System and Method for Guaranteed Energy Savings for the Customer

摘要

A method and system for providing a customer with guaranteed savings on its long-run energy charges as between a Utility and a Competitive Retailer. Preferably the method and system, including one or more computers with microprocessors for executing computer coded instructions, obtains and stores customer attributes, current energy provider, billing cycle and switching time constraints and restrictions and receives forecasted costs and prices of the Utility and the Competitive Retailer for the customer's next billing cycle. The system processes, via the computer, the customer data and the energy data for the Utility and Competitive Retailer to determine the energy provider projected to have the lower price for the next billing cycle of the customer. Preferably, the system requests a switch to the energy provider projected to have the lower price in that customer's next billing cycle, unless the customer is currently receiving service from the projected energy provider. In a preferred embodiment, the system obtains the actual prices of the Utility and the Competitive Retailer for the customer's billing cycle and charges the customer at the lower actual price.

主权项

1. A method for providing a customer with guaranteed savings of energy charges as between a utility and a competitive retailer, the method comprising the steps of:
providing at least one computer having a microprocessor for executing computer coded instructions; obtaining and storing customer attributes. current energy provider. billing cycle and switching time constraints and restrictions; receiving forecasted costs and prices of the utility and the competitive retailer for the customer's next billing cycle; processing, via the computer, the forecasted prices and next billing cycle for customer to determine which energy provider is projected to have the lower price for the customer in the customer's next billing cycle; requesting a switch to the energy provider with the projected lower price in that customer's next billing cycle, unless the customer is currently receiving service from that energy provider; obtaining the actual prices of the utility and the competitive retailer for the customer's billing cycle; and charging the customer at the lower actual price.