Almost everyone complains about today’s high energy bills. Some Texans point fingers at former energy monopolies, while data suggests that only 30 percent of residents have switched electricity providers. Recent reports indicate only 10 states have residential rates that are higher than those in Texas. Simply put, Texans may be paying more than necessary for electricity.
Lewisville resident and Choose Energy General Manager Jerry Dyess wants to change that so he created a neutral Internet site that works for electricity similar to the way Travelocity works for travel purchases.
Choose Energy is a unique online energy savings marketplace that helps small business and residential consumers choose between multiple offers from carefully screened electricity providers so they can receive the best rates and plans and save on their electricity bills.
Following the 2001 deregulation of the Texas energy market, Dyess had a vision to create an unbiased energy exchange where electricity consumers can do simple comparison shopping and electricity companies can bid on their business. Backed by investors with electricity industry experience, Dyess launched ChooseEnergy.com in July 2006.
“Choose Energy is the most convenient way for consumers to shop for electricity providers,” Dyess said. “Our web site can be trusted to take the hassle out of shopping for the best rate available. In fact, consumers don’t have to talk to anybody but simply make a few choices on a protected, neutral site and see if they get a bid they want to accept.”
“If people are willing to go out of their way to save money on a gallon of milk or a tank of gas, they should apply that same mentality to shopping for an electricity provider where they can potentially save hundreds,” Dyess said. “My job is to make that process as trustworthy and simple as it can be.”
“Who can’t use extra money around holiday time?” Dyess noted. “Most consumers using Choose Energy’s simple, fast process will get offers which could save them hundreds of dollars from the rates offered by incumbent utilities.”
When consumers click on www.chooseenergy.com, they enter their zip code and the previous month's bill. Then they will see a list of electricity companies offering competitive rates and possibly other special incentives from providers. The electricity rates listed by Choose Energy are in real time, meaning rates can be updated by retail electric providers daily as the market fluctuates, passing those savings immediately on to consumers.
ChooseEnergy.com also sets itself apart from similar web sites by being the first to allow small business consumers to use a web site to change providers.
“No one else out there is using this kind of technology to help consumers save on their energy bills,” Dyess said.. “Right now is a good time to lock in a low rate, especially since set prices for the former utility monopolies will come to a close in January.”
If consumers don't see an offer they want to immediately accept when they visit www.chooseenergy.com, they can sign up to be notified via email when rates drop. This "watchdog" technology makes ChooseEnergy.com different, acting as a personal energy market analyst for today's small business consumer.
Dyess brings extensive and diverse expertise in both the energy procurement business and the information technology industry. He manages all of the day-to-day operational, business development, and marketing activities for the company. Prior to Choose Energy, Dyess was the president and co-founder of a well-known Texas energy brokerage firm offering objective electricity procurement and energy analysis services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.