Fatal flaws in procuring expertise through RFPs

February 2015

Many organizations faced with the need to source energy expertise resort to the old procurement warhorse, the Request for Proposals. But in three key ways, the RFP is a flawed tool for procuring expert advice to solve a complex problem. Read more >>

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Getting your gas cost budget right

February 2015

Set your gas cost budget too low and your organization has unforeseen costs to meet. Budget too high and perhaps there is an opportunity cost. It is important to get it right. Read more >>

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Production hitting its stride means larger injections to storage

December 2014

The October 31 natural gas storage inventory is quite impressive considering that it represents a record level of injections over the summer, which helped replenish inventories that were 50% below normal at the end of last winter. Closer analysis shows there was a lot more than mild weather behind the recovery of inventories. Read more >>

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Will merging the OPA and IESO reduce electricity bills?

December 2014

The goal of the January 1, 2015 merger of the OPA and IESO is to achieve cost reductions in administering the electricity system. But the merger carries risks and will do little to reduce electricity costs for consumers. Read more >>

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Assessing Risk in the CHPSOP 2.0 Program

November 2014

Careful planning and risk identification and management are necessary in order to fully realize the opportunity offered by the OPA's Combined Heat and Power Standard Offer Program. Identifying risks during the proposal stage and distributing them over the contractual framework will help ensure the project is profitable by design. Read more >>

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Under the Influence of Last Winter's Memories?

October 2014

As we head into another winter, bad memories of last winter may lead buyers to lock up the price on a large proportion of their winter gas supply. But is this the prudent thing to do? Read more >>

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Basis Trends

September 2014

Over the past year, we have seen increased bases in several key markets, in particular those with a downstream location east of Parkway. What has caused this rapid increase in basis prices, and will the trend continue? Read more >>

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On Importing More Electricity from Québec ...

September 2014

Some believe that Ontario could tap into cheap imports from Québec to offset our substantially more expensive electricity. In reality, this is a complex technical and economic decision that would not reduce power rates in Ontario for many years to come. Read more >>

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Hedging: A Tool for Risk Reduction, Not Cost Reduction

July 2014

To hedge effectively, energy buyers need to understand what hedging is for, and what it is not for. Hedging is a tool for controlling risk to keep energy prices and price changes within acceptable limits. Read more >>

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Behind-the-Meter Generation as CDM

July 2014

Some of the Ontario government's initiatives related to its new Conservation First Framework have implications for Conservation and Demand Management, including behind-the-meter generation which can be well suited to industrial sites. Read more >>

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