Who is eligible for a utility refund audit?

Utility Refunds Available In EVERY State!

All commercial businesses that have been in business for more than 1-year are eligible for a utility bill refund audit. Firms of all sizes ranging from small businesses such as restaurants to large manufacturing plants, franchises, hospitals, and stadiums. 

What happens if a discrepancy is on my utility bill?

Most States have a 36-month statute of limitations on reporting and refunding erroneous charges on your utility bills!  After that, your money is lost forever! Don’t leave money on the table, let us help you claim what is rightfully yours.

If errors are found not in my favor, will they be reported?

No.  We will not report any errors found that have the potential to increase your utility expenses.  We will notify the client of these errors, however, we strictly audit to benefit the client.

What is our involvement?

You will provide a copy of your invoices and a letter of agency which authorizes us to correspond with your service providers and to access your customer service records. We will use these documents to verify the accuracy of the invoices. Our audit work is done off site, in our offices and does not involve your people. We will ask for a point of contact within your organization which is qualified to answer any questions which may arise during the audit process.

Are we obligated to make recommended changes or corrections? 

There is no risk or obligation on your behalf. The utility companies put the responsibility on you to assure your billing is accurate. Our team works to uncover any billing error or discrepancy in your favor and will present the results in a clear, easy to read report. Then the decision is up to you on how you want to proceed. 

If I switch suppliers, who do I call during a power outage?

Although the choice program gives customers the freedom to choose their electric or natural gas supplier, your local distribution company does not change. In the event of a power outage or gas related issue call your local distribution company.

What happens if I want to end my contract early?

It’s important to know what your supplier’s early termination policy is before signing up. If you do choose to end your contract early, there may be a termination fee. Make sure you read and understand your contract before signing up with an energy supplier.

Do I have to choose a new supplier?

Energy choice is an opportunity — not a mandate. If you do not choose a new supplier, you will still receive the same reliable electric and natural gas service.

Is there a certain date I have to choose a supplier by?

There is no deadline to choose a supplier, and if customers don’t make a choice they will still receive the same reliable service through their local distribution company. While there is no deadline to switch, information is regularly updated by companies with new offers, so the offers available today may not be offered in the future.

If I sign up with a new supplier, will I be treated differently by my local distribution company?

Absolutely not. If your power goes out or you need assistance from your local distribution company, you will still receive the same reliable service. In addition, even though you are selecting a new supplier for your energy, you are still making the same investment in your community’s transmission and distribution infrastructure.

If we decide to proceed, what are the next steps? 

Our team will draw up all necessary implementation documents for your review and signature. We will then file with the utility, service provider or state and continue to advocate on your behalf that the corrections are put in place and refunds are issued.

Is every utility consumer eligible for choice?

No. Members of co-ops, customers participating in energy assistance programs such as Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) or customers of municipal power systems are not eligible for the choice program.

How to consciously choose your electricity and gas suppliers?

Start by understanding your current usage patterns and reviewing 12-24 months of historical consumption data. Compare suppliers based on price per kWh/therm, contract terms, cancellation fees, and renewable energy options. Check supplier ratings with your state’s Public Utilities Commission and Better Business Bureau. Consider whether you want fixed or variable rates based on your risk tolerance, and evaluate any value-added services like billing management or energy efficiency programs.

How do business electricity rates differ from residential rates?

Commercial rates typically feature demand charges based on peak usage (kW) in addition to consumption charges (kWh), while residential rates are primarily consumption-based. Businesses often have access to time-of-use rates with different pricing for peak and off-peak hours, can negotiate custom pricing for large loads, and may qualify for interruptible service discounts. Commercial customers also face different rate classes based on voltage level and usage patterns.

Why are electric rates going up almost every year?

Rates increase due to aging infrastructure requiring billions in upgrades, rising costs for grid modernization and smart grid technology, fuel price volatility affecting generation costs, and increasing renewable energy integration costs. Additionally, capacity market prices in regions like PJM have seen significant increases, environmental compliance costs continue to rise, and extreme weather events require grid hardening investments. The upcoming LNG export expansion is also expected to put upward pressure on natural gas and electricity prices.

What are the emerging trends in procurement for 2025?

Key trends include increased focus on 36-48 month contracts to hedge against expected 2028-2030 volatility, growing demand for renewable energy certificates and carbon-neutral options, and AI-driven load forecasting and procurement optimization. We’re seeing more participation in demand response and virtual power plant programs, and increased scrutiny of capacity costs and transmission charges.

What should I know before choosing an energy supplier?

Understand the difference between your utility (delivery) and supplier (generation) charges, know your state’s rules regarding supplier switching and any associated fees, and verify the supplier is licensed in your state. Read all contract terms carefully, especially auto-renewal clauses, understand the pricing structure and what’s included, and be wary of teaser rates that increase after initial periods. Check for hidden fees and ensure you understand your cancellation rights.

How can businesses use renewable energy?

Businesses can purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to offset their usage, enter into Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with renewable generators, or install on-site generation like solar panels or wind turbines. They can also participate in community solar programs, choose suppliers offering renewable energy products, or invest in Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) for larger operations. Many businesses combine multiple strategies to meet sustainability goals.

What is a Variable vs. Fixed-Rate Energy Plan?

Fixed-rate plans lock in a price per kWh/therm for the entire contract term, providing budget certainty and protection from market spikes, though you won’t benefit from market drops. Variable rates fluctuate with market conditions monthly or quarterly, potentially offering savings in declining markets but exposing you to price volatility. Fixed rates are generally better for risk-averse businesses or those with tight budgets, while variable rates suit those who can tolerate fluctuation and actively manage energy costs.

Why is energy procurement important to your business?

Energy typically represents 20-40% of operating costs for industrial businesses, making strategic procurement essential for competitiveness. Proper procurement can reduce costs by 10-30% through market timing and contract optimization, provide budget stability through appropriate hedging strategies. It can provide competitive advantages through lower operating costs.

How does energy procurement drive operations?

Energy procurement directly impacts operational budgets and cash flow management, influences production scheduling around time-of-use rates, and affects facility location and expansion decisions based on energy costs. It drives investments in energy efficiency and demand management, supports sustainability reporting and ESG commitments, and can enable or constrain growth based on available capacity and costs.

What is the triple bottom line of sustainability?

The triple bottom line measures organizational success through three dimensions: People (social responsibility, employee welfare, community impact), Planet (environmental stewardship, carbon footprint, resource conservation), and Profit (financial performance, economic value creation, long-term viability). This framework encourages businesses to balance social and environmental responsibilities with financial objectives.

What are the pillars of sustainable procurement?

Sustainable procurement rests on environmental responsibility (reducing emissions, sourcing renewable energy, minimizing waste), social responsibility (ethical sourcing, supporting local suppliers, ensuring fair labor practices), and economic viability (total cost of ownership analysis, long-term value creation, risk mitigation). It also emphasizes transparency and governance through clear policies and regular reporting.

What are the benefits of online procurement?

Online procurement provides 24/7 access to supplier portals and real-time pricing, automated bid collection and comparison tools, and faster contract execution through digital signatures. It offers improved audit trails and compliance tracking, reduced administrative costs and paperwork, better data analytics and spend visibility, and easier collaboration across multiple locations and stakeholders.

What are the disadvantages of procurement?

Procurement can involve complex contract negotiations requiring specialized expertise, long bid processes that may delay operations, and the risk of focusing too heavily on price over quality or reliability. There’s potential for supplier relationship strain through aggressive negotiation, market timing risk in volatile conditions, and resource-intensive vendor management requirements. Switching costs and contract lock-in periods can also reduce flexibility.

What is procurement risk?

Procurement risk includes supplier default or non-performance, price volatility and budget overruns, regulatory changes affecting contracts or market structure, and quality or reliability issues with supplied energy.

How can procurement be used to improve risk management?

Strategic procurement improves risk management through diversification across multiple suppliers and contract types, use of hedging strategies to manage price volatility, and thorough supplier vetting and credit checks. Scenario planning and stress testing of procurement strategies helps prepare for various market conditions.

Does my company have to switch from our current bank or credit card processor?

No, BSE respects and values the relationship you have with your current bank or credit card processor. We will deliver savings while maintaining this existing relationship.

Why do utility merchants work with BSE?

In many industries, the majority of payments are made with a Visa or MasterCard. As such, the card brands give a discount to specialized industries. BSE can determine if your company is receiving the incentives you are entitled to.

What is an Emission-Free Energy Certificate?

An Emission-Free Energy Certificate (EFEC) represents a specific amount of emission-free power produced by a generator. Regardless of your energy contract, your business can be carbon free through EFECs.

How does Brilliant Source Energy provide EFECs?

Through our license with the PUCO, we are able to sell carbon free power (EFECs) separately from your actual energy supply to offset your usage and achieve your carbon reduction targets. Typically, 1 EFEC will offset 1 MWh of power and 1 EFEC will offset 3 MCF of natural gas use.

Can EFECs offset natural gas usage?

Yes, EFECs can be purchased to equal the energy quantity of natural gas consumed.

Is a power supply contract required to get carbon free power?

Partnering with Brilliant Source Energy is easy! Even if you have an existing supply agreement, we can provide you with EFECs to offset your hourly usage on top of an existing agreement.

24/7 Carbon Free Power

Yes, we support 4 nuclear units producing power 24 hours a day 7 days a week. When a plant is offline for refueling, the other 3 plants are running. This redundant generation footprint ensures that Carbon Free power is on the grid 24/7.

Does my business have to be in service areas to purchase EFECs?

EFECs can offset both power and gas anywhere in the continental US, regardless of whether or not the market is deregulated.

Do EFECs promote emission-free generation?

Nuclear generation is one of the primary sources of clean energy in the US, and EFECs help to provide revenue to keep nuclear plants operating by compensating them for the carbon free power they create.

How do EFEC’s compare to REC’s?

Feature	EFECs	RECs
Carbon Emissions	Zero Carbon Emissions	Zero Carbon Emissions
Tracking	Auditable through GATS	Auditable through GATS
Energy Sources	Emission-Free with no carbon released into the atmosphere	Renewable sources like wind and solar
Price Points	More Affordable	Pricier due to the high cost of greentechnology solutions
Reliability	Delivers constant clean energy onto the power grid	Cannot meet ESG goals 24/7, due to reliance on the sun and wind

What is the meaning of an energy certificate?

An Emission Free Energy Certificate (EFEC) represents one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from carbon-free sources, with nuclear power being the largest producer of these certificates in the United States. Unlike RECs which only track renewable sources, EFECs encompass all zero-emission generation including nuclear, large hydro, and renewables. Each certificate verifies that electricity was produced without direct carbon emissions, making nuclear plants – which generate about 50% of America’s carbon-free electricity – critical suppliers of these certificates.

EFECs from nuclear facilities provide 24/7 baseload clean energy attributes, distinguishing them from intermittent renewable sources. These certificates are particularly valuable for organizations requiring round-the-clock carbon-free energy matching, data centers with continuous operations, and industrial facilities needing reliable clean power verification. Nuclear EFECs represent avoided emissions of approximately 470 million metric tons of CO2 annually in the U.S. alone.

What are Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) in solar?

While Solar RECs represent renewable generation, nuclear facilities generate Emission Free Energy Certificates (EFECs) that serve a similar but distinct purpose. Nuclear EFECs provide carbon-free attributes from baseload generation, operating at 92% capacity factor compared to solar’s 25% capacity factor. This means one nuclear plant can produce EFECs continuously, providing the equivalent clean energy attributes of multiple solar installations.

The key distinction lies in reliability and scale: nuclear EFECs represent always-on, carbon-free generation that doesn’t require battery storage or backup systems. For organizations pursuing 24/7 carbon-free energy goals, nuclear EFECs can provide the baseload foundation while solar RECs cover daytime peaks. Nuclear facilities generate approximately 800 million MWh of carbon-free electricity annually in the U.S., creating a massive supply of EFECs that can help organizations achieve net-zero goals more cost-effectively than relying solely on renewable certificates.

How do I get an energy performance certificate?

To procure nuclear Emission Free Energy Certificates, work with licensed energy suppliers or brokers who have access to PJM-GATS (Generation Attribute Tracking System) or other regional tracking systems where nuclear EFECs are registered. Start by determining your annual electricity consumption in MWh to calculate how many certificates you need. Nuclear EFECs are typically available through bilateral contracts with nuclear generators, energy suppliers offering carbon-free products, or environmental commodity brokers specializing in clean energy certificates.

The procurement process involves establishing an account with the appropriate tracking system, executing purchase agreements specifying vintage dates and delivery schedules, and arranging for certificate retirement to substantiate your carbon-free claims. Nuclear EFECs often cost less than solar or wind RECs while providing superior baseload clean energy attributes. Many suppliers offer long-term contracts (3-10 years) that can lock in stable pricing and support nuclear plant economics, ensuring continued operation of these vital carbon-free resources.

How do renewable energy credits work?

While renewable energy credits track renewable generation, Emission Free Energy Certificates from nuclear plants work similarly but represent the carbon-free attributes of nuclear generation. Nuclear facilities generate EFECs continuously as they produce electricity – approximately one certificate per MWh of generation. These certificates are tracked through systems like PJM-GATS, which assigns unique serial numbers and tracks the chain of custody from creation through retirement.

Nuclear EFECs are particularly valuable because they represent firm, dispatchable clean energy available 24/7/365. When you purchase nuclear EFECs, you’re claiming the carbon-free attributes of nuclear generation, supporting continued operation of existing plants that might otherwise face economic pressure. The certificates can be bundled with power purchases or bought separately as unbundled certificates. Organizations use nuclear EFECs to meet carbon reduction goals, with some specifically seeking nuclear certificates for their reliability attributes and to support preservation of the existing nuclear fleet, which faces economic challenges despite providing over half of America’s clean electricity.

What are renewable energy certificates?

Emission Free Energy Certificates from nuclear power represent the environmental attributes of carbon-free nuclear generation, similar to how RECs represent renewable energy. Nuclear EFECs certify that one MWh of electricity was generated without producing carbon emissions, greenhouse gases, or air pollutants. These certificates are crucial for maintaining existing clean energy infrastructure, as nuclear plants provide more carbon-free electricity than all renewables combined in many regions.

Nuclear EFECs contain detailed information including the generating unit, location, vintage (generation date), emissions data (zero for CO2, SO2, NOx during operation), and unique tracking numbers. They’re particularly valuable for organizations requiring high-capacity factor clean energy to match round-the-clock operations. Major technology companies increasingly recognize nuclear EFECs as essential for achieving 24/7 carbon-free energy goals, as they provide the reliable baseload that complements variable renewable generation. The certificates support the economic viability of nuclear plants that might otherwise close prematurely, which would result in increased fossil fuel generation and millions of tons of additional CO2 emissions.

What are the types of carbon credit?

Examples include Nuclear EFECs, Zero Emission Credits, Carbon Free Energy Certificates, Clean Energy Credits, and reliability based attributes that recognize nuclear plant stability and resilience.

Nuclear Emission Free Energy Certificates (EFECs) represent carbon-free generation from existing nuclear facilities, providing baseload clean energy attributes with the highest capacity factors in the industry. These certificates are crucial for preventing premature nuclear closures that would increase emissions.

Zero Emission Credits (ZECs) are state-specific programs (Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio) that specifically compensate nuclear plants for their carbon-free attributes. ZECs recognize nuclear’s role in maintaining grid reliability while achieving state climate goals. These typically provide $10-30/MWh additional revenue to struggling nuclear plants.

Carbon-Free Energy Certificates (CFEs) encompass all non-emitting sources including nuclear, large hydro, and renewables. Google and other tech giants increasingly prefer CFEs that can demonstrate hourly matching with consumption, where nuclear’s consistent output provides critical baseload coverage.

Clean Energy Credits (CECs) in some markets specifically recognize nuclear alongside renewables, acknowledging that achieving deep decarbonization requires all clean sources. These may carry premium value for their firmness and reliability attributes.

Capacity and Resilience Attributes are emerging certificate types that recognize nuclear’s unique contributions to grid stability, fuel security (18-24 month refueling cycles), and extreme weather resilience. These certificates acknowledge that nuclear provides clean energy plus essential reliability services that pure carbon credits don’t capture.

Each certificate type serves different compliance and voluntary markets, with nuclear certificates increasingly recognized as essential for achieving net-zero goals while maintaining grid reliability.