (like Dominion, BGE, or PSEG) where capacity charges run highest?

• Does my procurement strategy treat capacity as a managed variable, or am I absorbing whatever the auction returns?

Key Takeaway

The PJM capacity price cap extension is good news. It’s also a reminder that the underlying market is still tight, and the buyers who treat energy like an investment, not a line item, are the ones who come out ahead.

On May 1, 2026, New York City's Department of Buildings began issuing the first real penalty notices under Local Law 97: $268 per metric ton of CO₂ over the city-defined limit. For most building owners, emissions limits and energy audits probably aren't the first thing on their mind when running a property, but the financial impact is real and growing.

While less than 10% of NYC's ~50,000 covered buildings exceeded their cap in the first compliance period, roughly 57% are projected to blow past the stricter 2030 limits if nothing changes. The good news? Like any market shift, NYC's building performance laws follow a predictable trajectory, and owners who plan around it instead of reacting to it are the ones who avoid penalties, unlock incentives and protect their asset values long-term.

What is Local Law 97?

While businesses are only seeing the direct effect now, these NYC local laws were actually passed all the way back in 2019. Local Law 97 (LL97) is the cornerstone of the city's Climate Mobilization Act, setting hard carbon emissions limits for the city's largest buildings as part of NYC's push toward net zero by 2050. Here’s what it actually means and who it affects.

What it covers:

• Buildings over 25,000 square feet

• Two or more buildings within the same tax lot exceeding 50,000 square feet combined

• Two or more condo buildings under the same managerial board exceeding 50,000 square feet combined

What it does:

• Sets hard carbon caps that tighten over time

• Mandates a 40% emissions reduction by 2030 and 80% by 2050

• Enforcement officially began in 2024, with the first real penalties being assessed in May of 2026

What is Local Law 87?

Passed alongside its sister law, LL87 takes a different angle on driving down emissions. Rather than capping carbon directly, it requires larger buildings to take a hard look under the hood every decade to surface where energy is being wasted and where smarter upgrades could pay for themselves. Here's how it works.

What it covers:

• Individual buildings over 50,000 gross square feet

• Tax lots with combined building footprints over 100,000 square feet

• Condo buildings collectively exceeding 100,000 square feet

What it does:

• Requires a professional energy audit every 10 years that identifies where the building is wasting energy and what upgrades would pay for themselves

• Mandates retro-commissioning of base building systems to make sure equipment is running as efficiently as it was designed to

• Requires owners to file an Energy Efficiency Report (EER) with the city following each audit cycle

What this Means for Your Business

While LL97 and LL87 may seem like simple boxes to check, they indicate a growing trend of increasing energy awareness and management. Compliance isn’t optional, and the costs of getting it wrong scale with building size. Used strategically, the LL87 audit becomes a roadmap to every place your building is leaking energy and money. The LL97 caps put a deadline on capital decisions you'd have to make eventually anyway.

It's the difference between reactive compliance—penalties, deferred upgrades, climbing operating costs—and strategic compliance, where every dollar spent works double duty on emissions and asset value.

Key Takeaway

Local Law 97 and Local Law 87 both aim to cut carbon emissions from New York City's largest buildings, and enforcement is no longer theoretical: penalty notices are already going out. Building owners who use the LL87 audit to plan upgrades and treat LL97's tightening caps as a deadline for capital decisions avoid penalties and protect asset value, rather than reacting after the fact.

In his latest Forbes article, President of Energy CX, Nathan Rice, shares his thoughts on the role AI and automation should have in every business. Although rapid technology growth presents opportunities to streamline workflows, prevent mistakes and optimize operations, like any function, AI has its limitations.

With the rapid growth of AI, companies that don’t take advantage of new technology and automation could fall behind. Determining how these new tools can be implemented into your business is essential to using them successfully. In the article, Rice discusses why automation should be used as a tool, but not as a replacement for customer experience. Businesses that replace the human element of genuine connections with automation risk forfeiting developing meaningful customer relationships. In order to prevent this, Rice suggests that each business build an Automation Code of Ethics that will guide how new technology can be implemented.

While automation is a cornerstone of productivity, building trust remains a uniquely human skill. Rice emphasizes that even though communication requires extra effort, the rewards businesses will see from building lasting customer relationships and building trust will be extremely valuable. “The future of leadership isn’t human versus AI.” Rice says, “It’s human, powered by AI. It’s automation with a heartbeat. And that’s how you keep your business alive.”

You can read the full article here. ​

CHICAGO, March 5, 2026 – Energy CX has been named a Top Sales Organization in Chicago by RepVue on its list of 2026 Reppy Award winners.

“This award is a reflection of the culture we’ve worked hard to build at Energy CX. We believe great sales organizations aren’t driven by pressure — they’re driven by purpose,” says Energy CX Director of Sales Jordan Quertermous. “When you hire a great team and you focus relentlessly on the customer, high performance will follow. Our team takes extreme ownership of their work and constantly pushes each other to reach their full potential..”

The Reppy Awards are given out biannually to sales organizations that are top performers in key categories such as Culture & Leadership, Compensation, Product-Market Fit and more.

“We’re proud to be recognized by RepVue as an ‘exceptional’ sales organization. This is a testament to the hard work, discipline and leadership of our team, who set clear goals and are committed to achieving them together,” says Business Development Lead Cam Redding.

Energy CX achieved a record-setting year of growth and recognition. Last year, the company expanded its presence and grew its workforce over 58% while reducing energy costs for 2 billion+ square feet of real estate, delivering on its mission to drive energy innovation and control spend in an increasingly volatile market.

Since 2010, the award-winning company has replaced fragmented tools and legacy broker models with its Analytics-based Energy Logic platform, ABEL™. Energy CX’s proprietary platform is a one-stop shop for managing energy portfolios, offering customers a centralized view of properties, contracts, budgets, invoices and performance—backed by math-based recommendations.

RepVue and the Reppy Awards

At RepVue, we believe that sales reps deserve better information to make important career decisions. With more than 225,000 users, RepVue is the leading platform for B2B sales reps to rate their sales org based on factors like Culture & Leadership, Compensation, Product-Market Fit and more. RepVue awards Reppys to the top sales orgs in each of these categories — as well as to the overall top-rated orgs and top-rated orgs by metro area in the U.S. and around the world.

One of the biggest challenges threatening the stability of the energy grid is strain due to demand spikes, increased volatility and extreme weather conditions. AI growth, electrification and the expansion of data centers are pushing load to new highs. These pressures don’t just affect energy prices, they raise the risk of grid instability. With new generation often taking multiple years to deploy, the industry is asking a critical question: what can realistically stabilize the grid in the near future?

Battery Energy Storage System technology is rapidly scaling to help alleviate these pressures. Battery storage has evolved from a once experimental solution to one of the most powerful tools for stabilizing the electric grid and controlling energy costs.

What is a Battery Energy Storage System?

Battery storage systems collect electricity from renewable and traditional generation sources, store it and dispatch it later when demand increases. Think of battery storage as a shock absorber for the grid. Because they are able to store power when prices are low, often during periods of lower demand or high renewable output, they can release power when prices are high as well as respond instantly to grid disruptions.

Battery storage systems' ability to store cheap energy has had a direct impact on some markets. For example, battery storage systems in Texas resulted in consumers saving $750 million in energy costs in the summer of 2024 alone.

Battery storage systems are critical for renewable integration. They are able to store excess solar energy generated during the day, so it can be released in the evening when demand rises but solar production drops.

Another valuable aspect of battery storage systems is that they are able to be deployed faster than new power plants. Where coal and nuclear power plants can take anywhere from 6 to 15 years to deploy, battery storage is able to be deployed in less than 2 years. This allows for more immediate support for a grid that is buckling under the pressure of unprecedented increased demand.

How Battery Storage Strengthens the Grid

Power outages aren’t just inconvenient, they can result in financial losses, property damage and sometimes have life threatening impacts, especially during severe weather events. Because battery storage is able to respond swiftly, they can help prevent power outages and improve reliability. These systems are able to deploy stored energy to help maintain stability during extreme cold and heat events, keeping electricity flowing to prevent outages.

Battery storage systems can also be strategically placed near dense load centers and areas of high congestion. In regions experiencing rapid growth from data centers or large commercial development, localized storage helps reduce congestion and relieve pressure on transmission infrastructure.

How Battery Storage Impacts Commercial Energy Buyers

For large energy users, price swings don’t just mean higher energy bills, they can directly impact their bottom line. While volatility due to extreme weather and increased demand won’t be smoothed overnight, battery storage systems are helping alleviate strain. A more stable grid means less risk of disruption and emergency price spikes. Battery storage can also help reduce peak load stress because they store energy when it’s cheap and affordable.

As battery storage continues to scale, it has potential to alleviate some of the negative impacts from the volatile market on commercial energy buyers. Areas that have robust support from battery storage systems can adjust procurement strategies to reflect increased stability and reliability.

The Bigger Picture

Battery storage systems are not an antidote for an ailing grid, but they are valuable in maintaining grid stability while the industry adjusts to increased demand and volatility. As demand continues to grow, battery storage is emerging as a foundational tool in building a more affordable and reliable energy system.

For commercial energy buyers, understanding how battery storage is reshaping grid dynamics is essential. Procurement strategy should evolve alongside structural changes in the market, not just react to short-term price movements.

Key Takeaway

Battery storage is becoming one of the fastest, most flexible tools for stabilizing a grid under strain from rising demand and extreme weather. For commercial energy buyers, that added stability is a reason to build procurement strategy around structural market shifts, not just react to short-term price swings.

By: April Dvorak and Jim Davis

Professional drive is healthy. It channels energy toward growth, innovation and the optimization of potential. But it can have a dark side, if we lose control of the reins.

It is easy to become caught in constant pursuit of the next thing. It might be the next promotion, the next project, the next opportunity to prove our worth. Our sense of value comes from progress, recognition and external signals of success. Many professionals live in this rhythm.

Except more often than not, it does not fall into rhythm at all. It feels more like a stressful, strained linear climb. We begin to wonder if we are doing enough, or moving quickly enough, to be seen as valuable. For many, this strained mindset becomes the seed of hesitation and even burnout - interrupting the progress at which we aimed. For some, the drive to perform is their primary performance inhibitor.

This might all come down to a simple but under-recognized idea: the misalignment of what we value and how we feel valued.

For example, one might say that their primary values are family, friends and health. Yet they feel valued through social media approval or material items - which is not to say that any of those things are bad, or they are misdirected for wanting them. Only that it is worth reflecting on the potential disconnect.

Slowing down and getting clear on what is important to you can feel good and create a pathway to sustainable high performance.

What’s Important to You?

Before identifying your desired title, or how much money you want to make, you might first ask, what is important to me? What are my values?

Who do I want to be? Not in a job title, but as a coworker, friend, family member and beyond. Then work backwards through daily actions. Am I offering a helping hand to the coworker who seems stressed? Do I make people around me feel welcomed and appreciated?

Am I kind? Am I caring? Am I creative? This sort of question shifts attention inward. When internal values define the barometer of success, we can reclaim agency over sense of meaning. Here, “success” can move from abstract and unattainable, to sustainable and fulfilling.

It sounds nice. But it’s easier said than done.

Since we can’t objectively "measure" the success of these things, we have to be intentional about reflecting on them.

This kind of reflection often happens in quiet moments. It can arise on the walk to work, before bed, or during a session with a trusted counselor. In those moments, the noise of external comparison fades. We can distinguish between what we truly believe and what has been imposed by culture or circumstance. We can break free from cultures of constant availability, perpetual stress and a disconnected drive toward outcomes identified by, well, not ourselves.

That realization does not erase ambition or the desire to improve. It simply reorients it. Tangible goals like a promotion or public acclaim will come more naturally when living in alignment with our values. And, once accomplished, come with a deeper sense of fulfillment.

When we are in tune with our values, awareness expands. We notice more in our environment and relationships. We become more generous and less guarded. Letting go of a scarcity mindset, for example, allows generosity to grow as a genuine value rather than a strategic gesture. These small shifts create space for integrity to take root in daily life.

Worth it.

None of this is easy. Self-doubt does not disappear. Even when we commit to living by internal values, moments of questioning remain. The difference is that those doubts become more sustainable. They no longer demand external approval. Instead, they call us to close the internal gap between who we are and who we want to be.

When our worth depends only on external success, it remains fragile. A company can restructure. A role can change. Recognition can fade. When our worth is grounded in values such as kindness, curiosity and generosity, it endures. The motivation to improve still exists, but it comes from a desire to live more fully, not from fear of being left behind.

We are living during a time of unprecedented technological growth. Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing at hyper speed, and while these advancements are celebrated by many, some fear the impact that the increase in data center energy consumption will have on the electric grid.

Many large energy users worry that already high energy prices could continue to rise as we demand more of data centers in the name of technological advancement. In a world focused on innovation and productivity, data center growth will not slow down; so what potential do data centers have to reshape energy demand? 

How Much Energy Do Data Centers Use?

Data centers use an exceptional amount of energy due to a few factors. 

• Large Computing Power: data centers can house tens of thousands of servers that run complex tasks, which require specialized, power-intensive chips. 

• Cooling: due to the amount of servers running, a large amount of heat is generated that has to be offset through air conditioning, chillers and liquid cooling. The process of cooling uses almost as much power as the servers themselves. 

• 24/7 Operation: data centers are required to run around the clock to provide constant access to data and services. This requires an uninterrupted power supply.

For reference, in 2024, data centers used about four percent of the nation’s electricity, which is about the same amount as New York City and Chicago combined. With data center growth not expected to slow down anytime soon, the grid will have to adapt in order to support the increasing demand. 

What Does Rising Data Center Energy Consumption Mean for Energy Users?

As data centers reshape energy demand, the ripple effects are already showing up in capacity prices, congestion costs and increased market volatility. The effect of increased demand is also felt disproportionately across the country. Data centers have a tendency to concentrate in specific regions that offer cheap power, sufficient land and enough water to fuel cooling systems. Virginia, for example, is home to the world’s largest data center market with data centers accounting for approximately 26% of the state’s electricity demand. In these data center heavy regions, concerns grow not only about electric prices but about the grid’s reliability. 

Although increased demand can be state-specific, the effects can be felt across entire Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs). The recent PJM Capacity auction results are an example of how increased demand can impact millions of customers across an RTO. 

What Could Offset the Rising Demand?

It is true that data centers are contributing to increased strain on the grid and higher energy prices, however, it’s important to note that they use just two percent of global electricity today. While the rapid growth of AI and cloud computing has led to a boom in data center development, the demand growth from data centers is expected to be less than electric vehicles and industrial operations, for example. 

If data center operators invest in energy efficient solutions and are flexible when it comes to how they use energy, it could significantly offset the increased demand on the grid. 

While new generation, grid updates and investing in better infrastructure is the long-term solution, the energy market can’t wait to act while demand rises. One short-term solution is for data centers to enroll in Demand Response programs (DR programs) that can help alleviate strain quickly. Even though data centers operate 24/7, DR programs can help curtail their heavy usage on the grid during peak demand periods. Battery storage systems and switching to backup generators are two ways in which data centers participating in a DR program can reduce their energy. When data centers change the way they use energy, it helps protect other energy users from higher bills and an unstable grid. 

How Does Increased Demand Impact Energy Strategy?

With growing volatility and higher prices, large energy users with no strategy in place leave themselves vulnerable to an increasingly unpredictable market. In the past, fluctuating prices were an exception, but with demand continuing to ramp up these high prices and cost swings should be regarded as an expectation. Having an energy strategy in place can help control spend, reduce risk and most importantly relieve anxiety.

Key Takeaway

Data center energy consumption is rising fast enough to strain the electric grid and push up capacity prices, especially in data-center-heavy regions like Virginia and PJM territory. Even so, data centers account for a smaller share of electricity demand growth than sectors like electric vehicles and industrial operations. Energy efficiency, flexible operations and demand response programs can help offset the added strain while the grid catches up.

Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and carbon offsets both support sustainability goals, but they represent completely different things: RECs represent renewable electricity generation, while offsets represent emissions reduced or avoided somewhere else. For large energy users, understanding the difference matters. The choices you make can impact cost, credibility, and how meaningful your sustainability efforts actually are. We’ll break down what each one means and how it can benefit your business.

What Are RECs?

RECS represent the environmental attributes of electricity generated from renewable sources like wind, solar or hydro. When a renewable facility produces electricity, it creates both physical power and a REC. These two components can be sold separately.

Purchasing a REC allows an organization to claim that a specific amount of its electricity consumption came from renewable sources, even if the physical power delivered to the building comes from the traditional grid. In other words, RECs are renewable energy generated on your behalf. In most cases, one REC equals one megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable electricity generated, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 

RECs are commonly used to support renewable energy development and to meet voluntary sustainability goals or regulatory requirements. They are also relatively straightforward to track and report, making them a popular option for organizations looking to reduce their emissions.

What Are Carbon Offsets?

Carbon offsets work differently. Instead of representing renewable electricity generation, offsets represent reductions or removals of greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere. These projects can include reforestation, methane capture, landfill gas projects or investments in energy efficiency.

When an organization purchases a carbon offset, it is compensating for emissions it could not eliminate directly. Offsets are typically measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) and can apply to a wider range of emissions.

While offsets can play a role in a broader sustainability strategy, they vary widely in quality and credibility. Not all offset projects deliver the same environmental impact, and the benefits are often harder to verify.

Key Differences That Matter

The most important distinction between RECs and carbon offsets is what they actually represent. RECs are tied directly to electricity generation, while offsets are tied to emissions reductions that occur somewhere else.

RECs are generally considered a more direct and transparent tool for addressing electricity-related emissions. Carbon offsets, on the other hand, are often used as a last step when emissions cannot be reduced through operational changes or cleaner energy sourcing.

Another key difference is market consistency. REC markets tend to be more standardized, while offset markets can be fragmented, with varying standards and verification processes.

Key Takeaway

RECs and carbon offsets can both support sustainability goals, but only when used intentionally and responsibly. Understanding the difference helps organizations make decisions that are credible and align with long-term business strategy. Which option is right for your business depends on your goals, budget and energy footprint.

A capacity charge is a fee added to your commercial electric bill that pays for the power plants the grid keeps on standby for its highest-demand hours. It has nothing to do with the commodity rate you locked in, and for many businesses, it's one of the largest line items on the bill. 

If you’re buying energy in a deregulated market, understanding capacity costs is essential to controlling risk and building accurate budgets. Here’s what you need to know.

What Are Capacity Charges?

Capacity costs are fees you pay to ensure the electric grid has enough power plants available to meet demand, especially on the hottest or coldest days of the year.

Capacity charges are often one of the largest line items on a commercial bill. Unlike your energy rate, they’re driven by how the grid plans for your future demand, not just what you use today.

Grid operators like PJM Interconnection (PJM), Independent System Operator-New England (ISO-NE) and New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) run capacity auctions where power plants get paid to stay ready. The total cost of that readiness is then passed through to customers based on their contribution to the system’s peak demand.

In simple terms, if your business uses more energy during the grid’s peak hour, you pay more capacity costs.

What's the Difference Between a Capacity Cost and a Capacity Tag?

Capacity auctions determine the price for each area being served. Prior to each auction, grid operators will provide estimates for each region's peak electricity usage. The auction exists to ensure that there is enough capacity to accommodate the estimated peak usage. 

The capacity charges on your bill are made up of two parts, the capacity cost and the capacity tag. But what is a capacity cost vs. a capacity tag? 

The capacity cost is the price set per kilowatt hour (kWh) by the grid operator. The capacity tag, also called your peak load contribution (PLC), is the total kWh used by your building on the peak hours of the peak days. 

Capacity tags are determined on an annual basis. At the end of each summer, the regional transmission organization (RTO) is required to identify the highest peak load hours that occurred during a specific period. The utility then measures each customer's usage during those hours to calculate that customer's peak load contribution.

Why Do Capacity Charges Matter for Your Business?

Capacity isn't a small line item. It's often one of the top three drivers of cost for commercial buyers.

Capacity auctions, which occur a few times a year, determine capacity prices one to three years before the delivery year. That means decisions happening today affect what you’ll pay far into the future, even if the market looks calm right now.

For example, the July 2025 PJM capacity auction cleared 22% higher than the previous year, meaning many businesses will see significant increases on their bills in the 2026/2027 delivery year.

How Can You Reduce Your Capacity Charge?

Because your capacity charge is set by your usage during a handful of peak grid hours each year, cutting usage in those specific hours lowers what you pay for the entire following year.

Three common strategies businesses use to reduce their capacity charges are:

• Peak shaving: reducing load during forecasted peak hours by curtailing non-essential equipment or drawing from on-site storage.

• Load shifting: moving flexible operations, like charging, pumping, or batch processing, to off-peak hours.

• Timing around the coincident peak: using grid peak forecasts to know which hours actually drive your capacity tag, so you act only when it counts.

Implementing one, or all, of these strategies can help reduce your capacity charges overall. Peak hours, however, are only confirmed after the fact, so a reliable forecast is just as important in reducing capacity charges.

How Should You Manage Your Capacity Charges?

Ignoring capacity leads to surprises. Managing it well leads to savings and stability.

Effective capacity management starts with knowing your building's coincident peak hours before they happen, not after the utility bill arrives. Facilities that track grid peak forecasts can adjust operations in the hours that actually set next year's capacity tag, rather than reacting to a bill they can't change. Pairing that forecast with an ongoing energy management strategy turns capacity from a once-a-year surprise into a cost that's monitored and planned for like any other capital expense.

Key Takeaway

A capacity charge is what a business pays for the grid to keep enough power plants ready for its highest-demand hours, calculated from the capacity cost (the per-kWh price) multiplied by the capacity tag (how much energy the building used during the year's peak hours). Because the capacity tag is set once a year based on those peak hours, tracking peak forecasts and shifting load away from them is the most direct way to lower next year's charge.

In his latest Forbes article, Nathan Rice, President of Energy Strategy at Energy CX, shares practical insights on how businesses can stay connected with customers as the year comes to a close. Many business leaders are familiar with the Q4 slump. As holiday schedules fill up and inboxes empty, connecting with customers can become difficult. Closing deals and booking meetings often feels more challenging at the end of the year, but according to Rice, Q4 doesn’t have to be written off as a lost cause if we reframe our view of it.

In the article, Rice encourages leaders to rethink how they approach customer engagement during this time. One key takeaway: get out of the office. Connecting with customers in person whether at industry events or holiday gatherings, can create more meaningful conversations than another end-of-year email ever could.

Rice also highlights Q4 as a natural moment for reflection. As businesses look ahead to the new year, this period offers an opportunity to assess customer relationships, reinforce trust and identify ways to deliver even more value in the next year. 

By reframing the end-of-year slowdown as a strategic opportunity, businesses can strengthen relationships and get a head start on 2026. 

You can read the full article here. 

Demand response is a program that pays businesses to temporarily reduce their electricity use when the power grid is under stress. For commercial real estate owners, it's one of the simplest ways to earn new revenue while supporting grid stability. Here's how it works, and how to know if your buildings are a good fit. 

What Is a Demand Response Program?

Demand response programs incentivize businesses to temporarily reduce their electricity usage during “peak demand” periods. Peak demand periods occur when the grid is under the most stress, typically during a heat wave or cold snap. 

Instead of relying on older power plants to meet sudden demand spikes, grid operators and utilities pay businesses to reduce their load for a short period. This provides the grid with relief without the time and cost of building new generation assets.

When managed properly, demand response programs can offer commercial real estate owners substantial financial benefits. 

Who Is a Good Fit for Demand Response?

Not every building is a strong candidate, but commercial properties with substantial load, operational flexibility or on-site generation can perform extremely well in demand response programs.

For example, an office building enrolled in a demand response program could adjust HVAC settings and dim or reduce lighting in common areas during a peak demand event. An industrial manufacturing facility could respond by moving operations to off-peak hours and utilizing backup generators. 

Demand response providers, including utilities and aggregators, work closely with businesses to design plans that fit their operations and avoid tenant disruptions. Most events last four to six hours, and businesses receive 24-hour notice ahead of peak events.

You Met the Demand, What’s the Reward? 

Compensation varies by region, building type and level of participation. Below are some of the main types of payments customers will see. 

• Capacity payments: Upfront payments for committing to a specific load reduction amount during the demand response season.

• Energy Payments: Additional payments based on how much electricity you actually reduce during an event. 

• Revenue protection: If curtailment temporarily slows operations, many programs compensate for lost production.

• Avoiding price spikes: customers will save money by not having to pay for energy when prices skyrocket. 

Beyond Money: The Sustainability Factor

Demand response is one of the most immediate sustainability wins available to commercial real estate portfolios. When demand spikes and no relief is available, grid operators often turn to older oil-fired plants that emit high levels of pollution. By participating in demand response programs commercial real estate owners help reduce emissions and can make progress towards their sustainability goals. 

It’s a rare win-win: better grid reliability and measurable environmental benefit.

So You Think Demand Response is Right for Your Company? 

While it may not be the perfect fit for every business, if your company can make some of the adjustments during a peak demand event it might be worth looking into. Customers can work directly with the utility and aggregators to find out if they’re eligible.

Key Takeaway

Demand response pays businesses to reduce electricity use for a few hours when the grid is under stress, in exchange for capacity payments, energy payments and protection against price spikes. Buildings with flexible operations, like adjustable HVAC or backup generators, tend to be the best fit. Beyond the revenue, participating also cuts reliance on the dirtiest peaking power plants, making it one of the few sustainability moves that pays for itself.

As colder temperatures begin to creep in, commercial real estate owners are once again faced with heating costs and system performance. Historically, gas has been the dominant player in the U.S. heating market, but as the trend towards electrification grows and pressure for sustainability mounts, commercial real estate owners are faced with a choice. 

Understanding the pros and cons of electric and gas heating isn’t just about keeping your buildings warm, it’s about cost control, reliability and the future of the market. 

For large commercial buildings, choosing the most cost efficient and reliable source of heating is crucial. So what are the advantages and disadvantages of electric vs. gas heating? 

Electric heating offers lower carbon emissions and a low cost of installation, however, it can be unreliable. Heat pumps risk being interrupted during power outages and have trouble maintaining heat in extremely low temperatures.  

Gas heating, while more expensive to install, can offer a more reliable supply of heat and lower monthly costs depending on how large the building is and how cold the winter months are. 

How Does Location Affect Whether Gas or Electric Heat Makes Sense?

Building owners must take into account what market their properties are located in. For example, in markets where electricity is generated from renewable sources or supported by clean energy standards, electric heating can reduce emissions dramatically. Gas, however, is the most cost effective choice in regions with carbon-intensive grids and high power costs. 

Brokers can offer insight into fuel mixes in specific energy markets to understand what the best products are and to help building owners make decisions. 

What Incentives Exist for Switching to Electric Heat?

Many states offer incentives for a shift to electrification in the form of rebates and tax credits. In California, they have a statewide initiative, TECH Clean California, through which building owners could receive up to $3,000 for each heat pump system. In New York, customers could see up to $10,000+ in rebates through the NYS Clean Heat Program. 

Because of these incentives, commercial real estate owners could see measurable financial rewards depending on the state. Local utilities often have their own incentive programs for customers who adopt energy-saving measures. 

With a push towards sustainability mounting, commercial real estate owners can make this switch to lower overall carbon emissions and get closer to their sustainability goals. 

How Does this Impact the Energy Industry?

As the shift to electric heating becomes more widespread, this transition has potential to impact demand profiles. The New York Independent System Operator, for example, expects that this shift could push winter demand higher than summer demand.

With the added strain on the electric grid, utilities will have to ensure there is capacity for the increased demand to mitigate any outages and accommodate large commercial buildings. 

Key Takeaway

Gas heating tends to cost less to run through cold winters, while electric heat costs less to install and produces fewer emissions. The better choice for a commercial building depends on local electricity prices, climate and available state incentives, so building owners should weigh incentive programs and grid reliability before committing to either system.

CHICAGO, November 13, 2025 - Energy CX is proud to announce that its Co-CEO Miles Rice has been named to the 2026 Chicago Titan 100 list.

The Titan 100 list recognizes Chicago’s Top 100 CEOs and C-level executives as the region’s most accomplished leaders who have not only built extraordinary companies, but have redefined what it means to lead across industries including construction, manufacturing, finance and technology. “Being named to the Titan 100 list is an incredible honor and is truly a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our co-workers and the unwavering support of our partners," says Co-CEO Miles Rice.

Rice first made his mark as Chief Operating Officer at Energy CX, where he drove a 566% surge in revenue by operationalizing growth at scale. When he stepped into the Co-CEO role in March of 2024, he brought a bold vision for digital transformation, an obsession with company culture, and a strategy that reshaped the company’s brand and customer experience.

Collectively, the 2026 Chicago Titan 100 honorees and their companies generated more than $120 billion in annual revenue and employs over 207,000 individuals across the region and beyond, with more than half exceeding $35 million in annual revenue. 

“This year’s Titans represent more than success; they embody resilience, purpose, and transformation,” said Jaime Zawmon, President of Titan CEO. “Being a Titan is not a title; it is a mindset, a way of leading with courage, serving with integrity, and creating something that outlasts you….”

Energy CX has achieved a year of exceptional growth and recognition. Building on its mission to drive energy innovation and cost savings, Energy CX has expanded its presence and grown its workforce over 58% to reduce energy costs in over 2 billion square feet of real estate to date. Since 2022, the company has saved clients over $200 million in energy purchasing and has advanced its Analytics-based Energy Logic platform, ABEL™, to help customers purchase energy smarter.

“Miles has been a catalyst in our innovation towards helping large energy users buy like a hedge fund. I’m excited for what we will continue to build,” said Energy CX Co-CEO Scott Hammes.

For more information, please email communications@energycx.com. 

About Energy CX

Energy CX is a leading energy brokerage based in Chicago. Known for transforming the way clients navigate the complex energy landscape, the company's data-driven approach and dedication to innovation position it as a leader in the energy brokerage industry. For five generations, the Rice family has been laser-focused on its commitment to advancing energy solutions. Established in 2010, the brokerage maximizes savings, efficiency, and sustainability through technology and industry expertise. Services span energy procurement, sustainability solutions and utility services across 20+ states. Recognized as a Top U.S. Energy Brokerage, Energy CX has been named a 2025 Great Place To Work® and ranked on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list for the second year in a row. The award-winning company has reduced energy costs for thousands of properties nationwide.

About Titan 100

The Titan 100 is a national program in 10 markets across the country that recognizes the top 100 CEOs and C-level executives in a region. Representing both the private and public sectors, these Titans of Industry demonstrate exceptional leadership, vision, passion, and influence in their field. The Titan 100 are recognized at an annual awards event, published in the Titan 100 book, and given the opportunity to build relationships with their fellow Titans by connecting multiple times throughout the year. Titans must be nominated and selected annually, with the pinnacle achievement of being recognized as an elite Hall of Fame honoree in their third year. The Titan 100 is one of the fastest-growing, most powerful communities of executives across the nation. Learn more at www.titan100.biz.

Every commercial electricity bill splits into two separate charges: supply, the cost of the power itself, and delivery, the cost of getting that power to your building. These terms may sound similar, but they represent two distinct parts of how energy reaches your business. Understanding the difference between between supply and delivery charges is essential for taking control of your electricity bill, and for recognizing where you have the most opportunity to save.

What Is Energy Supply?

The supply portion of your energy bill covers the cost of the actual commodity: the electricity or natural gas your building uses. This cost is driven by the wholesale energy market and fluctuates based on a range of factors, including production levels, weather, global events and demand.

In deregulated markets, businesses are free to choose their energy supplier instead of being tied to a single utility provider. This freedom to choose creates competition among suppliers, which can result in more favorable rates and contract options. Supply charges are typically measured in units such as $/kWh for electricity or $/therm for natural gas.

In simple terms, supply is what you're buying, and it's where a business has the most control: timing purchases, choosing contract length and comparing suppliers rather than accepting the first rate offered.

What Is Energy Delivery?

The delivery portion of your bill represents the cost of transporting that energy to your facility through the local utility’s infrastructure. These charges cover the maintenance of poles, wires, pipelines and transformers that ensure reliable service to your building.

Unlike supply, delivery costs are regulated by state utility commissions and remain the same regardless of which supplier you choose. They fund critical operations such as maintaining the grid, reading meters, restoring power and investing in system upgrades. In other words, delivery is how the energy gets to you.

What's the difference between supply and delivery charges?

Understanding this distinction helps you identify where you can influence your costs. The supply portion is competitive; it’s where strategy, timing and market expertise can lead to real savings. The delivery portion is fixed, but you can still manage how it impacts you. For example, adjusting usage patterns to reduce peak demand or identifying inefficiencies in your operations can help lower certain delivery-related charges.

Recognizing this difference also empowers businesses to ask smarter questions and avoid common misconceptions. Many companies assume they have no control over their energy expenses, when in reality, supply purchasing presents significant opportunities for optimization.

Where do supply and delivery charges show up on your bill?

Most commercial electricity bills list supply and delivery as separate line items, though the labels vary by utility and state. Supply charges are usually billed per kWh or per therm and reflect what your chosen supplier is charging for the commodity itself. Delivery charges typically appear as a mix of a flat customer charge, a distribution charge tied to usage, and in many regions a separate capacity or demand charge. If your bill shows only one combined number instead of two, that's usually a sign you're on the utility's default supply rate rather than a competitively chosen one.

Key Takeaway

You can't control the wires or pipelines that deliver your energy, but you can control how and when you buy the energy flowing through them. Delivery charges are set by regulators and stay the same no matter your supplier; supply charges are competitive and respond to timing, contract choice and market conditions. Understanding delivery vs. supply charges on your electricity bill is the first step toward buying with a strategy instead of by default.

By: Jordan Quertermous and Jim Davis

Effective leadership is more than just noise; it’s navigation. It's an individualized route to a shared destination. 

Imagine handing someone your GPS after a long trip and saying, "Just follow this; it worked for me." While well-intentioned, it's a gesture that reveals two quiet, counterproductive assumptions: that your starting points are the same, and that you share the same destination. Without knowing where someone begins or where they truly want to go, offering a step-by-step guide is not just unhelpful, but it can send people on a disappointing and misguided journey. This is the trap leaders, coaches and mentors fall into when they mistake their personal success story for a universal template.

To individualize routes toward a shared destination, leaders must resist the urge to copy/paste the “script” for “success.” Instead, they should begin by acknowledging the starting place of the people they  hope to lead. Then, with humility and curiosity, they should ask, "Where are we heading, together?" 

Meet Them Where They Are

In his book Wait, What?, Jim Ryan champions the power of clarifying questions, especially the kind that slow down assumptions. Curiosity and humility create space for dialogue, discovery and empathy. In the realm of leadership and performance development, Wait, What? is another way of saying: Pause. Notice. Get on the same page. And locate the other person’s starting point.

It is impossible to chart a progression if you don’t know the coordinates. Pretending everyone is on the same path is not leadership, it’s fiction. To build an individualized route, the first step is to meet people where they are, not where you wish they were (or where you were when you started). This involves listening for their current motivations, barriers, habits, fears and ambitions. And this also means recognizing that their starting point is not a deficiency; it is a reality. Without honoring that reality, no route will be relevant, and no path can be sustainably walked.

The second essential input is the destination. Can we each agree on the coordinates of where we want to go? A starting point without a destination is nothing more than a pin on the map. Knowing where to start is important, but uncovering an agreed upon destination is what gives the journey meaning. The destination doesn’t have to be the company’s grand vision or north star. It just needs to be an agreed upon goal that actually matters to the person you’re leading. Alignment with the broader mission and the team’s goals is important, but it can’t be overbearing. The larger narrative should always be visible, because when people see how their next step contributes to something bigger, they’re more likely to stay engaged—even when the path is winding or unclear. 

But the journey should never feel oppressive. Once aligned, a reasonable route is possible. In doing so, recognize that progress isn’t always about the summit; sometimes it’s about reaching the next safe ridge. Destinations can and should evolve, and reassessing them along the journey is both wise and necessary. After reflecting and realigning, each new stop becomes another starting point, and the journey continues. Effective leadership should guide both the person and the organization toward the destination, and remind that progress of one does not have to come at the expense of the other. 

Along the way, note that shorter routes with well-defined checkpoints can reduce, overwhelm and increase clarity. They allow for celebration of progress and recalibration of direction. In practical terms, this might mean setting three-month milestones instead of three-year goals, or focusing on skill mastery before title promotion.

Only when both the starting point and an agreed upon destination are known can we truly turn discovery into direction.

Build the Route Together

Knowing where you start and where you’re headed matters, but without a clear route with checkpoints along the way you’re bound to get lost. People don’t get lost on Everest because it’s tall. They get lost because, when the going gets tough, there aren’t always signs telling them where to step next. The same applies to leadership. With support, vision and checkpoints along the way, steps that used to feel like wandering begin to feel like progress.

The route, then, is not something a leader can dictate alone; it is something co-created. When leaders understand individualized starting points and aim toward a similar destination, route-building becomes more about companionship than instruction. It also becomes inherently adaptive. Tools, timelines and tactics can shift. Destinations can and should evolve, and reassessing them along the journey is both wise and necessary. What stays consistent is the intention behind the journey.

A common leadership misstep is assuming that everyone wants to end up where you are, or that the way you got there is replicable. This mindset reduces leadership to replication rather than transformation. It also subtly undermines the agency of others by collapsing the complexity of their journey into a single, simplified narrative.

In practice, individualized route-building might require:

• Asking someone to describe what progress would look like for them, what skills and dispositions they’d like to build, not just what success they want to achieve.

• Offering suggestions instead of mandates: "Here’s one way I navigated something similar. Let’s see if it’ll work for you." This requires a scientific approach. It might help, it might not – take the hypothesis into action and gather feedback along the way.

• Recognizing that detours are not failures but part of recalibration. Adjustment is a prized skill and a distinguishing factor in sustainable high achievement.

• Helping people recognize the internal and external resources they already possess. Strength, not fear. Skill building and progress is not sustainable if it comes from a place of inadequacy and fear.

The route is ever-changing, and the definition of progress is fluid. Progress isn’t always about the summit; sometimes it’s just about reaching the next safe ridge. There will be wrong turns along the way. Like your GPS, great leaders have the ability to stay calm in the chaos and re-route directions to the next step. Each new stop, along with providing a moment for reflection and realignment, becomes another starting point.

The Leader as Navigator, Not Driver

The leader’s job isn’t to drive, it’s to navigate. This means tracking whether people are still on the path they helped build, helping them course-correct when necessary and sometimes gently pointing out when the destination itself may need reexamination. This approach fosters both accountability and autonomy. It treats people not as passengers, but as drivers who are learning to chart their own course with guidance.

Moreover, leaders who individualize development don't just optimize performance; they cultivate trust. When people feel significant and valued, they're far more willing to stretch, stumble and persist. They are more likely to raise their hand and say, "I’m lost," knowing they won’t be judged, just redirected. That trust fuels action. When a person feels trusted by their leader, they trust their leader, and they’re more willing to continue down the path.

When leaders encourage people to update their maps with accurate, affirming and dynamic inputs, they are helping recalibrate the inner compass. This is both strategic and authentically human. It allows people to move through life and work with steadiness, even amid uncertainty. And steadiness, not perfection, is what sustains high performance over time.

Moving Forward

Intentional development begins with curiosity, not control. It honors the individuality of the traveler while aiming for a shared horizon. Whether you're a coach, a teacher, a manager or a mentor, the challenge is not to replicate your route but to equip others to build theirs. We’re looking for creative, future leaders, not compliant cogs in a cold machine.

So next time you're tempted to say, "Here's what worked for me." Pause. Instead, ask, "Where are you now? Where do you want to go next? How can I help you get there?"

Outcomes matter. The destination matters. People matter. Best outcomes are defined not only by where we end up, but who we become along the way.

On Friday, September 12, 2025 the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago was filled with hundreds of guests who came together to support META24 at the fourth annual fundraiser gala. 

Through the support of Energy CX sponsors and guests, the fundraiser raised a record-setting $80,0000 for META24, a nonprofit reimagining education through entrepreneurship by providing at-risk students in Chicago with the tools, resources and real-world experiences to build their futures. 

META24 converts school and community spaces into makers spaces where students learn and develop vocational skills that they use to launch their own businesses. 103 META24 labs have been opened across the Midwest and southern United States along with six MZUZI stores where students sell their products.

Flavian Prince Ed.D., CEO of META24, expressed, “This year's annual Energy CX and META24 community party set a new precedent for uplifting the hearts, minds and souls of our youth, families, neighbors and friends. One mother told me through tears of joy, that her child is ‘invisible to the world’ but the joy that this evening brought to her gave her renewed hope.”

Our ongoing partnership with META24 is just one way Energy CX supports its core values of continuous growth and education, along with aiming to do good for our community. 

“The work that Flavian is doing for META24 is incredible. It’s amazing to see students walk in the door of META24 and walk out as business owners and craftsmen,” remarks Miles Rice, Co-CEO of Energy CX. “This program really helps kids rise above their circumstances and become better versions of themselves.”

At the gala, several META24 students showcased and sold their handmade creations including scented candles, 3D-printed designs and screen-printed hoodies which brought in nearly $2,000 in sales that goes directly into students’ pockets.

One student spoke on stage about his struggles in school stating he would regularly get into fights and wasn’t doing well in classes. Since joining META24, he has launched his own clothing line and is engaged in the classroom learning about how to become an entrepreneur and business owner.

For those interested in joining us in supporting META24’s vision or in exploring sponsorship opportunities, please email office.admin@energycx.com. Every contribution makes a difference as we work to create lasting change and brighter futures.

Our sincerest thanks also goes to our sponsors, who made this all possible:

• Engie

• Gas South

• NextEra Energy

• Realty Ads

• Res Publica Group

• Smartest Energy

• Tully & Associates

• Vistra (Merged with Dynergy)

For the second consecutive year, Energy CX ranks among America’s fastest-growing private companies, underscoring its relentless drive for innovation, client impact and nationwide expansion.

CHICAGO, August 12, 2025 – Energy CX has been named on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Energy CX earned the No. 2,334 spot on the list, marking the company’s second year in a row earning a place on the list. 

The Inc. 5000 list, published annually by the leading media brand and playbook for business leaders, provides a data-driven snapshot of the most successful companies within the economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent, entrepreneurial businesses. Past honorees include companies such as Microsoft, Meta and Oracle.

“We’re honored to be on this list—but recognition isn’t the goal. It’s fuel,” says Co-CEO Miles Rice. “From an idea on paper to being called an industry disruptor, this is proof of what relentless focus, high standards and a world-class team can do. This is not a finish line, it’s a launchpad—to keep inventing, to keep raising the bar and to set the standard for innovation for our industry and for customers everywhere.”

Companies are ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a three-year period.  All the companies combined on this year’s list generated $300 billion in revenue in 2024.

“Making the Inc. 5000 is always a remarkable achievement, but earning a spot this year speaks volumes about a company’s tenacity and clarity of vision,” says Mike Hofman, editor-in-chief of Inc. “These businesses have thrived amid rising costs, shifting global dynamics, and constant change. They didn’t just weather the storm—they grew through it, and their stories are a powerful reminder that the entrepreneurial spirit is the engine of the U.S. economy.”

Energy CX has achieved a year of exceptional growth and recognition. Building on its mission to drive energy innovation and cost savings, in 2025 alone, Energy CX expanded its presence and grew its workforce over 49% to reduce energy costs in over 2 billion square feet of real estate. Since 2022, the company has saved clients over $200 million in energy purchasing and has advanced its Analytics-based Energy Logic platform, ABEL™, to help customers purchase energy smarter.

About Inc.

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

The Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, is likely to push electricity prices lower in the short term and higher over the long run. The effect will be most direct if you live in a deregulated state like Texas, Illinois, Ohio or Pennsylvania, where businesses choose their own energy supplier instead of being locked to the local utility.

How will the Big Beautiful Bill affect electricity prices in the short term?

The law rolls back support for clean energy, including tax credits for wind, solar, electric vehicles and other renewables. At the same time, it expands fossil fuel production by opening up more land for coal and gas development and reducing royalty costs for producers. Supporters claim the bill will lower costs and strengthen domestic energy security. 

In the short term, the increased focus on fossil fuels may lead to slightly lower electricity prices. Coal and natural gas are relatively cheap to operate today, especially now that clean energy incentives are being withdrawn. For some customers, particularly those on fixed-rate plans, where the price is locked in for the length of the contract, this could translate into temporary cost savings.

But those savings come with risks. Fossil fuels, especially natural gas, are extremely volatile. Global markets, extreme weather and supply disruptions can trigger dramatic price swings. During Winter Storm Uri in 2021, for example, natural gas prices surged 3,000% and caused massive bill spikes across Texas. By shifting more of our energy mix toward fossil fuels, the bill exposes customers to more of that same volatility.

What are the long-term effects on electricity prices?

There are also long-term cost concerns. Without tax credits and policy support, many renewable energy projects will slow down or get canceled entirely. That means fewer new sources of cheap power in the coming years. As the supply of renewables shrinks, overall energy prices are likely to rise—especially in deregulated markets that depend on competition and a healthy energy mix to keep rates in check.

Grid costs are another hidden consequence. If renewable growth slows, the grid will rely more heavily on older fossil fuel infrastructure. That could lead to congestion, reliability issues and increased costs for services like reserves and frequency regulation. These costs don’t always show up as line items on your bill, but they’re passed through to customers just the same.

The bill also introduces more risk and uncertainty for energy suppliers. With future policy direction unclear and fuel costs less predictable, many suppliers will hedge their risk by raising retail rates. Smaller providers may exit the market altogether, reducing competition and limiting consumer choice.

Key Takeaway

The Big Beautiful Bill will likely lower electricity prices modestly in the short term, but push them higher and more volatile over time, especially in deregulated states. Retail customers could see fewer supplier options, more hidden fees, and bigger swings in energy costs as the market shifts back toward fossil fuels. If you're in a deregulated state, this is a good time to revisit your energy plan.

In a recent Forbes article, Nathan Rice highlighted the often overlooked operational blind spots that silently chip away at business profits. These include software sprawl, where redundant or underutilized SaaS tools accumulate costs. Passive energy procurement strategies that ignore market volatility can also produce a lofty cost. Outdated logistics contracts that fail to reflect current market conditions and vendor relationships that go unreviewed, leading to missed opportunities contribute to high costs as well. Such inefficiencies persist because they don't trigger immediate alarms but, over time, can result in substantial financial losses.

Rice emphasizes that addressing these issues requires a proactive approach by regularly auditing expenses, questioning long-standing practices and fostering a culture that encourages operational curiosity. By doing so, businesses can identify and resolve these silent profit drains, leading to improved efficiency and competitiveness.

You can read the full article here

Commercial energy procurement is the process a business uses to source and buy the electricity and natural gas it needs, instead of just accepting whatever rate the local utility offers. Done deliberately, it turns what most companies treat as a fixed cost into an expense they can actually manage and time strategically.

What Are the Key Components of an Energy Procurement Strategy?

• Energy Market Analysis: Understanding the dynamics of energy markets is essential for effective procurement. Factors like deregulation, supply and demand fluctuations, geopolitical events, and regulatory policies can all impact energy prices and availability.

• Supplier Selection: Choosing the right energy supplier involves evaluating factors such as pricing structures, contract terms, reliability, customer service, and sustainability commitments. Businesses often engage in competitive bidding processes or negotiate directly with suppliers to secure favorable terms.

• Contract Negotiation: Energy procurement contracts outline the terms of the agreement between the buyer and the supplier, including pricing mechanisms, delivery terms, payment terms, and performance metrics. Negotiating these contracts requires careful consideration of risk management strategies, such as fixed-rate vs. variable-rate pricing, and flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions.

• Risk Management: Managing risks associated with energy procurement is paramount to safeguarding against price volatility, supply disruptions, regulatory changes, and other unforeseen events. Strategies such as hedging, diversification, and forward contracting can help mitigate risks and stabilize energy costs over time.

• Sustainability Goals: Incorporating sustainability goals into energy procurement strategies is increasingly important for businesses seeking to reduce their carbon footprint and align with environmental objectives. This may involve sourcing renewable energy, investing in energy efficiency measures, or participating in carbon offset programs.

What Are the Benefits of Effective Energy Procurement?

• Cost Savings: Optimizing energy procurement strategies can result in significant cost savings through competitive pricing, efficient consumption management, and risk mitigation.

• Reliability: Secure and reliable energy supply is essential for maintaining business operations and minimizing disruptions.

• Sustainability: By prioritizing renewable energy sourcing and efficiency initiatives, businesses can reduce their environmental impact and enhance their corporate social responsibility efforts.

• Strategic Advantage: Proactive energy procurement strategies can provide businesses with a competitive edge in the market, enabling them to adapt to changing energy landscapes and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Key Takeaways

Commercial energy procurement is the deliberate sourcing and buying of electricity and natural gas, built around market analysis, supplier selection, contract terms, risk management, and sustainability goals. Businesses that treat it as a strategy rather than a default utility bill get more predictable costs and fewer surprises at renewal.

In the intricate realm of energy procurement, where every decision impacts the bottom line, navigating pricing strategies is paramount. One approach that stands out for its adaptability and transparency is index pricing. We'll delve into what index pricing entails, how it's calculated, and most importantly, how businesses can leverage it to save on energy costs.

What is Index Pricing?

Index pricing is a method of determining the cost of energy based on a specific market index. Index outperforms fixed prices when insurance is not needed as our VP of Sales, Nathan Rice, says “don’t buy flood insurance for a house on the hill." Instead of a fixed rate, the price fluctuates in real-time, closely mirroring wholesale energy market conditions.  

How is Index Pricing Calculated?

• Market Index Selection: The first step is selecting a market index that aligns with the specific energy market relevant to the consumer. This index serves as a reference point for pricing fluctuations. Common indices include the NYMEX natural gas index and regional electricity indices.

• Pricing Formula: The pricing formula typically involves adding a margin (the supplier's profit) to the current market index value. The resulting sum represents the consumer's energy price for a specific period.

• Real-Time Adjustments: Unlike fixed-rate contracts, index pricing allows for real-time adjustments based on market changes. This responsiveness ensures that consumers benefit from market lows while maintaining protection during spikes. 2023 has been an interesting year for index pricing with market lows. Our Head of Marketing Intelligence, Eddie Conlisk, further explains "given the low spot prices of natural gas due to excess supply and weak demand both gas and electric indexes performed extremely well most all of 2023."

  

What are the Benefits of Index Pricing?

• Cost Reflectivity: Index pricing provides unparalleled transparency, allowing consumers to see a direct correlation between their energy costs and market movements. This transparency aids in budget planning and decision-making.

• Flexibility: The flexibility inherent in index pricing enables consumers to capitalize on market downturns. This adaptability is particularly advantageous in volatile energy markets. Our VP of Sales, Nathan Rice, explains "the index price is the market rate with no premiums attached to it. When markets remain calm, index prices outperform fixed rates, as we’ve seen in the last 4/5 years.”

What Are the Drawbacks of Index Pricing?

• Price Volatility: While index pricing can lead to savings during market downturns, it exposes consumers to potential volatility. Sudden market spikes may result in higher costs compared to fixed-rate contracts.

• Budget Uncertainty: For businesses with stringent budget requirements, the fluctuating nature of index pricing may pose challenges in predicting and managing energy expenses.

How Energy CX Implements Index Pricing

• Market Intelligence: Our team of experts at Energy CX constantly monitors market trends, leveraging cutting-edge technology to provide real-time insights. This allows us to make informed decisions in the best interest of our clients.

• Strategic Planning: We work collaboratively with clients to develop a strategic energy purchasing plan. This includes identifying optimal entry points into the market, setting budget expectations, and defining risk management parameters.

• Continuous Monitoring and Adjustment: The energy market is dynamic, and so are our strategies. We continually monitor market movements and adjust our approach to ensure that our clients are positioned advantageously.

Key Takeaway

Index pricing, or market-based energy pricing, ties a business's energy cost to real-time market rates instead of one fixed price for the whole contract. It can lower costs when markets are calm, since there's no premium built in for certainty, but it also exposes a business to real budget swings when prices spike. The right choice comes down to how much price variability a business can actually absorb.

Energy deregulation is a market structure in which multiple suppliers compete to sell electricity or natural gas, allowing consumers and businesses to choose their supplier rather than buying from a single regulated utility. The local utility still delivers the energy and maintains the grid, while suppliers are able to compete for the supply portion.

How Does Energy Deregulation Work?

A deregulated market splits your energy service into two parts. Supply, or the actual electricity or gas you use, becomes competitive, so multiple suppliers bid for your business. Delivery (the poles, wires, pipes, and meter) stays with your local utility, which remains regulated and still handles outages and billing infrastructure.

That's why switching suppliers doesn't change your reliability or who fixes a downed line. You're only changing who you buy the energy commodity from, not who delivers it.

Which States Have Energy Deregulation?

Deregulation varies by state and by energy type. Some states allow it for electricity, some for natural gas, and some for both.

Natural Gas Only

• California

• Colorado

• Wisconsin

• Missouri

• Indiana

• Michigan

• Georgia

• Florida

• Virginia

Electric Only

• Texas

• Maine

• New Hampshire

• Delaware

Both

• Illinois

• New York

• Ohio

• Pennsylvania

• New Jersey

• Connecticut

• Rhode Island

• Massachusetts

• Maryland

What Are the Benefits of Energy Deregulation?

Competitive Pricing 

• Deregulation encourages competition among energy providers, fostering competitive pricing and potentially reducing overall costs for consumers.

Consumer Choice 

• Consumers can choose from a variety of energy plans, services, and providers, tailoring their choices to meet specific needs and preferences.

Innovation and Green Options

• Competition often sparks innovation and a greater focus on sustainability, including eco-friendly supplier options that support a greener future.

Key Takeaway

Energy deregulation lets businesses choose who supplies their electricity or natural gas, while the local utility keeps handling delivery and outages. Whether it's available, and for which fuel type, depends on the state. Commercial and industrial buyers have the most to gain, since they're the customer class most likely to actually shop the competitive market.