Tips for Choosing a Commercial Electricity Rate

December 21, 2022

Shopping for commercial electricity rates can be a daunting task, but it is an important part of managing a business’s finances. Here are a few things to consider when comparing rates:

Tariff structure: Electricity rates can vary depending on the type of tariff structure that is used. Some common types of tariffs include fixed rate, variable rate, and time-of-use tariffs. It is important to understand the differences between these types of tariffs and how they may impact your business’s electricity costs.
Contract length: Commercial electricity contracts typically range from one to three years in length. It is important to consider the length of the contract and whether it aligns with your business’s needs. A shorter contract may offer more flexibility, but a longer contract may offer more stable rates.
Usage patterns: The amount of electricity that your business uses can have a significant impact on your rates. Be sure to consider your business’s usage patterns, such as peak and off-peak hours, when shopping for rates.
Renewable energy options: Many businesses are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and support renewable energy sources. If this is a priority for your business, be sure to consider electricity providers that offer renewable energy options.
Customer service: It is important to consider the level of customer service that an electricity provider offers. Look for providers that have a good track record of responding to customer inquiries and addressing any issues that may arise.

By considering these factors, you can find an electricity rate that meets the needs of your business and helps to control costs. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and do your research to ensure that you are getting the best deal possible.

All You Need To Know About Starting A Successful Home Services Business

June 1, 2023

Image Source: Pexels

The home services industry is worth a whopping $506 billion, according to research by Angi. Even during the pandemic, when business closures were frequent in most industries, the home services industry stayed strong, as homeowners chose to focus on improving their properties either themselves or by hiring experts. For you to be successful in the home services industry, not only will you need to find the right idea, but market it well and provide customers with better service than competitors. In this article by Firewheel Power, we’ll explore a host of useful strategies you can use to start and run a profitable home services business.

Find The Right Business Idea

As with any business, your first step will be to hone in on the best idea that you’ll be able to sustain for the long term and make a profit doing so. Here are some popular home services business ideas:

Landscaping: This will entail providing the gamut of landscaping and gardening services such as mowing lawns, planting shrubs, trees, and flowers, and helping homeowners keep their outdoor spaces clean and aesthetic.

Home Organization: While everyone wants a clean home, some homeowners prefer to pay others to keep it clean and organized for them. As a home organizer, your responsibility will be to help clients declutter their homes and create an organization plan for their belongings.

Handyman Services: The most popular category in this niche, handyman services can include plumbing, carpentry, welding, and a host of other services. If you’re interested in this idea, but lack the expertise and understanding to conduct repairs, consider enrolling in a trade school to earn a degree and hands-on experience.

Create A Sound Business Plan

A business plan serves as the founding document for your business, according to Info Entrepreneurs. It will include details on all the core components of your home services business such as:

Customer Profile: Based on market research, you’ll create your ideal customer profile which explores the needs, wants, and expectations of clients you plan to cater to. With your customer profile in hand, you’ll be able to better craft your services and pricing strategy.

Marketing Strategy: Having a sound marketing strategy is one of the keys to success for any business in 2023. Given that there is a plethora of promotional mediums (digital and traditional) to choose from, you’ll need to hone into the best medium(s) to use based on budget, customer profile, and short/long-term goals.

Competitor Analysis: Given the sheer size of the home services industry, it’s not surprising that it is competitive. Before you start reaching out to clients, you’ll need to understand your competitor’s advantages and weaknesses, use it to develop your unique selling proposition (USP), and differentiate yourself from the rest.

Leverage The Power of Networking

Building and nurturing relationships with potential clients, and industry professionals and gaining referrals can significantly improve your chances of organically landing clients and building long-term business relationships.

In addition to reaching out to your personal networking for referrals, consider attending local networking events. These gatherings serve as excellent opportunities to meet like-minded professionals, gain insights from professionals and learn what it takes to be successful in the home services niche.

Invest in Business Cards

Business cards serve as a tangible representation of your brand and help you stand out from the rest in today’s digital-first world. Sharing personalized business cards with prospects increases the chances of recalling and securing their business. Even if you have never designed business cards before, give this a try. A free online business card generator can help you create a card quickly and professionally. Remember to keep the design clean and clearly mention your business name and content information.

By finding the right business idea, creating a comprehensive business plan, and investing in business cards, you can set yourself up for success in the thriving home services industry. Additionally, leveraging the power of networking will help you grow the business organically, make important professional connections and help sustain yourself for the long term.

Get Ready for Home Renovations: 6 Essential Steps

March 22, 2023

You’re gearing up to renovate your home – or maybe you’re still in the market for a new home, and you’re daydreaming about potential renovations. Either way, there are a lot of exciting things to consider. Here, HomeownerBliss.info presents how to kick off the renovation process, from coming up with multiple uses for certain rooms to learning the ins and outs of contractor software.

Plan for Renovations

Deciding on the specific renovations you want to invest in should be your first step. From remodeling your entire home to finishing your basement, you’ll want to nail down the details. If you’re planning on selling your home after renovating it, it’s wise to view recently sold homes to determine which types of amenities buyers most desire. You may even be able to transform certain rooms into multi-use spaces to get more out of your renovation investment. For example, you can add a home office that doubles as a

guest room by purchasing a sleeper sofa, storing bedding in an ottoman or wall cabinets, and even putting up a full-length mirror.

Although it’s not an official part of the renovation process, be prepared to deal with a lot of noise and dust. Look into some carcinogen-free cleaning products to help you keep your living spaces clean and functional during the construction process. You may be surprised to learn how many common household cleaning products contain toxic chemicals, like Phthalates and formaldehyde.

Research Contractor Software

Renovations can get complicated. Brushing up on the software that your contractors are likely to use can clear things up for you. Your contractors will definitely utilize bookkeeping software, and they may use separate invoicing software. Furthermore, if you’re hiring a landscaping contractor for outdoor work, by selecting landscape design software, they can create accurate estimates and easily manage timelines.

Outline Your Budget

If you’re still not sure how much your project will cost, it’s time to break down the numbers. To get the most accurate assessment, start reaching out to local friends who have undertaken similar projects and find out how much they ultimately paid. You’ll also want to ask potential contractors for estimates, but be aware that the final costs are generally inflated. Include the costs of any permits you might need.

Look into the projects that promise the highest ROI (return on investment). Usually bathrooms and kitchens are key selling and appraisal points. If you choose to renovate your kitchen, do it right. Don’t just add new flooring over the old stuff or new countertops over old cabinets. You will end up spending lots of money and getting a lower ROI.

Use this opportunity to also look into alternative energy options that could save you money for home or business use. Check out Firewheel Power for reliable energy options at a fraction of the big name competitors’ prices.

Choose Contractors

In addition to considering estimates from different contractors, you’ll also need to think about a few other factors before you decide who to hire. House Method recommends checking their licenses, reading their reviews online, verifying that they are bonded and insured, and viewing examples of their previous projects in their portfolios.

Communicating With Contractors

As your project begins, you’ll need to communicate with your contractors frequently. It’s important to be responsive so that you can check in on how the project is going and deal with any problems as they arise. ACP Construction Elevator recommends establishing a mode of communication first, whether you’d prefer to text, call, or email each other to discuss updates. When you talk to contractors, ask specific questions rather than just requesting general updates.

Be Considerate to Your Neighbors

Have you ever lived next door to a property where ongoing construction was taking place? If you’ve been in this position before, you know just how noisy it can get. Perhaps you live far away from your nearest neighbors, so you’re not too worried about anyone hearing construction noise from your home. But if you live right next door or share a wall, it’s courteous to give your neighbors a heads-up that you’ll be starting renovations soon. If they work from home or have young children at home, they may want to get out of the house while things are noisy next door. By letting them know about your plans, they will be able to prepare accordingly.

Create a Plan to Manage Your Home Reno Project

If you’re feeling stressed about your renovation project, take a deep breath. As long as you research each step in advance, you’ll be able to handle the process with ease. These tips will show you the value of multi-use spaces, the purpose of construction software, and the importance of budgeting.

Photo via Pexels

How an Energy Broker Can Help Your Business Control Costs

January 12, 2023

As a business owner, one of your top priorities is to keep your costs low while still providing the best products and services to your customers. One area where you can make a significant impact on your bottom line is in your energy costs. The price of electricity and natural gas can fluctuate greatly depending on a variety of factors, and without proper knowledge and resources, it can be difficult to navigate the market and find the best rates. That’s where an energy broker comes in.

An energy broker is a professional who specializes in helping businesses find the best electricity and natural gas rates. They have the knowledge and resources to understand the market and can provide you with a variety of options, so you can make an informed decision about the best plan for your business.

One of the biggest advantages of working with an energy broker is that they have access to a wide range of options. They can provide you with multiple quotes from different energy providers, so you can compare and choose the best plan for your business. This can save you time and effort, as you don’t have to spend hours researching different providers and plans.

Another advantage of using an energy broker is that they can help you understand the different terms and conditions of each plan, so you can make sure you’re getting the best deal. They can also help you understand the different regulations and policies in your area, so you can make sure you’re in compliance.

In addition, energy brokers can help you negotiate with energy providers to get the best rates. They have experience in the industry and they know how to communicate with providers and understand their policies, which can help you to get better deals.

Finally, an energy broker can help you to keep track of your energy costs over time, and they can help you to make adjustments as needed. This can help you to save money in the long run, and ensure that your business is running as efficiently as possible.

In conclusion, working with an energy broker can provide a great benefit for business owners. They can help you to find the best electricity and natural gas rates, understand the terms and conditions of each plan, negotiate with energy providers, stay in compliance with regulations, and keep track of your energy costs over time. These advantages can save you time, money and a lot of stress, so it is worth considering hiring an energy broker when shopping for electricity or natural gas rates.

Give Your Kids the Gift of a Financially Stable Future

July 10, 2022

Without financial literacy, your kids may become lost adults. They may make poor money decisions or find it challenging to live a comfortable life. To ensure your kids have a stable future, start teaching them about financial literacy while they are still young.

Start With Practical Knowledge

No matter their age, all kids can start learning the importance of money. As toddlers, introduce them to coins and dollar bills. Play coin identification games or play store to help introduce them to exchanging money for goods.

For older kids, start with an allowance. Allowances are good ways to introduce your kids to saving their own money. Likewise, it helps motivate them to help around the house. Once your kid receives an allowance, talk about where you can put the money. Instead of a piggy bank, consider setting up a savings account for your child. Savings accounts not only give your kid a way to save their money, but it also provides them with a way to learn about interest and money management.

Allow your kids to accompany you while shopping and if you ever have to say no to something your kids want, explain why you have to say no. Involve your kids in financial decisions and talk to them about your finances. Some parents hide their finances for fear that it may stress their kids. If you are in the process of cleaning up your finances, talk to your kids about it. Show your kids how you weigh out your financial decisions and how to limit what you buy to save up for essential purchases.

Explain Homeownership and Its Importance

Homeownership and owning property are crucial to building assets and creating financial security. Explain to your kids how to navigate the market, from house-hunting to obtaining approval for a mortgage. According to the experts, there are various home buying programs available. Teach your kids about the different types of loans and funding available for potential homeowners. The more you talk to your kids about the process, the less stress they may feel as adults entering the housing market.

Explain to your kids how the housing market favors sellers or buyers and that you may have difficulty selling a house if you live in an area with a struggling economy. Likewise, if you have a large inventory of houses on the market that favors buyers, you can have a more challenging time selling the home.

Kids may also benefit from learning the importance of being environmentally friendly. Start eco-friendly habits around your house and explain how being green can not only save money but can save the planet.

Discuss Income and Financial Literacy

Did you know that most kids have money habits by seven? They model their practices after you. Do not be afraid to discuss your income with your kids. If they want a big-ticket item or if you need to shop for a car or something expensive, explain the value of that item and why you cannot afford something like that all of the time.

Teach them how to start their own business to earn an income, even if they do not have capital. There are a variety of loans available for business owners. Talk to them about microloans, crowdfunding, and angel investors.

Financial literacy is vital for all people to understand. The younger you start teaching your kids about money, the more likely they will have financial stability in their future.

Going Green: Embrace Responsible Homeownership with These Easy Tips

August 18, 2018

Going Green: Embrace Responsible Homeownership with These Easy Tips

Being more “green” is a hot topic these days, but for some homeowners it sounds like a complex or expensive proposition. Thankfully, you can embrace more eco-friendly living without scientific equations or significant outlays of time or money. Here are some simple tips for being a more efficient, responsible homeowner.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Living green now

Are you in a home that reasonably meets your needs, but you want to tidy up your ecological footprint? There are a number of cost-effective ways to make your house more eco-friendly.

Lighten up

Simply changing your light bulbs can pack a wallop. Switching from an incandescent to a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) reduces energy usage by 66 percent and lowers greenhouse gas emissions by 400 pounds. Another great option is light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Some studies show that LED bulbs release very little heat, while incandescent bulbs release 90 percent of their energy as heat, and CFL bulbs release about 80 percent of their energy as heat. Also, LED bulbs use a bit less energy than CFL bulbs. LED bulbs typically last 15-25 years, while CFL bulbs last about 10 years.

Warm fuzzies

One way many homeowners stay warm is snuggling with the cat or dog. No pets? No problem! Add layers of clothes and throw on a lap quilt for warmth. Also, putting a throw rug on your bare floors not only feels good under your bare feet, it can save 4-6 percent on your energy bill.

Don’t be a drip

Save water by watering your landscaping with recycled water. Some professionals suggest gathering rain water in a barrel for your lawn and plants. And when you warm the water for your shower or bath, collect it for use. You can pour it into a watering can for potted plants.

Water wisdom

Several simple fixes around your home can also help you save water. Repair leaking toilets and faucets, install a low-flow toilet and shower head, rinse all your dishes at once instead of turning water on and off, and wash full loads when you run your dishwasher or laundry machine.

Go paperless

Are you still receiving hard copies of statements and invoices in your mailbox? According to GreenBiz, e-billing is probably the most overlooked way to go green. Switch from snail mail to electronic billing and payments, and save big time. It saves the company that is billing you on both paper and time, it saves your bank when it sends the payment, it saves the energy, products and time used by the postal service for delivery, and think of the greenhouse gas emissions saved throughout the process. You can even set up automated payments for many bills to ease your mind and effort. It’s a winning solution all the way around!

Home shopping and building

If you’re in the market to build or buy a home that is eco-friendly, consider construction with recycled materials whenever possible. For instance, HGTV suggests composite decking made from wood waste and plastic. It’s durable, long-lasting and low maintenance. Also look for sustainable materials, such as paper-based or bamboo countertops, Kirei board paneling, and bamboo or cork flooring. Other great flooring options include hemp and wool carpeting, which is natural, strong and biodegradable, and natural linoleum made from all raw materials. Remember to look for key items like energy-efficient windows and appliances as well. If you’re buying an existing home and planning to add eco-friendly options, budget carefully. Use an online calculator to estimate how much house you can afford, get some estimates for what you want to replace, and crunch the numbers to budget for your changes.

Simple and green

Embracing a more green lifestyle is easy. Make some simple changes in how you handle resources. Your home will leave a smaller footprint, and you’ll enjoy peace of mind knowing you’re being a more responsible homeowner.

Author

Suzie Wilson is an interior designer with more than 20 years experience. What started as a hobby (and often, a favor to friends) turned into a passion for creating soothing spaces in homes of every size and style. While her goal always includes making homes look beautiful, her true focus is on fashioning them into serene, stress-free environments that inspire tranquility in all who enter. The Ultimate Guide to Prepping Your Home for an Open House is filled with tips, tricks and other advice based on Suzie’s years of experience in interior home design that will set you up for success.

Power Grids Can’t Handle Heatwave : Forbes

August 1, 2018

A recent report in Forbes says America’s power grids are incapable of handling the heatwaves that are hammering the country.

Of course, peak demand in Texas occurs during the summer months and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, also known as ERCOT, expects demand in August 1028 will exceed the record levels of 71,000 megawatts already surpassed in July.

In order to meet consumer demand, energy providers are often forced to reactivate aging, inefficient coal and nuclear power plants. In many areas, this causes electricity prices to surge and high demand can even lead to blackouts such as those that have cropped up on the West Coast.

Still, despite the push for renewable solutions, generation capacity cannot fully meet the demand.

Today, the continued closure of legacy coal and nuclear generators, along with the lack of incentives for building new baseload generators, have pushed systems in the U.S. to the breaking point. Los Angeles has learned it. Other markets may well face it before the summer is over.

So, what does this mean for Texas? Typically, consumers in the Lone Star state are not subject to the same types of energy challenges facing the rest of the country because ERCOT has done a good job maintaining, forecasting, and improving the power grid infrastructure. Still, consumers are encouraged to save energy when they can because it not only lowers stress on the power grid, it can also result in lower electricity prices.

If you are looking for electricity rates in Dallas or Houston or anywhere in between, be sure to check out the competitive offers from the various Retail Electricity Providers available at FirewheelPower.com.

Cryptocurrency Miners Thrashing Electric Grid and May Cause Higher Electricity Prices

June 17, 2018

Wow, how about this story out of Chelan County, Washington!

The Seattle Times is reporting that Chelan County and its neighbors have become ground-zero for cryptocurrency mining since 2012 because of the low rates afforded by the region’s hydropower resources.

Unfortunately, some of these “mining” efforts are taking place in the garages, basements, and bedrooms of residential neighborhoods, stressing the electrical grid. In one case, a home mining operation overloaded a transformer causing it to overheat and start a small grass fire nearby.

“[It’s] a very different kind of problem than anything we have addressed before.”

— Steven Wright, GM of Chelan County Public Utility District

Typically, the county and its 73,000 residents account for roughly 210 megawatts of power in a given year with a growth rate of roughly 4,500 megawatts per year.

But miners are requesting an additional 210 megawatts in order to conduct the trillions of computer calculations needed to process cryptocurrency.

As a point of reference, the story points out that a typical fruit warehouse uses about 2.5 megawatts in a six month period. During the same timeframe, cryptocurrency miners have requested approximately 50 megawatts.

Energy authorities have asked for a 3-month moratorium on new mining operations for the purpose of researching how to better-respond to increasing demands.

Ultimately, it could mean higher rates for area consumers. The more electricity is sold to local, large mining outfits, the less the utility is able to export. Those exports are the factor that keep residential rates low for subscribers. In order to meet the demand, the utility may be forced into investing in more infrastructure, such as substations and power lines. Those actions will have a significant effect on utility rates, too.

Energy Officials: Lock In Rates Soon Before Summer Price Increase

May 22, 2018

Texas temperatures have already hit the 90-degree mark with summer still more than a month away and ERCOT is expecting power demands to reach high levels between June and September.

A growing economy and retirements of generating units will tighten reserves available on peak summer days.

— Bill Magness, President and CEO of ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas

In a recent press release, Magness states that ERCOT expects to have “sufficient generation to meet customer demand this summer.” Still, soaring temperatures will result in increased demand and, in turn, consumers who are shopping for the best electricity rates should probably lock-in sooner than later according to Andrew Barlow, spokesperson for the Public Utilities Commission.

The best bet is a fixed-rate contract. A plan that changes month-to-month is not prudent under these circumstances,” he said. “Make the changes now so you are not worried about market prices come August.

— Waco Tribune – May 4, 2018

ERCOT manages about 90% of the state’s electric load and the Council has gone to great lengths to establish reserve generation margins that are expected to last through the year 2022. Since March, Texas’ generation capacity has increased by a total of 500 MW thanks, in part, to previously-mothballed units coming back online and the addition of a gas-fired plant going into operation earlier than expected.

But with consumers experiencing summer-like temperatures long before the official start to the season, spending a few moments reviewing the latest electricity rates could be beneficial to keeping summer comfort within the household budget.

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