FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT OUR Natural Gas CHOICE & ELECTRIC Choice ProgramS
NATURAL GAS CHOICE PROGRAM FAQs
Time To Choose
Natural Gas has been deregulated since 1986, but not since recently has the ability to purchase competitive natural gas supply reached the average consumer. With natural gas prices at an all-time high, price uncertainty is still a major issue both on a regional and national level. Your local utility company has now given you the opportunity to select your natural gas provider.
Under this program, instead of your local utility being the sole provider of natural gas, customers are now given the option of choosing their own natural gas supplier. Your local gas utility will continue delivering gas to your business or home.
We offer competitively priced programs to both commercial & residential customers.
General
You can sign up with Academy over the telephone, via the Internet, or in person. You will need to provide your name, address and utility account number to sign up with your new supplier. This information is located on your bill. Your new supplier will then send the information to your utility.
The account holder, a person legally authorized to execute a contract on behalf of the account holder or spouse of the account holder.
That is your choice. If you choose to remain a customer of your current utility the price that you pay for your gas supply will be determined by the Public Utility Commission in the state that you are located.
About one to two billing cycles.
Billing
You will continue to receive one invoice from your local utility company. They will still charge you for distribution, customer charge, and your new natural gas supplier’s cost of your natural gas. However, when a commercial customer is on a “Transportation Natural Gas” program that gas supplier would bill them for the cost of the gas instead of the local utility company.
Yes. However, if you are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, or a business that is tax exempt, based on that state’s tax code, you would not have to pay sales tax. We can assist you with this determination if you owe sales taxes or not on your natural gas purchases.
If you choose a third party supplier, the amount you pay for gas will be negotiated between our professional consultants and the gas suppliers. This will result in a fixed natural gas price that will be the same rate depending on what term you chose.
The huge negative with the local utility company is their rates can fluctuate from month to month. You have no control with what they charge you. It is next to impossible to budget for natural gas expenditure each year.
Yes, you would pay the local utility company’s monthly customer charge and distribution charge, plus any state regulatory charges as set by that state’s public utility commission.
Call your local utility company if you have any questions concerning your monthly customer charge or distribution charge. Call our office if you have any questions on your actual natural gas charges or the natural gas supplier that you have chosen.
If you have not received a satisfactory response from your local utility, or your new supplier, contact our office to assist you.
Cancellation Procedures
If you cancel your agreement prior to the term expiration, you may incur an early termination fee. Please read the terms and conditions of your contracts carefully, since canceling before the end of your contract term may incur early termination charges.
Yes, however, be sure to ask your current supplier if there is a cancellation fee. You can switch back to your utility, but you must remain with the utility for the next 12 months. This pertains to both commercial and residential customers.
There is no utility fee for your original enrollment, and the utility allows you to switch once each year without a fee. There is a $10.00 fee from the utility for each additional switch.
Miscellaneous
No. It is up to you to determine if a supplier meets your needs. Be sure you understand the terms and conditions of the contract and the price you pay.
There are no other hidden fees or charges from our suppliers or our company that you will be charged.
Service
Your local utility will continue to deliver gas to your business or home. You will not need a new service line or meter if you choose a new supplier.
Your local utility will continue to provide you with services such as reading your meter, emergencies or billing questions. Transportation Gas customers have different rules concerning reading meters.
You should call the emergency number for your local utility that is found on your bill from them.
Getting Started
If you are a business, email us, or provide to us at our appointment with you, a copy of your most recent natural gas bill (all pages front & back). We will then provide you with an estimate of your forecasted savings, and eligibility for participation in Gas Choice or Transportation Gas programs.
ELECTRIC CHOICE PROGRAM FAQs
Your savings depend on a number of factors (i.e. current wholesale prices, customers’ specific load patterns, the amount of electricity you purchase), but customers have saved in some cases as much as tens of thousands of dollars in prior years.
Electric Choice allows commercial customers to choose an alternative electric supplier instead of the local utility.
For example in Michigan, prior to January 1, 2002, customers were required to buy both the electric supply and distribution portions of their electric service from their local utility. With Electric Choice, customers now have the ability to select a provider for their electric service.
Increased competition, which will drive down electricity, and improved efficiency with exciting new market innovations like solar, wind, and geothermal new technologies to make electricity.
Call your local utility company, just as you do now.
Yes. It’s important to know your current electric company will still deliver the electricity to your business. Neither power lines nor maintenance will change.
We obtain power from several multi-billion dollar asset-based companies that are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Your energy supply will be delivered through a Transmission Network Service, the most secure delivery service available. Transmission Network Service provides multiple paths for the electric service in the event that a transmission path is interrupted or unavailable. This is the same type of service your local utility uses to service its native load customers.
If you are a business, email us or provide us at our appointment with you, a copy of your most recent electric bill (all pages front & back). We will then provide you with an estimate of your forecasted savings, and eligibility for participation in Electric Choice.