October 2022

Key Takeaways

WTI closed at $79.49 on Friday, up 1.0% from the week prior. Crude prices rose modestly over the past week, their first weekly gain in over a month. Natural gas front-month futures declined for a third consecutive week, falling 1.0% week-over-week to settle at $6.77/MMBtu on Friday. Consistently strong storage injections and moderate temperatures across most of the country helped sustain the current downward trajectory in natural gas markets. New England futures calendar strips declined for the second consecutive week, while the 12-month rolling strip recovered from a mid-week dip for a week-over-week increase. The NEPOOL 12-month strip rose 3.8% week-over-week, settling at $123.72/MWh.


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Getting To Zero: How Companies Are Taking Action Toward Emissions Reduction


By Richard Silkman, CEO

A few months ago (May 2022), our CES Insights blog titled The Twin Paths of Beneficial Electrification & Deep Decarbonization: What It Will Take to Meet Reduction Targets and Eliminate Carbon from Our Energy Sector,” focused on the two pillars of every feasible strategy yet identified to achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions – Beneficial Electrification and Deep Decarbonization. I concluded that...  


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Announcement CES Acquires RSG Consulting Business  

Competitive Energy Services (CES) and Risk Services Group (RSG) are pleased to jointly announce that effective September 8, 2022, CES acquired RSG’s electricity and natural gas procurement consulting business. RSG’s clients will continue to receive the same high level of service and expertise that they have become accustomed to – as well as expanded access to information and services thanks to CES’ larger size and range of consulting services. CES will work closely with RSG founder Bill O’Brien throughout the remainder of 2022 to ensure a smooth transition for RSG’s clients.

 

RSG, based in Shrewsbury Massachusetts has been providing energy commodity brokerage and consulting services to commercial, industrial, and institutional clients throughout the Northeast since 2003. When RSG founder and President, Bill O’Brien started thinking about the future and how to best serve RSG’s valued clients over the long-term, it became clear that to be in the strongest position for his clients it would be best for RSG to become part of a larger organization. His priority was to find a great home for his many clients and his team.... 


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CES Self-Help Demand Response Summer Recap for NE Clients

By Andrew Price, President & COO


Thursday September 22 marked the official end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. With the arrival of cooler weather, we can look back and review the CES Self-Help Demand Response program that applies to many of our clients with facilities in New England.


First a bit of background. As New England consumers are aware, the Independent System Operator New England (ISO-NE) assigns every retail electricity account in New England a capacity tag based on its load during the hour of annual peak the prior year. This value (measured in MW) divided by the total electric load in New England during that hour represents that account's share of the roughly $2 billion in capacity payments ISO-NE makes each year to the region's electricity generators. CES clients that predict the hour when the annual system peak occurs, and are able to reduce load that hour, will have a smaller capacity tag and therefore be responsible for a smaller share of the total amount paid to generators. This is taken into consideration by electricity suppliers with a lower capacity tag resulting in lower electricity costs the next year....


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Cybersecurity How to Protect Your Business (and Home)

By Scott Sloan, Managing Director of IT


In my role as Managing Director of IT at Competitive Energy Services, I maintain the day-to-day IT operations for the company, oversee systems development, including implementing new technologies that align with CES’ current and future strategic goals. In so doing, cybersecurity is always top of mind for me and my team.


Cybersecurity: A Perspective

To me, cybersecurity is a contextual topic. What it means to one person, group, or business will be different when compared to others. Cybersecurity is also a function of risk management and often involves weighing two factors against each other simultaneously. For instance, how likely will there be a breach of a particular event or circumstance? That analysis is what drives the preparations and lengths that will need be taken to secure an asset. To help evaluate asset security, start by asking the following questions....


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CES 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report

Competitive Energy Services’ FY21 Greenhouse Gas Inventory presents an accounting of emissions related to our company operations. Specifically, this inventory quantifies emissions related to CES’ electricity use, employee commuting, and business travel. Using FY18 as a baseline, the FY21 CES GHG Inventory illustrates how our emissions have fallen due to changes in company operations that were driven by COVID-19.


CES reports a total of 23.2 metric tons of CO2e during FY21, which represents a 78% reduction from the baseline year. This reduction in emissions extends from the limited number of in-person client meetings and conferences in FY21. During this year, many client meetings transitioned to online, and less miles were driven, or flown, to and from meetings and business-related events. Thus, CES saw a 95% reduction in emissions related to business travel in FY21 compared to the baseline. Additionally, employees were given the opportunity to work from home during this year, which contributed to a 61% reduction in emissions related to office space electricity use and employee commuting between FY18 and FY21....


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CES Team News Promotions

Competitive Energy Services is pleased to announce two recent promotions on its Analytics Team. Charlotte Del Col and Hannah Parks have been promoted to Senior Energy Analysts. We are very excited to recognize their growth with the company and the energy and analytical expertise they have gained.

Charlotte joined the company in June 2021 and since then has been a valuable and versatile member of the Analytics Team, working across a variety of markets and technologies and doing one-off research on new regulations and opportunities. Charlotte is always among the first to volunteer to jump in on a project and her teammates appreciate her clear and organized approach to assignments. Since spring of this year, Charlotte has overseen the production of our weekly Market Summary and has recently earned the Tableau Desktop Specialist designation after completing the exam in September. Charlotte has also become a valuable member of the CES Connections team, contributing ideas and supporting implementation of new programs to continue to foster our CES culture and community.  

Hannah also joined CES in June 2021 and in that time has enthusiastically taken on a wide-range of clients and projects, from semi-conductor manufacturers to many of our MA-based higher education institutions. Beyond juggling a variety of full-service client assignments, Hannah has provided critical support on a number of high-profile clients such as Cadence, Broadcom, and the NEB Consortiums. During the summer of 2022, Hannah’s responsibilities expanded to include new and challenging assignments with Deerfield Academy and UMass Amherst. Going forward, we are excited to have Hannah’s interests and passion continue to contribute to CES’ growing number of corporate sustainability projects, including being the primary analyst on a new sustainability scope of work with Coke Northeast.  

CES & UMass Amherst To Co-Present at SNEAPPA'S Fall Conference

On Thursday, November 3, 2022, Competitive Energy Services’ Zack Hallock, Senior Energy Services Advisor and Daniel Abrahamson, CEM, Energy Manager at the University of Massachusetts Lowell will co-present a session at the Southern New England Chapter of APPA (SNEAPPA) fall conference, to be held ad the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI.

 

Most facilities face the challenge of making long-term investments in energy infrastructure that are cost effective, reliable, and reduce CO2 emissions. In their session titled “University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Path to Decarbonization: UMass Lowell’s Comprehensive Approach to Reducing Energy and CO2 Emissions on its Path Toward Decarbonization” Zack and Dan will share lessons learned on how the University has already met the state’s 2030 goals for decarbonization and detail the Accelerated Energy Program, Alternative Energy Masterplan, and energy purchase strategies that contribute to this success as they continue their path towards net-zero by 2050.

 

To learn more and to register for the conference, visit the SNEAPPA site at https://www.sneappa.org/

Pictured Left to Right: Zack Hallock, Senior Energy Services Advisor, CES and Dan Abrahamson, Energy Manager, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Speaking Engagement Larry Pignataro to Speak at IPIA

Larry Pignataro, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Senior Energy Services Advisor at Competitive Energy Services will be a featured round table panelist at the 105th Annual International Packaged Ice Association (IPIA) Convention & Trade Show, to be held November 8 – 11 at the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa. The IPIA Annual Convention & Trade Show is the industry’s premier gathering for ice producers worldwide.


The conference’s roundtable discussions provide an exchange of ideas on important topics impacting the packaged ice industry and include current trends affecting the industry. Competitive Energy Services will join the energy savings conversation to share thoughts on renewable energy procurement, sustainability, and demand side management.


Visit the IPIA website for conference information: https://www.packagedice.com/2022-convention.html

Thank You Hats Off to NEHES

Competitive Energy Services would like to thank our friends at the New England Healthcare Engineers’ Society (NEHES) for inviting CES’ Eben Perkins, Vice President, Consulting and Charlie Agnew, Managing Director of Energy Services to present at this year’s NEHES fall conference, held earlier this week at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, ME. In their session titled, “Renewable Energy Purchasing Strategies: How to Balance the Financial Impacts of Your Sustainability Targets,” Eben and Charlie addressed how to evaluate the economics and greenhouse gas emissions impacts of renewable energy purchasing. Our thanks, too, to everyone who attended our session! We look forward to this event every year. If you were not able to attend and would like to discuss renewable energy purchasing strategies, sustainability goals and targets, or have other energy needs or questions, please reach out to Eben or Charlie – or to a CES Energy Services Advisor today.

Staff Pick Catherine Nisbet

Blue Mind

By Wallace J. Nichols

 

In Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols revolutionizes how we think about the remarkable effects of water on our health and well-being, why we are drawn to the ocean, and why being near water sets our mind and bodies at ease. Through cutting-edge neuroscience and compelling story telling from athletes, scientists, military veterans, and others, he illustrates the crucial importance of our connection to water – and how it’s a paradigm-shifting blueprint for a better life on earth.

Have an Energy Question?

If you have a pressing energy question, or would like to hear about a particular topic in a future edition of the CES Insider, please contact us on our website today. We look forward to hearing from you!
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