About Bolla Energy
Establishing Service
Continuity of Service
Green Energy
Glossary
•Who is Bolla Energy?
Bolla Energy is a consulting firm servicing commercial accounts. Bolla Energy leverages the size of our network to get you the lowest cost on energy. Unlike any supply company or public utility, we send your account information out for bid to all applicable supply companies, initiating a true reverse auction (we let companies keep bidding the price down until only one company remains). Once a supply company has been selected, Bolla Energy provides Energy management services (free of charge). We will generate energy expenditures reports and show you exactly how much you are saving. Additionally, we constantly monitor the market for an opportunity to improve your deal.
•Why should I buy through Bolla Energy?
We have more knowledge than most about how deregulated energy markets work, and we honor the customers who choose to do business with us. Between knowledge and our unique reverse auction system we can provide the best possible price and superior customer service.
•How much can Bolla Energy reduce my bill by?
Pricing depends on a plethora of factors. Typically, a minimum savings is at least 8% on electricity. If your company spend $150,000 on electricity a year, that translates to $12,000 a year. Prices are the lowest they have been in 7 years, the market is bound to go up, and when it does, your savings sky rocket. If prices go anywhere near recent highs, it is reasonable to expect a 25%+ savings. Using our previous example that translates to a $37,500 savings, and that’s not taking your gas savings into account. Because our Reverse Auction system you can rest assured that the discounts Bolla Energy negotiates for you are the best available in the industry. In today’s economy, where else can you reduce an expense by 25% with ABSOLUTELY ZERO CHANGE to your service, billing, or business structure. It’s a no-brainer.
•How does Bolla Energy reduce my bills?
Deregulation allows suppliers, like Bolla’s affiliates, to buy energy from competitive Providers and pass the savings along to customers. We step in to create a competitive atmosphere amongst our affiliates, netting you the lowest price.
•How do I put Bolla energy to work for me?
It’s easy to get started! Simply contact us.
• Will my service be interrupted when I switch service suppliers?
If you are switching service suppliers at a location is currently getting power, you should not experience any interruption in service.
• Is there a cost to switch service to Bolla Energy?
Since a “standard switch” of suppliers is processed at the time of your next meter read, there are not any associated fees. Generally under $30.
• Do I have to notify my current electricity supplier of the switch?
No, it is not necessary to contact your current Retail Electric Supplier. Once the request is made and completed, the process should seem “invisible” to you.
• Will I be locked into a contract?
Yes for the term of your deal. Terms and pricing vary. Standard terms are 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 month terms.
• Does competition affect the reliability of my electric or gas service?
No, regardless which Retail Energy Supplier you choose, your electricity will continue to be delivered safely and reliably by your local utility.
• Who do I call if my power goes out?
You will need to contact your local utility. They are the company responsible for maintaining and repairing the wires, poles and equipment in your service area. (to be displayed in an easy –to-read manner)
•What is green energy?
The leading cause of industrial air pollution in the country is the production of electricity. While the majority of electricity generated in the U.S. is made by burning pollution-causing fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas, our Pollution Free℠ electricity products for tri-state residential customers are produced using 100% clean, renewable energy
By choosing Pollution Free electricity over typical system power, a tri-state household with average monthly usage of 1,000 kWh can prevent more than 16,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution a year. That’s a significant reduction in the average American household’s share of CO2 emissions!
•What is renewable energy?
Energy sources that are either inexhaustible (solar, wind) or replenished over a short period of time (hydro, biomass, geothermal) are considered renewable. Most renewable energy ultimately comes from the sun – indirectly in the case of wind, water, and biomass; directly in the case of solar (PV) generation. Natural gas and coal, for example, are not renewable because their use consumes gas and coal reserves at a much quicker rate than they can be replenished.
•Is this the same thing as “green power”?
Yes. The clean electricity you buy when you sign up for one of Bolla Energy’s pollution-free electricity products is a type of green power. For more information about green power visit the EPA website There you can calculate your exact positive impact on the environment by going choosing to go green.
•Is buying green electricity really helping the environment?
Yes! We can look at this in a few ways. First, we can measure our progress one customer at a time. When a household selects green electricity, it is reducing the amount of pollution that the household would otherwise emit. Second, when customers choose green electricity they are supporting the development of new wind and solar facilities. In fact, the demand from Bolla Energy affiliates’ green electricity customers has been responsible for the development of over 40 new renewable facilities across the U.S. Making electricity causes billions of tons of CO2 to be released every year. In 2008, we estimate these clean energy facilities prevented the emission of 679,879 tons of CO2.
•How does green energy work?
Visit our green page for a full explanation.
Biomass
Fuel derived from plant and organic matter that is used to generate electricity. Landfill gas is one of the most widely used forms of biomass generation. At those facilities, gases from decomposing organic matter are collected and burned to generate electricity. While biomass-based generation is not entirely pollution free, it does not contribute to global warming and produces much less pollution than more traditional sources of electricity such as coal.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
CO2 is naturally present in the Earth’s atmosphere and is a greenhouse gas considered to be the main anthropogenic contributor to global warming and climate change. Burning fossil fuels to produce electricity and drive our cars releases significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Carbon Footprint
Your carbon footprint is a representation of the effect you, or your business, have on the climate in terms of the total amount of CO2 emissions you produce. Activities that constitute a household’s carbon footprint include, but are not limited to, electricity usage, vehicle travel, airline travel and natural gas usage.
Carbon Offsets
Greenhouse gas emissions reductions from projects such as methane capture at landfills, reforestation, and energy efficiency. Carbon offsets can help balance out the carbon footprint of an individual or business, allowing them to have a smaller net impact on climate change. High quality carbon offsets should be real, permanent, verifiable, and beyond “business as usual”.
Ceres
Ceres (pronounced “series”) is a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change. Through our long time membership in the Ceres coalition, we publicly issue an annual sustainability report that discloses our corporate environmental policies and performance. View our sustainability reports
Deregulation
The relaxation of government controls over business operation. In the retail electricity market, deregulation refers to ending the monopoly status of local utilities and allowing competitive power marketers to offer service to customers. In the markets that have deregulated to date, this has meant the incumbent utility retains control of transmitting and distributing power while power generation and retail service become open to competition.
Distribution System
The local poles, wires, transformers, substations and other equipment used to deliver electricity to end-use consumers from high-voltage transmission lines. See “Grid”.
Energy Efficiency
Refers to programs that are aimed at reducing the energy used by specific end-use devices and systems, typically without affecting the services provided. These programs reduce overall electricity consumption (reported in megawatt hours), often without explicit consideration for the timing of program-induced savings. Such savings are generally achieved by substituting technically more advanced equipment to produce the same level of end-use services (e.g. lighting, heating, motor drive) with less electricity. Examples include high-efficiency appliances, efficient lighting programs, high-efficiency heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems or control modifications, efficient building design, advanced electric motor drives, and heat recovery systems.
Energy Source
The primary source that provides the power that is converted to electricity through chemical, mechanical, or other means. Energy sources include fossil fuels, like coal, natural gas, petroleum and petroleum products, and renewable sources like water, wind, sunlight, geothermal, and biomass.
Facility. An existing or planned location or site at which prime movers, electric generators, and/or equipment for converting mechanical, chemical, and/or nuclear energy into electric energy are situated, or will be situated. A facility may contain more than one generator of either the same or different prime mover type. For a cogenerator, the facility includes the industrial or commercial process.
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels include coal, oil, natural gas, petroleum, coke or other petroleum-based fuels. They’re called fossil fuels because they are formed from the decayed remains of prehistoric plants and animals. Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources which have a finite supply. All fossil fuels contain carbon, and when they are combusted to make electricity or power an airplane or automobile engine, they create carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas.
Generation Charges
The part of every customer’s electricity bill that goes toward producing electricity. In deregulated electric markets, generation is competitively priced and is not regulated by the state. Generation charges are determined by suppliers, like Green Mountain Energy Company, or may be negotiated by entities such as aggregators and utility partners.
Geothermal
Energy generated by heat stored beneath the Earth’s surface.
Green Electricity
Electricity that is made from renewable resources like wind, water, geothermal, solar and biomass.
Grid
A network for the transmission of electricity throughout a region. The term is also used to refer to the layout of an electric distribution system.
Hydro Power
The force or energy of moving water used to generate electricity.
Kilowatt (kW)
Kilowatt, the standard unit for measuring electricity demand, equal to 1,000 watts.
Kilowatt Hour (kWh)
Kilowatt-hour, the standard unit for measuring electricity energy consumption, equal to 1,000 watt-hours.
Megawatt (MW)
A term commonly used to rate the power output of electric power plants or to define large electric customer loads. A megawatt equals one thousand kilowatts, or a million watts. A large utility power plant typically has a power rating of 500 to 1,000 megawatts. One megawatt of power could supply 500 to 1,000 average homes, depending on the time of day.
Meter Read
Recording the amount of electrical energy used by homes and businesses as displayed by an electricity meter. Electricity meters are typically mounted on the exterior walls of homes and businesses. Most record total kilowatt hours of energy used per month and are usually read monthly by utility employees.
New Renewables
Any renewable energy source built (or repowered) after January 1, 1997. See Renewables.
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
Formed when fossil fuels (notably oil, coal, and natural gas) and biomass (plant matter, wood chips, and landfill gas) are burned at high temperatures. NOx contributes to acid rain and smog. Health effects associated with smog include damage to lung tissue, increased asthma attacks, and respiratory illness in children with frequent high-level exposure. When NOx causes acid rain, it contributes to pollution of lakes and coastal waters and the degradation of sensitive forests. This pollution is destructive to fish and other animal life. Making electricity is responsible for 25% of all the NOx pollution in the U.S., over 6 million tons each year.
Off-Peak/On-Peak
Blocks of time when energy demand is relatively lower (off-peak) or higher (on-peak).
Renewable Energy Certificate (RECs)
Renewable energy certificates (referred to as RECs, and also known as renewable energy credits) represent the environmental and other non-power attributes of renewable electricity generation and are part of most renewable electricity products.
Renewables
Energy sources that are either inexhaustible (solar, wind) or replenished over a short period of time (hydro, biomass, geothermal). Most renewable energy ultimately comes from the sun – indirectly in the case of wind, water, and biomass; directly in the case of solar (PV) generation. Natural gas and coal, for example, are not renewables because their use consumes gas and coal reserves at a much quicker rate than they can be replenished.
Solar
Energy from the sun. Sunlight can be converted to electricity directly, as in the case of photovoltaic (PV) applications or indirectly as in the case of solar thermal applications. According to the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL), the amount of energy from the sun that falls to the earth in one day could supply the entire world’s energy needs for 27 years.
System Power Mix
The average mix of electric power plants and other energy serving customers in a region. In the U.S., coal, other fossil fuels, and nuclear generation are the most-used sources for system power.
Transmission Charges
Part of the basic service charges on every customer’s bill for transporting electricity from the source of supply to the electric distribution company. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulates retail transmission prices and services.
Transmission Lines
Interconnected electric lines which move high voltage electricity from a generation facility ultimately to the distribution lines of an electric distribution company. See Grid.
Wind power
The conversion of wind energy into more useful forms, usually electricity, using wind turbines.