So your company has decided to break ground on a brand new location. Congratulations! This is an exciting experience for both ownership and the employees. You?re in charge of doing everything needed to get construction underway and completed within a few short months.

All things are moving along as planned and you are days away from officially moving into your new location. There is just one thing you?ve forgotten to do?set up your electricity agreement! After many months of preparation and hard work, you are worried your move in date might be postponed. In a hurried panic, you call the first provider you can find and agree to whatever they are offering just as long as they can get power on right away!

This is a scenario that is played out far too often. Unfortunately, when you call the provider to set up your electricity at the last minute, you are talking to a salesperson that knows you are desperate and not shopping around. This often leads to being locked in to a high rate for a long period of time. Mistakes like this can cost your company thousands of dollars.

So what are the steps you should take to insure you have power flowing upon moving in without sacrificing an arm and a leg?

1. First, set up a timeline as to when you want to make a decision and then, when you will want to have energy flowing to the location. Setting everything up at least three months in advance allows you to work on other projects and tasks without worrying about electricity procurement.

2. The actual first step of the process, once you have a timeline in place, is getting a permanent ESIID number or Electric Service Identifier Identification Number for your new location. The construction company that is working on your building will likely have already requested and obtained a temporary meter to complete construction on the site. However once they?re finished with the temporary meter it will need to be pulled and replaced with a permanent one that has a completely different ESIID number. To obtain a permanent ESIID number you will need to simply call your Local Distribution Utility and request one.

3. The most widely overlooked part of the process and the reason most new construction electricity contracts are delayed are because of permits! These permits, or Certificates of Occupancy, are not required by every city. However most owners overlook this part of the process and when they are ready for power to be on at their location, the utility holds up the work order because they do not have a permit on file from the city. Although you may not be required to have a permit in your city for new locations the safest way to find out for sure is to contact either the utility themselves or your energy consultant.

4. Compile information about your expected electricity usage at the new location. Providers will price your location based on estimated usage projections. The more information you have for them, the easier it is to get you an accurate low rate. Some information you should have on hand are: square footage of new location, any heavy machinery or other equipment that uses a significant amount of energy, hours of operation, days open during the week and even bill copies from your previous location.

5. Set up your commercial electricity agreement. With dozens of electricity providers available, researching and comparing rates for each would be tedious and time consuming. Working through an energy consultant (or an aggregator) allows you to concentrate on running your business while they make sure you get the best possible price for electricity. In the fast paced world of business, time is money. Save time AND money by securing your electricity through a knowledgeable consultant.

Getting your new location set up for electricity does not have to be a tiring and overwhelming process. With proper planning and execution you can avoid last minute contracts that can put your company in a financial bind. The only worry you should have on opening day is where to plug in the coffee maker.