Cal Solar Works is committed to provide products and services that can save energy and money for residential and commercial customers. We are happy to announce that with a strategic alliance with Tiger Natural Gas, now we can offer savings on your Natural Gas bill.
The California natural gas market was deregulated in 1991, which allows you, the home or business owner to select your natural gas supplier. Unfortunately, most business and home owners are not aware that there are options regarding their natural gas supply. Tiger Natural Gas pools, or aggregates their customers’ usage, which allows to get a better commodity rate. Since Tiger’s supply is purchased at rates less than PG&E , the savings are passed on to end customers, providing savings up to 13% on your annual natural gas bill, depending on your usage.
It only takes a few signatures to transfer your account from PG&E to Tiger and there are no start up, connection, or transfer fees of any kind. You will incur no downtime and there are no additional risks involved having Tiger as your natural gas supplier. If you have an emergency or a pipeline problem you will still deal directly with PG&E. Tiger will take care of all of your billing and customer service needs. If you ever have questions, your Tiger representative is a quick phone call or email away. For commercial and Industrial customers Tiger also offers the ability to lock in a fixed price for any amount of usage for as little as one month or as long as 3 years. Fixed Pricing allows you to budget and forecast your natural gas expenses as well as hedge against future price increases.
For more information about the program and to enroll, please call us at 877-765-9675 today!
Participating in the program is very simple:
- Sign a properly filled out letter of authorization (LOA) to Cal Solar Works. The LOA is needed to obtain usage information from PG&E. All provided information will remain confidential.
- Tiger Natural Gas will provide a price proposal for you.
- You decide whether you want to enter into an agreement for purchasing Natural Gas from Tiger.
- Begin to enjoy savings by switching to Tiger.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I didn’t think I had a choice of who I could buy my natural gas from. How does this work?
You certainly do have a choice. The natural gas industry in your area has been deregulated. The easiest way to understand it is to think of it like telecommunications deregulation, but instead of using phone lines we are using natural gas lines. Tiger Natural Gas is able to sell you your natural gas at a discount and you continue to use the utilities existing pipelines to transport the natural gas to your facility or residence. There are no setup fees or connection fees and your utility will not charge you additional transportation costs. So Tiger is able to pass on the savings from the actual natural gas you use.
2. How is Tiger able to offer me a lower rate than my utility?
The utility is allowed to build in cost of their infrastructure, Bad Debts, and anything else the Public Utilities Commission will allow them, into their actual cost of gas. Tiger has minimal overhead and is much more flexible and able to go out and get the best price for our natural gas. Those savings are passed on to customers, like you.
3. How are you able to get the natural gas to me?
You will purchase your natural gas from Tiger and you will still pay your Utility (PG&E) to transmit and distribute the natural gas through their existing pipelines to your residence or facility. So you will still be a customer of your utility but you will get your natural gas from Tiger. You will save money annually overall even if you add in transportation charges.
4. What if I have an emergency?
If you have an emergency like a gas leak or a fire, you will still call your local utility company (PG&E) and they will come out and service your pipelines and meters. You will still be their customer since you are paying them to distribute the natural gas to your residence or facility. They will not charge you more in a maintenance or emergency situation because you are a Tiger customer. However, if you have a billing or customer service issue you can quickly contact your representative and be taken care of much faster.
5. What are the risks involved with switching?
There is essentially no additional risk. Tiger has been in business for 20 years and has over 22,000 commercial accounts nationwide. Tiger has never received a better business bureau complaint. Tiger is truly devoted to customer satisfaction, the company was founded on the principles of integrity, reliability, and trust. Tiger has survived and outlasted many others in our industry. Tiger’s goal is to be here for a long time to come. In the event Tiger can not supply you with gas, your local utility company (PG&E) would begin to supply you again automatically. This is something that has never happened once in Tiger’s 20 years of business. Tiger Natural Gas has been in business since 1991 and has an A+ rating with the BBB. The key to Tiger’s success is the strong emphasis on maintaining superior customer service and customer relationships.
6. How will you bill me for the natural gas we use?
Residential (PG&E): You will continue to receive your one PG&E bill. The only difference will be that instead of having PG&E’s cost for natural gas on your bill you would have Tigers. Nothing will change from your prospective and you just pay once using any current method available to you from PG&E. There is a $0.05/day customer fee included as well. ($1.50/month)
Commercial (PG&E): You are eligible to receive your charges attached to your current PG&E bill, just as outlined above. You also have the option to receive a separate bill from Tiger for the natural gas you used. This option has no customer fee.
7. Is there a chance Tiger would cost me more overall than my Utility?
In some months there is a chance that Tiger would could cost you more but that does not happen often. However, when you look at an annual basis, Tiger has never cost customers more than their utility would have on a per Therm basis. The reason that Tiger’s price can sometimes be more than the utility’s price is because the utility actually lags behind where the current market price is. Historically, Tiger’s prices on a monthly level are always less than the utility’s but when natural gas prices rise unexpectedly and quickly in a matter of a few months, it can result in prices being more than the utility’s for a month or so. This is because when Tiger was buying gas at the market’s current rates, the utility was still selling gas at rates below where the current market was. This is because they have to set their monthly prices well in advance versus Tiger, and they didn’t forecast the increase in prices. This results in their prices continuing to rise as Tiger’s price levels off or drops from their highs. That is why the savings are projected on an annual basis. Essentially, if PG&E’s prices are less than Tiger’s in a given month, then that difference is likely to be made up in subsequent months.
8. What about the transportation cost of my natural gas service?
Your utility will still charge you for the transportation of the natural gas to your facility or residence. You are already paying them for the transportation of the gas right now and when you become Tiger’s customer, your utility will not charge you anything additional for the transportation.
9. Can I be your customer and participate in this program while receiving rebates and other savings program incentives through my utility?
Yes, you can purchase your Natural Gas at a discount from Tiger and still be eligible for all the savings and rebate programs that PG&E offers, including California’s CARE program. Even if you signed a contract for a rebate you will remain a customer of your utility and still be eligible for the rebate and be able to participate in Tiger’s program.
10. Can I buy my electricity from a program like this?
Yes, Tiger does have an upcoming electricity program for commercial customers only. As of now we are only accepting Notice of Intents to participate in our upcoming program which started April 16th. At this point savings are anticipated to be around 10-15%, however, there are a limited number of spots available. The Notice of Intent is only conveying your interest in the program and it in no way binds you to a contract. If you are selected you will have 60 days to decide if you would like to participate in the program. If this is something that interests you , please contact a Cal Solar Works representative at 877-765-9675, and they will send you a Notice of Intent and Authorization form as well as a California Electricity Announcement which further details the program.
