Pinnacle Energy Solutions

IMPORTANT FACTORS to Consider When Choosing A Consultant or Broker. THIS IS WORTH THE TIME TO READ

The reality outlined below leaves most small and mid-sized businesses in crappy products and at pricing well above the levels they should be and locked-in for terms that do not make sense given market conditions and the reality of Energy Volatility. To properly serve these customers, the consultant or supplier needs to actively manage and regularly communicate with the customer.

The unfortunate truth is in recent years, the Energy Industry has become quite corrupt through practices that are self-serving, uninformed and do not really reflect the needs of the client.

The Energy Industry is full of “Energy Consultants” or “Energy Brokers” who entered the space during the Economic Downturns of the last 15-16 years from the Mortgage, Real Estate and Insurance Industries as an easy way to build a business with residual income from Long-Term, Energy Contract Agreements. Most of these folks do not understand the Markets or Industry they are engaged in, resulting in bad deals and bad advice.

These so-called “Consultants” or “Brokers” are really just “paper pushers” and not really consultants at all. They do not have a solid and thorough understanding of the Energy Markets both Regionally and Nationally. What was true many years ago, does not apply today – however, many just continue peddling the same old market strategies because that is what they know.

The customer thinks they are getting a good deal because the deal comes in Better Than They’d pay to stay with the Utility – But is the Deal What Is Best For The Customer? Many Times The Answer Is A Resounding “No”.

Many Consultants or Brokers become “beholden” to certain suppliers that “wine and dine” them, provide SPIFFS, Gifts, Dinners, tickets to events, etc. In effect, they become Agents for Certain Suppliers and act in their own self-serving interests and not the interests of the Client or Customer. You might get the “Best Deal” from the Pool of Suppliers they Utilize but that is not necessarily the Best Option for the Customer. This is Manipulation and Self-Serving.

The general attitude amongst most consultants and suppliers is that the small to mid-sized business accounts are not worth the effort to “manage” the account. Not enough big income to work it on the customer’s behalf. In other words, they have an attitude that the “juice is not worth the squeeze” for these accounts.

Suppliers have singular and limited product offerings and primarily seek “big deals” and large accounts. But where does that leave the Small Business Owner who is working hard to manage expenses and just trying to make a go of it?

Neither of the above, Consultants or Suppliers, work to actively manage small to moderate sized accounts. They approach these deals with a “self-serving” position of “set-it and forget-it” – “lock ‘em up as long as possible”. This is not a “strategy” that serves the customers interests in most cases. Rather, it provides guaranteed income for them without needing to do much work or really understand the Industry or the customer’s business and their needs.

When Certain Market Conditions Are Present and Pricing Can Easily Beat That of The Utility, Consultants, Brokers and Suppliers Really “Pad” Their Margins to Take Advantage of The Situation and Do NOT Pass These Savings Onto The Customer.

Many mid-sized customers are placed into ill-advised or self-serving contractural agreements. It is generally understood that most customers will look at 2-3 Energy Bills after signing an Agreement. Some agreements allow for a portion to be indexed to market conditions providing an opportunity for the Supplier or Consultant to Add-in additional Margin. They will typically do this once the agreement is in place for several months and the customer is no longer paying close attention to their billing. This erodes savings and provides more income to the Supplier or Consultant or both.

Consultants build large “books of business” with these customers, grabbing ridiculously large margins, and placing customers into ill-advised, long-term contracts and not paying attention to proper “market timing” but rather just when a former or prior contract is coming close to an end. Again, this is due to laziness and lack of desire to actively manage.

With larger customers, most Consultants and Suppliers still do not provide the active management and understanding of their clients business as they should. They do not take the time to really build the necessary relationships to know their clients, stay in regular communication or have the proper understanding of the markets they are serving to provide the proper advice and active management the client deserves and believes they are receiving.

I have worked with Ed as my consultant to quote & provide natural gas service for my 50 locations in 7states for at least 10 years.

Ed has educated me on nuances ofthe gas supply industry that Inever would have known. He is professional, looks out for our best interests and is always competitive.

There are plenty of brokers but they are not consultative like Ed who has continued to prove that he looks out for my company’s best interests.

Edward is a seasoned professional in the energy market. Taking advantage of his knowledge has been beneficial to my business. He has good knowledge of the energy markets. That has allowed me to contract long, or short term based on the trends he sees. When entering into an energy contract market knowledge is essential and he has that!

I have worked with Edward for over 13 years. We started with our natural gas contracts. We then moved to electric. I do all my energy contracts with Edward and Pinnacle. With so much inflation of other items, it is good to have a locked contract for budgeting purposes.

He is always a professional and honors his commitments to my time and the contracts we sign.

Edward and Pinnacle Energy Solutions have been invaluable partners in navigating the complexities of energy management. Edward’s expertise and access to industry-specific data have played a crucial role in our decision-making process when exploring third-party energy contracts. What truly sets Edward apart is his commitment to delivering an unbiased representation of true market conditions and third-party supplier pricing for electricity and natural gas contracts. Having worked with Edward for over 12 years, I can attest to his unwavering dedication to providing exceptional service. If you’re seeking a trusted advisor for your energy management needs, look no further than Edward and Pinnacle Energy Solutions.