Electricity Markets There was a small dip in electric prices in most ISO’s. ERCOT was the exception where there was a big slide over the report week. Volatility here might have been a little over reaction, however there is still a lot of summer left to get through. With an estimated 20,000 MW of wind generation in Texas, this is a big factor in their overall power generation mix. Renewables when producing are great, however when they are not, something else has to quickly pick up the slack or we...Continue Reading
Electricity Markets ISO-NE started moving in an upward trend, and is once again the highest priced market we report on now that ERCOT has leveled off for the first time in a while. NYISO also began climbing after a very stable period, both most likely tied to slight increases in natural gas pricing. Not much change in PJM.Continue Reading
Electricity Markets ISO-NE continues to see a slight upward trend, however overall the summer months are usually a quieter time in this region. ERCOT prices came down over the week but remains volatile. With the Texas economy doing well, this has led to load growth. In 2011 a similar pattern arose when the area was tight on capacity and a big spike occurred. DOE has been in discussion about what role does nuclear and coal play in grid resiliency. Destabilization in the NY markets is possible as the future of...Continue Reading
Electricity Markets ERCOT electric pricing has now surpassed ISO-NE for the time being as they climbed from the lowest priced market to the highest that we report on. The remaining markets saw little change throughout the week.Continue Reading
Electricity Markets There was an uptick in forward electric prices across the board. ISO-NE has been on a steady march upward over the last few weeks. ERCOT again saw another big jump as warm weather and continued uncertainty about how the coal plant closures could be even more dramatic if there is a warm summer in Texas. It’s important to keep in mind that with the closures of Indian Point and Pilgrim plants, there is the potential that something similar could happen in the Northeast. With prices still relatively low...Continue Reading
POWER MANAGEMENT COMPANY ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF NEW WEBSITE Power Management introduces a new website, more effectively conveying their core services to users Victor, NY- May 21, 2018 – Power Management Company (PMC) is proud to announce the launch of their new website www.powermgt.com. The new site more clearly illustrates the services Power Management offers such as energy management, energy procurement, and energy efficiency and sustainability. It delivers both current and prospective clients with an opportunity to see the full product portfolio and explore topics beyond the core energy services; learning...Continue Reading
Electricity Market NYISO electric was quiet over the report week & PJM saw just a very slight increase. ISO-NE electric moved up a fair amount and ERCOT saw another big jump. Back in October prices were in the $0.025 range, now they are closing in at $0.036 -$0.037.Continue Reading
Electricity Market Not much change in the way of electric forward in NYISO and PJM. Just perhaps a slight uptick in NEISO and ERCOT. Texas may see some relief as the estimated peak summer electricity usage and maximum generation capacity has increased by a small amount due to three power plants that weren’t expected to be operational now should be. See the article below regarding more information on this.Continue Reading
Electricity Market ISO-NE & PJM have experienced a steady tick up on prices over the last few weeks, likely tied to increased oil and natural gas prices, although this report week did see some slight relief from this upward trend. NYISO continues to remain steady, providing a good opportunity to look at forward prices and hedge against future volatility. It’s important to not lose sight of how quickly prices can react, as they did in Texas with the news of planned plant closures. The Indian Point closure still looms on...Continue Reading
Electricity Market Prices in the eastern markets slowly continue to move higher while ERCOT prices have stabilized a bit. The day-ahead market saw some relief over the report week with cold weather starting to subside. Natural Gas Markets The May ‘18 NYMEX future contract expired on Thursday April 26th at $2.821. The market ticked higher after the EIA reported a surprisingly large withdrawal from storage. Milder temperatures seem to finally be arriving along the east coast after a very cold March and April. This should allow for heating-demand levels to...Continue Reading
In addition to the wholesale cost of energy, other items such as capacity combine to make the total cost of a customer’s electric bill. A portion of a customer’s capacity payment is determined by what is referred to as a Capacity Tag (can also be called peak load contribution (PLC), Installed Capacity (ICAP) or peak monthly demand depending on the customers location). A capacity tag is set for a customer by using their peak demand during a specific peak day/hour/timeframe. Each ISO calculates and records this differently per their requirements....Continue Reading
Electricity Market NYISO and PJM saw almost no change week over week. ISO- NE also continues to be relatively steady, no big movements around the forward price of energy. However, forward quotes still may come in higher than expected in this region due to capacity, ancillaries, RECS and other factors. These are not going away regardless of low wholesale energy prices! The day-ahead market has remained somewhat volatile, based on the below-normal weather in much of the Northeast especially. Natural Gas Markets The price of the 12-month strip averaging May...Continue Reading
Electricity Market While most of the ISO’s have remained quiet, ERCOT is back on the rise. On peak pricing, especially in July and August is anticipated to be very high, running up the 12-month forward average. Also note that some ISO-NE zones will experience an increase in their capacity market starting in June. Any clients currently on market variable programs should be advised of this change. Spot pricing in New England has bounced up and down with the changes in weather. However, the volatility has not been as severe as...Continue Reading
Electricity Market NEISO, PJM, and NYISO remained flat overall since last week’s report. ERCOT experienced a slight bump up after the drop-off. The Department of Energy released a study on future coal and nuclear generation retirements, which examined NEISO, NYISO, PJM, and ERCOT during historical high demand periods, and said that additional coal and nuclear retirements could result in future grid instability. If coal and nuclear generators are kept online, there could be less demand for natural gas for electricity generation. The Day-Ahead market remained quiet, as temperatures have come...Continue Reading
Electricity Market The wholesale electric market did not see much movement from last week’s report. NYISO slightly decreased while NEISO and PJM remained steady. ERCOT saw a drop-off, as additional capacity projects are planned to come in service between 2018 and 2022. Spot market pricing on the day-ahead shot up in PJM, while NEISO is returning to normal post-storm. Natural Gas Markets The natural gas market 2018 forward curve is trending down across the board. With strong production matching higher demand, the market is content to hover in its...Continue Reading
Electricity Market The electric market has shown some volatility, but it is still a good time to hedge. ISO-NE remains flat, while NYISO and PJM moved up slightly from last week. These markets haven’t seen a spike since the cold weather in January. ERCOT, however, continues to climb as a result over concern from the tightening of reserve margins for the coming summer. The Day-Ahead market continues to trade in a fairly tight range. The market will need an indication of warmer weather before any severe drops occur. Natural...Continue Reading
Electricity Market Wholesale electric prices over the report week were overwhelmingly flat, with the exception of ERCOT which again moved higher. In addition to the coal plant closure announcements and nervousness about load reliability during the summer, the economy in Texas has been heated. Energy prices in this market are unrestrained which could cause some anxiety moving forward. As the long run of above average weather ended, more normal conditions caused a slight uptick on the day-ahead market for ISO-NE. The storm at the beginning of the report week did...Continue Reading
When evaluating natural gas contracts, one component that you may consider is the suppliers offering of swing options. Swing refers to your business being able to go above or below the amount to be supplied, while still being billed or credited for any used/unused volume at your fixed or index price. Sometimes also referred to as “contract quantity”, the variance in swing ranges from 0-100%, while most suppliers will give you the option to have 0% swing, 10% swing or 100% swing. Typically, if you choose a 100% swing option,...Continue Reading
The price consumers pay for electric supply is made up of a series of components. Although the price of wholesale energy is often the focus, it is actually only a portion (recently 50% or less) of the overall cost. One element that has recently increased significantly, especially in the New England market, is capacity. Capacity prices are set through periodic auctions where New England power plant owners bid to assure that there will be enough generating capacity on the hottest and coldest days. The bidders compete with each other and...Continue Reading
As your chosen energy consultant, we would like to provide a reminder that Direct Energy, your current supplier, will be conducting a final consolidation of their electricity billing systems. This transition will mean some changes for your accounts as a customer. However, please note that ONLY customers who are currently being dual-billed will be effected (meaning one bill from your utility and a separate bill from Direct Energy your supplier). You should also be receiving correspondence from Direct Energy regarding these changes; however we wanted to make sure you were informed in...Continue Reading
Electric and natural gas suppliers are constantly changing and evolving their business. Power Management is here to assist with these sometimes complicated transitions and work on the customers end to straighten out the details. We wanted to remind you of some changes that a few suppliers will be implementing that may have an effect on your billing over the next couple of months. In February/March 2017, Direct Energy will be conducting a final consolidation of their electricity billing systems–and the legal entities associated with them. You may remember hearing about this when...Continue Reading
Weather and natural gas storage inventories are two variables that are often discussed when analyzing current natural gas prices and where they are anticipated to go. Earlier this year, working natural gas inventories ended the winter heating season at 2,478 Bcf. This exceeded the previous record high of 2,473 Bcf set in March 2012, which again followed a warm winter. Due to record warmth during the winter season and continued high levels of domestic natural gas production, inventory withdrawals during the traditional heating season (November through March) were relatively limited. Analysts...Continue Reading
