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Microsoft Corp. entered the home energy efficiency sector Wednesday, launching a free website, Microsoft Hohm, as a place where consumers can “save energy and money.”

Indicative of the free-fall of wholesale natural gas prices of late, Xcel Energy Inc. announced Wednesday its retail gas utility rates in Colorado will fall 56% in April compared to that month last year. Charges will come in at about 32 cents/th, compared to 73 cents/th in April 2008, a Denver-based utility spokesperson said.

With the North American natural gas rig count in “free fall,” FBR Capital Markets Friday lowered 4Q2008 earnings estimates for the oil services sector by 9% and slashed 2009 estimates by an average of 21%.

With the North American natural gas rig count in “free fall,” FBR Capital Markets Friday lowered 4Q2008 earnings estimates for the oil services sector by 9% and slashed 2009 estimates by an average of 21%.

The major producers and those that are funding exploration developments with free cash flow most likely will be the least affected by the current financial market turmoil, but the smaller independents are probably reviewing their investment plans to decide where to cut back, Douglas-Westwood Ltd. said in a report Monday.

Sempra Energy’s two utilities announced their commitment Tuesday to helping California accelerate the state’s transition to a more carbon-free environment by using more low-carbon fuels for the utilities’ transportation needs in addition to their already high-profile, state-mandated efforts in boosting renewable energy use and stepped-up energy efficiency programs.

Emera Brunswick Pipeline Co. Ltd. (EBPC) is free to start construction of its pipeline to serve the Canaport LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal project of Repsol YPF and Irving Oil now that the Friends of Rockwood Park (FORP) has dropped legal action opposing the project.

Emera Brunswick Pipeline Co. Ltd. (EBPC) is free to start construction of its pipeline to serve the Canaport LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal project of Repsol YPF and Irving Oil now that the Friends of Rockwood Park (FORP) last week dropped legal action opposing the project.

Cheyenne Plains said late Tuesday it was continuing its free flow operation “as well as removing delivery point constraints as downstream delivery point operators agree to accept off-spec gas from Cheyenne Plains.” Effective with Cycle 2 nominations for Wednesday’s gas day, receipts from WIC at the Curly and Thunder Chief interconnects and from CIG at the Red Cloud interconnect were again possible at their normal capacity, Cheyenne Plains said, explaining that the leaking valve on its system that had previously prevented receipts from WIC and CIG had been returned to service. See the bulletin board for a list of delivery point operators that have agreed to waive their carbon dioxide (CO2) gas quality requirements and to accept gas that contains up to 3% CO2, along with allowable point-specific volumes. In another posting, Cheyenne Plains said that while an investigation of Sunday’s Cheyenne Plains Compressor Station fire (see Daily GPI, Sept. 18) is still under way, “we believe the fire resulted from the release and subsequent ignition of gas when the flange connections associated with a relief valve on the suction side of the Cheyenne Plains compression failed. When the fire was detected, all compression in the Cheyenne yard was shut down, including that serving Colorado Interstate Gas Company (CIG) and Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd. (WIC). Subsequently, the compression facilities serving CIG and WIC were able to return to service. Although damage assessments of the Cheyenne Plains facilities are continuing, it is clear that a significant amount of instrumentation and electrical wiring was damaged in the fire and will need to be replaced. This includes most of the cable trays and associated electrical wiring. Some nearby yard piping and valves appear to need replacement as well.”