July 2023

Not all Energy Programs are Scams By Robert Arnone, MSRE, AMS, CPM ® , RCA Management Properties

Vasif Bagirov/iStock/Getty Images Plus

F or most of us, a call from an energy provider claim ing they can save us on our energy bill triggers immediate suspicion. When many hear of an ener gy program offering credits up to 80-100% of the cost, the first thought that may come into your head is whether it is a scam. By contrast, when the government initiates an energy program and offers certain benefits for joining, that often

such as PSEG, JCPL, or AC Electric. The board or those advising them allowed a lesser-known provider to be the supplier for their forty-unit building and continued to pay the bills without the continued oversight of rates they were paying and the rates of the more established energy com panies. Although they may have been promised a lower rate initially, it is often short-lived savings, and upon review

is seen as more credible However, as Ronald Regan said, “Trust but verify.” Based on professional experience as a property manager, there are com mon scams owners should

of two years of statements, they had been paying up to 40% more than they should have. When an old friend called me, who had pre viously been a contractor

“...when the government initiates an energy program and offers certain benefits for joining, that often is seen as more credible However, as Ronald Regan said, ‘Trust but verify.’”

watch out for. For example, when analyzing energy bills for an association after a recent transition from developer control, we found they sometimes fall into the trap of switch ing providers from the main New Jersey energy providers

said that there was a program in New Jersey to take advantage of tax credits that could provide free LED lights or boilers and chillers with up to 80% tax credit, I had to say, I was triggered. I thought back to when I picked up the CONTINUES ON PAGE 40

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JULY 2023