IGS Energy
Encyclopedia
IGS Energy, also known as Interstate Gas Supply, Inc., is America's largest independent retail natural gas
and electric supplier, serving more than 800,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the states of Ohio
, Michigan
, Kentucky
, New York
, Pennsylvania
, Indiana
, Virginia
, Maryland
and Illinois
. The company was founded in 1989, and today IGS Energy employs more than 200 people at its headquarters in Dublin, Ohio. IGS Energy has earned an A+ rating from the central Ohio Better Business Bureau
.
price hikes and the resulting U.S. oil crisis, Congress passed the Emergency Natural Gas Act of 1977, which opened the door for natural gas choice programs to spring up in several states. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, these natural gas programs for commercial and industrial customers were introduced nationwide. In the late 1990s, gas was made available to residential consumers.
In 1986, Marvin White, former CEO of Columbia Gas Distribution Companies, helped found Ohio’s choice program. Three years later, in 1989, he founded Interstate Gas Supply, Inc. (IGS Energy), in Dublin, Ohio
, with his son, Scott. The privately held company began as a commercial and industrial wholesale supplier of Ohio-produced natural gas.
By 1992, IGS Energy expanded its focus to include natural gas retail marketing directly to end-users.
Following the deregulation of residential natural gas service in 1997, IGS Energy began serving residential customers of Columbia Gas of Ohio. IGS Energy further expanded into the residential and small commercial arenas in 1999. Today, as a natural gas provider, the company offers gas in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Virginia and Illinois and has plans to expand further.. In 2011 IGS Energy began providing electric service to customers in Chicago
.
in several Midwestern and Northeastern utilities, including Columbia Gas of Ohio, Dominion East Ohio, Duke Energy, Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio, Columbia Gas of Kentucky, Michcon, Consumers Energy
, NIPSCO, Nicor
, Central Hudson, National Grid
, National Fuel of New York, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, National Fuel of Pennsylvania, and Columbia Gas of Virginia. IGS provides electric service to residential customers in Duquesne Light of Pennsylvania, PECO Energy Company
of Pennsylvania and Commonwealth Edison
of Illinois. Residential choice programs enable consumers and other small volume users to purchase natural gas and electricity from suppliers other than their local utility company. Before Choice programs, natural gas and electric customers were required to purchase natural gas and electricity from their local utility. With Choice programs, customers can either purchase from their natural gas utility or choose to receive their gas supply from certified suppliers.
and the Columbus Blue Jackets
. As part of the Blue Jackets sponsorship, IGS Energy is known for its radio-controlled blimp
that flies in the air above the crowd in Nationwide Arena
between periods and drops player autographed merchandise and other popular prizes to the fans. FOX Sports also provides a TV post-game show for the Blue Jackets that is sponsored by IGS Energy. IGS Energy also sponsors the "Columbus Blue Jackets: A Season to Remember", a 30 minute recap of the Blue Jackets first playoff season that runs on Fox Sports Ohio. IGS Energyis also a sponsor of the Dublin Irish Festival
and the IGS Energy Dublin Irish Festival 5K.
Platinum certification in June 2011, the highest level of LEED certification that can be obtained and central Ohio's first commercial building to obtain such certification. In 2011 IGS Energy entered into a partnership with the City of Dublin to construct a compressed natural gas
refueling station. Dublin will use the station to refuel its natural gas vehicle
fleet.
After IGS energy hired lobbyist Don Thibault, Ohio Governor Kasich's "best friend" and campaign contributor, Kasich's two-year budget in March cut funding for the council by over 51% -- "far more than the average 5.3 percent cut for other state agencies."
A budget bill that passed the Ohio House in May 2011 placed a gag order on the OCC, preventing it from taking "a position contrary to further deregulation of the natural gas market.". Authorship for this portion of the House bill is unknown.
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
and electric supplier, serving more than 800,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the states of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The company was founded in 1989, and today IGS Energy employs more than 200 people at its headquarters in Dublin, Ohio. IGS Energy has earned an A+ rating from the central Ohio Better Business Bureau
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
.
History
IGS Energy’s founding has its roots in the oil and energy crisis of 1973. In response to OPECOPEC
OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings...
price hikes and the resulting U.S. oil crisis, Congress passed the Emergency Natural Gas Act of 1977, which opened the door for natural gas choice programs to spring up in several states. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, these natural gas programs for commercial and industrial customers were introduced nationwide. In the late 1990s, gas was made available to residential consumers.
In 1986, Marvin White, former CEO of Columbia Gas Distribution Companies, helped found Ohio’s choice program. Three years later, in 1989, he founded Interstate Gas Supply, Inc. (IGS Energy), in Dublin, Ohio
Dublin, Ohio
Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware, and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 41,751 at the 2010 census. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Approximately 57,000 people live within the Dublin school district....
, with his son, Scott. The privately held company began as a commercial and industrial wholesale supplier of Ohio-produced natural gas.
By 1992, IGS Energy expanded its focus to include natural gas retail marketing directly to end-users.
Following the deregulation of residential natural gas service in 1997, IGS Energy began serving residential customers of Columbia Gas of Ohio. IGS Energy further expanded into the residential and small commercial arenas in 1999. Today, as a natural gas provider, the company offers gas in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Virginia and Illinois and has plans to expand further.. In 2011 IGS Energy began providing electric service to customers in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Natural gas and electric residential choice programs
IGS Energy is a leading provider in Natural Gas ChoiceNatural Gas Choice
Natural Gas Choice programs in United States of America allow residential consumers and other small volume gas users to purchase natural gas from someone other than their traditional utility company. With Natural Gas Choice programs, customers can either purchase from their natural gas utility or...
in several Midwestern and Northeastern utilities, including Columbia Gas of Ohio, Dominion East Ohio, Duke Energy, Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio, Columbia Gas of Kentucky, Michcon, Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy is a public utility that provides natural gas and electricity to more than 6 million of Michigan's 10 million residents. It serves customers in all 68 of the state’s Lower Peninsula counties. It is a division of CMS Energy. Its headquarters is in Jackson.-History:The company was...
, NIPSCO, Nicor
Nicor
Nicor, Inc. is an energy and shipping company headquartered in Naperville, Illinois. Its largest subsidiary, Nicor Gas, is a natural gas distribution company. Founded in 1954, the company serves more than two million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of...
, Central Hudson, National Grid
National Grid
-Electric power transmission systems:*National Grid , the electricity transmission network of Great Britain.*National Grid , the electricity transmission network of Malaysia....
, National Fuel of New York, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, National Fuel of Pennsylvania, and Columbia Gas of Virginia. IGS provides electric service to residential customers in Duquesne Light of Pennsylvania, PECO Energy Company
PECO Energy Company
PECO is an energy company founded in 1881 and incorporated in 1929. It became part of Exelon Corporation in 2000 when it merged with Unicom. The company has approximately 2,300 employees; its call center and field craft personnel are members of IBEW Local 614...
of Pennsylvania and Commonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison is the largest electric utility in Illinois, serving the Chicago and Northern Illinois area...
of Illinois. Residential choice programs enable consumers and other small volume users to purchase natural gas and electricity from suppliers other than their local utility company. Before Choice programs, natural gas and electric customers were required to purchase natural gas and electricity from their local utility. With Choice programs, customers can either purchase from their natural gas utility or choose to receive their gas supply from certified suppliers.
Participation in residential choice programs
In 2008 customer participation in natural gas choice programs throughout the United States reached an all time high. IGS Energy's largest customer base is in the state of Ohio. More than 40 percent of the state's residential natural gas customers were purchasing from a certified provider as of September 2008.Involvement in the community
IGS Energy is a sponsor of major professional sports teams including the Cleveland BrownsCleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. As part of the Blue Jackets sponsorship, IGS Energy is known for its radio-controlled blimp
Blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
that flies in the air above the crowd in Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It opened in 2000 and is the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, of the NHL....
between periods and drops player autographed merchandise and other popular prizes to the fans. FOX Sports also provides a TV post-game show for the Blue Jackets that is sponsored by IGS Energy. IGS Energy also sponsors the "Columbus Blue Jackets: A Season to Remember", a 30 minute recap of the Blue Jackets first playoff season that runs on Fox Sports Ohio. IGS Energyis also a sponsor of the Dublin Irish Festival
Dublin Irish Festival
The Dublin Irish Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held in Dublin, Ohio. It takes place during the first weekend of August, and it attracts an over 93,000 visitors to eight entertainment stages on in and beyond Coffman Park...
and the IGS Energy Dublin Irish Festival 5K.
Environmental initiatives
IGS Energy headquarters obtained LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
Platinum certification in June 2011, the highest level of LEED certification that can be obtained and central Ohio's first commercial building to obtain such certification. In 2011 IGS Energy entered into a partnership with the City of Dublin to construct a compressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline , diesel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill...
refueling station. Dublin will use the station to refuel its natural gas vehicle
Natural gas vehicle
thumb|right|200px|2009 [[Honda Civic GX]] hooked up to Phill refueling system.A natural gas vehicle or NGV is an alternative fuel vehicle that uses compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas as a clean alternative to other fossil fuels...
fleet.
Controversy
IGS recently purchased a three-year license to use the trade name Columbia Retail Energy and Columbia logo from NiSource Inc. NiSource is the parent company of Columbia Gas of Ohio and neither is affiliated with IGS." The public agency the Ohio Consumers Council (OCC) filed a complaint in October, 2010 at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) along with Stand Energy Corp., Border Energy, the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council and the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, alleging the IGS mailed materials to Columbia Gas customers using a Columbia Retail Energy trade name and logo could be mistaken as the utility.After IGS energy hired lobbyist Don Thibault, Ohio Governor Kasich's "best friend" and campaign contributor, Kasich's two-year budget in March cut funding for the council by over 51% -- "far more than the average 5.3 percent cut for other state agencies."
A budget bill that passed the Ohio House in May 2011 placed a gag order on the OCC, preventing it from taking "a position contrary to further deregulation of the natural gas market.". Authorship for this portion of the House bill is unknown.