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If You Like Your Energy Supplier……

You Can Keep Your Energy Supplier

Well let’s hope so.  But in any case you’ll need to act in order to do so.  If you don’t go through the effort to opt out of the aggregator, your supplier will be chosen for you.

I’m going to try to be fair and reserve judgment for now on Maser engineering’s proposal to have Belmar enter into an energy aggregation contract with a private company called Jersey Energy Group.  JEG would bid out an energy supply contract on behalf of all of Belmar’s residential JCP&L customers and try to get us the best rate.

My libertarian streak tells me to reject any governmental intervention in how I choose my power company and after the pavilion fiasco last year I’m highly suspicious of anything that Maser is trying to sell us.  But many towns in New Jersey (over 100 I think) have entered in to aggregation contracts in the past year or two and I can’t find a lot of complaints, at least so far.  Illinois, however, has been doing it longer and there is a fair amount of opposition to it developing out there.

I suggest watching the presentation Ronald Nowak of Maser made to the Council Tuesday night.  It begins at the 39:30 mark of the meeting video.

Also see:

Jersey Energy Group website:

Screen Shot 2015-02-19 at 7.04.41 AM

New Jersey Government Energy Aggregation website:

Screen Shot 2015-02-19 at 6.56.35 AM

and Citizens Against Municipal Aggregation:

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I’m interested to hear what you guys think about all this.  Please comment!

9 Comments

  1. Anonymous wrote:

    And why is Maser doing us this favor ? Gotta be something in it for them,or Matt,or Maggie.
    Thanks but no thanks.

    Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 8:58 am | Permalink
  2. admin wrote:

    Maser is not doing us a favor. They get a commission from whichever energy supplier is chosen. Of course ultimately that charge will be paid by the consumer.

    Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 9:03 am | Permalink
  3. Bill Straus wrote:

    I am already experienced with 3rd party energy with North American Power.
    Like anything it has its pros and cons. You do have choices though, and what scares me about this is the smart meters. With all the stuff government pushes on us the smart meters can’t be far away with this. Don’t be fooled that you don’t hear a lot of opposition now. It’s when there is a crisis and they want us to act a certain way then you find out you have lost choice. Imagine it like this, they put the town all in a group like this. Then a few years down the road an energy crisis hits and the town decides to promote smart meters optional of course. Then another crisis hits and now you have to get the meters. Then another crisis hits and now if you are not in the group you lose power but now it costs so much more etc etc. This takes political power away from the people and puts it in government. Do your own research don’t be a sheep.

    Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 9:06 am | Permalink
  4. Southie wrote:

    Maser will receive a “fee” from the third party energy supplier for acting as our “broker.” Or we can just not hang up on the numerous hawkers calling at night to change energy suppliers and choose one ourselves.

    Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 9:12 am | Permalink
  5. Bill McKim wrote:

    I think its a great idea,the buying power is pretty easy to understand. The only person that would be upset by this is a Veridian rep. I think its good forward thinking.

    Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 10:43 am | Permalink
  6. Guest wrote:

    Yes Bill, and you also misunderstood the Mayor at the meeting on Tuesday about parking meters. He never said he wasn’t putting them up on the west side of Ocean Ave. He said the ordinance wouldn’t change…because the ordinance already allows him to!

    Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 11:41 am | Permalink
  7. Judy wrote:

    At the meeting when the guy said he was from Maser. I made up my mind before he spoke. There no way. Why does everything have to do with Maser?
    Maser isn’t doing us a favor everything comes down to money. They are just not doing this to be nice.

    Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 1:36 pm | Permalink
  8. Bill McKim wrote:

    Guest- also, I spoke to the mayor Wednesday, Matt said He is not metering the homeowners side of Ocean Ave.He said it was never his intention to meter the west side of Ocean Ave.Yes the ordinance allows but they are not doing it.

    Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 2:02 pm | Permalink
  9. South Side wrote:

    I knew when I saw the words ‘Bright Idea for Belmar’ on the screen.

    Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 10:43 am | Permalink

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