What to establish before acting
Identify the controlling documents and resolve inconsistencies among proposal, master terms, account schedules, and amendments. Test foreseeable changes such as lease expiry, relocation, added equipment, solar, or closure. Obtain reproducible calculations for contingent costs. A familiar product name does not override a specific exception. Qualified counsel should assess material or disputed legal obligations; a sales explanation is not a substitute for incorporating an agreed change through the contract’s proper process.
Illustrative decision boundary
A hypothetical company plans to leave a site after 18 months but receives a 36-month offer. The important question is the written closure or transfer treatment, not only whether the first-year unit rate appears attractive. Compare a realistic remaining-obligation scenario before approval.
Documents for a useful review
- Complete proposed agreement and all account schedules or incorporated terms.
- Known business changes, usage scenarios, and approval authority.
- Written clarification of fees, exit calculations, and notice procedures.
Questions & answers
Which date starts the contract?
Distinguish execution, requested supply start, accepted effective date, and expiration. The document may define conditions around each, and utility enrollment remains a separate implementation step.
Can the supplier change a fixed price?
Inspect listed exclusions and adjustment triggers. Fixed may apply only to specified components; volume, tariff, legal-change, or material-change provisions can create additional exposure.
What happens if usage falls?
The answer depends on full-requirements language, tolerances, minimums, or block settlement. Ask for the actual low-use calculation instead of assume the business pays only current consumption at the quoted price.
Does closing a meter end the obligation?
Not automatically. Closure, relocation, assignment, termination, and remedies can differ. Obtain the applicable written accommodation or settlement before treating the account as released.
Can my salesperson waive a clause?
Confirm the agreement’s authority and amendment requirements. Preserve the executed revision where needed rather than rely on a verbal statement that the provision never matters.
Sources & scope
Primary references reviewed October 15, 2026. These sources support the stated concepts; actual tariffs, program rules and signed agreements govern the account. Decision examples and operational worksheets are original educational analysis.
- Pennsylvania PUC: Shop for business electricity
Business offer structures, supplier shopping, and fee comparisons. - New Jersey BPU: Shopping for business energy
Commercial supply choices, contract questions, and utility delivery. - Illinois ICC: Agents, Brokers, and Consultants
Illinois licensing and conduct resources; not a nationwide rule.