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In this uncertain world Pittsburgh-based Weatherwise USA isoffering to eliminate one weather-related stress factor – that ofskyrocketing gas heating and cooling bills. The WeatherwiseWeatherProof Bills program claims to be the first to offer afixed-price gas service that eliminates weather- and gasprice-related uncertainty for individual consumers.

In this uncertain world Pittsburgh-based Weatherwise USA isoffering to eliminate one weather-related stress factor-that ofskyrocketing gas heating and cooling bills. The WeatherwiseWeatherProof Bills (sm) program claims to be the first to offer afixed price gas service that eliminates weather- and gasprice-related uncertainty for individual consumers.

Shell Oil has become a significant player in the midstream gasbusiness, but this wasn’t always so. While the company heldmidstream gas assets, they were operated as an adjunct to its oilbusiness. That was until deregulation and new market entrantssuggested to Shell it ought to get into the midstream.

The distributed power movement got a boost from American GasAssociation (AGA) Chairman David Biegler this week from remarksmade at the 17th Congress of the World Energy Council (WEC) inHouston. “Distributed power is attractive to consumers, especiallyin facilities like manufacturing plants, laundries and hospitalsthat need both electric power and thermal energy,” said Biegler,CEO of Texas Utilities. “It can cut costs, provide waste heat foron-site use and improve power quality and reliability.” Hepredicted distributed power could provide as much as 50 gigawattsof power by 2015, compared to less than 2 GW today.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) earlier this weekapproved a comprehensive agreement with New Jersey Resources (NJR),parent of New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), that would put it on afast-track to provide supplier choice to its residential customersby Jan. 1.

Reno, NV, utility Sierra Pacific said beginning this month, itwill offer customers Simple Choice, a package of energy andinfotainment products and services for the home paid for on onebill.

FERC earlier this week rejected Natural Gas Pipeline Company ofAmerica’s (NGPL) proposal to implement negotiated rates on itssystem, saying that such a move would be “premature” until it couldact on the pipeline’s proposed auction procedures that are pendingas part of a comprehensive settlement.

Ameren Energy started its electric and gas trading business offon the right foot this summer, getting into the market just in timeto make a small killing when electric prices spiked in the Midwestduring the last week in June. The company started out with just afraction of the personnel it expects to have on board by the end ofthe year.

Although the power industry has been rocked by sharp pricerun-ups this summer, average real electricity prices are projectedto drop by more than 25% by 2015 largely due to improvedefficiencies and cost reductions brought about by electricityrestructuring, the Gas Research Institute (GRI) said in a new studyissued yesterday.