Natural Gas Prices
These charts show how the natural gas futures contracts have traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). Natural gas and other commodity futures prices can be found at www.nymex.com, www.cme.com, www.futuresource.com and www.ino.com.


This short-term strip (March-May) is trading at $4.14/MMBtu. That represents a 6-year low!  Further downside movement is possible but obviously limited at these low prices.


The one-year strip for wholesale gas is trading at $4.90/MMBtu. Six months ago, buyers and sellers would have laughed if anyone suggested gas would be trading below $5. Now savvy buyers are seeing this as an excellent opportunity to lock in longer-term agreements for some or all of their natural gas needs.


The 3-year strip is trading at $6.05/MMBtu. This is $1.15 premium over the 1-year rate, and is a sign that traders expect prices to rise in the future. Despite the premium, this 3-year strip is trading at an all-time low. Once again, this presents an excellent opportunity to lock in rates for an extended period of time.


Electric Customer Switching Statistics
The charts below demonstrate what percentage of electrical load (in MegaWatts) has been switched away from the regulated local utilities to the competing marketers. For more information, visit the website listed for each state.


New York is an active market for electric shoppers with over 25 suppliers competing for business. Electric rates are lower than they have been for years and many customers are seeing this is a long-term buying opportunity. Customer Switching Data Source: World Energy Solutions www.worldenergy.com


Massachusetts is a vibrant market for electric choice with approximately 15 active suppliers competing for business across the state. Risk Management, budget stability, and long term savings should be a customer’s objective in this market. Customer Switching Data Source: World Energy Solutions www.worldenergy.com