At a Glance:
Energy bandwidth clauses in supply contracts are critical to understand when growing your energy broker business. Bandwidth, also known as usage swing, is the maximum/minimum amount of energy a customer can consume under a fixed-rate contract and not be penalized by the supplier. In this article, you will learn…
In this article, you will learn:
What Is Energy Bandwidth?
Energy bandwidth clauses are found in fixed-rate energy supply contracts between suppliers and customers. When suppliers offer a fixed rate to a commercial customer, they are anticipating that customer’s usage based on historical data. To offer fixed rates, suppliers pre-purchase electricity or natural gas in the futures market in order to hedge their costs. To do so, energy suppliers must commit to certain volumes of energy in which they anticipate the customer to use over the fixed-rate term. In an effort to protect themselves from a variance in customer usage, suppliers sometimes implement bandwidth clauses into contracts that allow for a certain percentage of usage variance. Here is an example below…
- The building in the middle represents the customer’s total energy consumption for the previous 12-month period.
- The building on the right represents the total amount of energy consumption the customer can use under the fixed-rate term and not be penalized.
- The building on the left represents the least amount of energy consumption the customer can use and not be penalized.
How Is Bandwidth Enforced?
In the case that a customer uses more or less than their bandwidth allotment, or usage swing variance, suppliers have recourse according to their individual bandwidth contract clauses. In most cases when the customer uses too much energy, the supplier reserves the right to charge the customer the market price for the excess usage. In cases where customers use too little, suppliers will typically pass through any additional costs they incur from selling the pre-purchased energy back to the market.
Why Is Bandwidth Important?
Energy bandwidth, or usage swing, is important for a variety of reasons. Bandwidth clauses allow suppliers to protect themselves against swings in the market when selling fixed rates. They also provide options to customers in deregulated states to meet their individual energy supply needs. Let’s take a look at the benefits for both suppliers and customers below…
- Energy Suppliers
- protection against a customer using more energy than the supplier has pre-purchased in the futures market
- protection against a customer not using all of the energy that has been pre-purchased in the futures market
- Energy Customers
- provides the option for lower energy rates if the customer can properly forecast energy usage
- provides the freedom to secure fixed rates for unlimited volumes of energy under 100% bandwidth scenarios
How Should I Advise My Customers?
Advising your customers on the proper bandwidth percentages is critical to becoming a trusted energy advisor. Customers who can accurately forecast energy consumption have the advantage of entering into tighter bandwidth clauses, which many times can result in lower rates. On the other hand, customers who simply want to pay a fixed price for all energy consumed (no matter how much or how little) can take advantage of 100% swing or bandwidth clauses. To properly advise your customers, you must first determine their needs. Here is a great guide to follow:
- Customers Who Want The Lowest Rates: If your customer has the ability to properly forecast usage, choosing a lower bandwidth parameter (e.g. 10%) might be in your favor.
- Customers Who Want All-In Fixed Prices: If your customer wants to pay the same $/kWh for all kWh’s consumed, then pointing them in the direction of a full-swing, or 100% bandwidth clause is your best option.
- Customers Who Are Somewhere In The Middle: Customers who can’t accurately predict usage and still want lower prices are best-suited with bandwidth clauses that are reasonable (e.g. 25%).
What are the Key Benefits of Diversegy’s Sales Partner Program?
Diversegy’s full-serve sales platform offers agents, teams, brokers, and customers many benefits. Our program is a commitment and investment into the future of the competitive retail energy industry. Here are some of the key benefits of our platform:
