Smart Meter Ban Boggles Supplier

Attention Residential Tenants: The following article appeared in The Star and we would like to have your opinion on whether you agree or disagree with electric sub metering for your unit.

TheStar.com April 29, 2009
TYLER HAMILTON ENERGY REPORTER

Delay needed to protect tenants from landlords while ground rules developed, Smitherman says. Hundreds of green jobs will dry up or flow out of the province if the government doesn't act fast to lift a ban on installation of smart meters in apartment buildings, industry proponents are warning.

But Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman said that, without proper ground rules, the ban is necessary to protect tenants from opportunistic landlords.

One company feeling the effect is Almonte, Ont.-based Triacta Power Technologies Inc., which manufactures building sub-meters and was on a hiring spree until sales into Ontario's apartment rental market came to an abrupt halt last month.

"We have certainly had to put our growth plans on hold," said Rob Brennan, president and chief executive officer of Triacta.

Brennan said the impact is spreading beyond manufacturing to installers and electricians. "For Triacta and our partners, it would be in the order of 100 jobs, and it's probably four or five times that when I look at the rest of the industry."

Electricity in most apartment buildings is centrally metered. The total cost is shared by all tenants and included as part of rent, meaning tenants who use less electricity end up subsidizing those who use more, such as those who operate home businesses.

Smart sub-meters allow a landlord to track electricity use by tenant and charge for power use on top of rent that has been reduced accordingly. Individual tenants pay for what they use and, according to the industry, can benefit from incentives offered through conservation programs if they can reduce their energy use.

"Roughly 60 per cent of tenants end up paying less in total than they were previously," said John Macdonald, president and CEO of the Consumers' Waterheater Income Fund, which supplies sub-meters to landlords through its subsidiary Stratacon.

Brennan calculated that about 50,000 rental units in Ontario have had sub-meters installed over the past two years, on the assumption that new regulations would be introduced to protect tenants.

Those rules were considered but never passed, meaning installations have never been technically legal under the province's Electricity Act, at least according to Brian Hewson, chief compliance officer for the Ontario Energy Board.

Hewson issued a compliance bulletin March 24, calling for an immediate cease of sub-meter installations in apartments, at the same time confirming that installation in condominiums is permitted.

Tenant advocates argue the temporary ban is justified because some landlords were having the sub-meters installed without tenant consent. Where there is consent, "often it appears that this consent has been obtained through high-pressure sales tactics and misleading or incomplete information," according to briefing notes to the government from the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario.

The group said rules must be in place to ensure that landlords are reducing rents fairly and getting proper consent, and that they don't off-load the cost of running inefficient appliances onto low-income tenants.

Mike Chopowick, manager of policy with the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario, said there have been "concerning" complaints against landlords but that's no reason to shut down the entire market. Chopowick pointed out that 26 per cent of Ontario's rental housing has always had sub-metering, going back to the 1940s and 1950s, so halting deployment now makes no sense.

If the government is serious about province-wide energy conservation, then it needs to get smart sub-meters into apartments, otherwise tenants won't be able to do their part, he said.
"We've been pressing for a while now for the government to have some sort of workable rules or framework in place."

Recently, the industry put forward a voluntary code of conduct in hopes of having the ban lifted until formal regulations are in place.

Smitherman said the government is working "longer term" to get those ground rules in place, but said he won't sacrifice consumer protection by rushing.

"Absent of good rules that have been developed with the interest of tenants, the government will not be encouraging the willy-nilly implementation of sub-meters," the minister said.

Brennan said he doubts such an approach will help the government reach its goal of creating 50,000 green-collar jobs over the next three years. Triacta now has some decisions to make, he said. "We're at a crossroads regarding where we grow next and where we go next."

Credit Crunch - Can you get out from under it?

If you’re concerned you won’t qualify for a lease, we believe that these fears can be easily overcome.

There are leasing agents/companies that have in house credit repair departments who will work with you to clean up your credit score and rating. After all, it’s in their best interest to do so. They want to do the deal…that’s how they make money. Next to that, they aim to provide comfort for their lenders to get paid every month. This is a very good option and well worth looking into.

If you don’t want to use their services and would rather handle the issue yourself, before you apply for a lease you have some choices:

Negotiate with your Credit Card Company;

Negotiating with a credit card company is not impossible to do. However, you must remember that they have company guidelines and their primary objective is to collect what is owed to them.

Many credit card companies have become flexible with adjusting the monthly payment they will receive due to the current state of our global economy. However, there is no guarantee that they’ll work with you. It will largely depend on what kind of customer you’ve been in the past.

When you contact your credit card holder stress the fact that you have been a model customer and that this is a temporary measure, and that you have every intention of living up to your obligations. Ask for a reduction to your interest rate so that you can actually make progress with paying off the debt. If they’re stubborn and won’t help you, ask to speak with their supervisor or be passed onto a department that can help you.

Debt Consolidation with a Home Equity Loan;

If you own your home and have available equity you could approach your lender to consolidate your debt and roll it into your mortgage. The lender will likely give you a blended rate but check out all your options. Don’t be afraid to talk to your lenders. They don’t want to lose your business. If they can work with you they will.

Credit Counseling Companies;

Consider working with a well known credit counseling service. Only use a reputable firm, preferably a not-for-profit company - check them out thoroughly! Lately, several stories are surfacing in the news about people paying so called “debt reduction” companies who pocketed their monthly payments due to the creditors/lenders.

A reputable credit counseling firm will negotiate directly with your lenders to get you lower interest rates and lower your monthly payments. They will collect money from you each month and pay your lenders. More often than not, a good credit counseling company can help you pay off your debt in just a few years rather than over a much longer period of time. This will save you a ton of money in the long term. What's more, they’re not establishing a new loan, but helping to repay what you already have in place.

Bankruptcy;

As a last resort you could opt for bankruptcy. This is probably not the preferred course of action; however, it will give you a manageable way to repay some of your unforgivable debts, even if you lose most of your assets. The terms of your bankruptcy will depend on your regional bankruptcy laws. Speaking with a local trustee will normally get you the answers to all of your questions.

Unfortunately, going this route, there really isn’t anything you can do to save your credit rating from disaster. Take heart though, over time it will get better and until then you will be considered a much higher credit risk and you’ll likely have to pay a higher interest rate on some things (for a while). But don’t let that stop you from leasing the item you want or need. Our recommendation would be to first speak with the leasing company’s in-house credit repair dept. and from there (if necessary), you can accurately determine the next best course of action.

Have you ever tried negotiating your debt? Have you ever used the services of a leasing company's in-house credit repair department?

Tell your story so that others can learn from your efforts.

It Pays to Lease a Used Lift Truck

Perhaps it’s hard to imagine making a significant acquisition in these tough economic times. Stocks are down everywhere, companies are folding, and layoffs seem endless.

Although, at times like these, most business owners will be focused on reducing overhead costs and scaling down to the bare bones, it’s equally important to ensure the best possible throughput with the business at hand, and this being the case, there is one business expense that can pay for itself quickly and multiple times over.

The addition of a used Lift truck can instantly enhance the productivity and employee morale for many different business types, and without breaking the budget.

A lift truck is a versatile piece of equipment (see different types below) that serves as a safe and efficient means of handling all sorts of products and materials for various businesses, ranging from construction, warehouse supply, landscaping, commercial storage and retail uses to name a few. They’re made to lift and transport heavy or awkward items, such as shipping containers, boxed pallets, or even loose objects like landscape boulders.

Based on the type you choose and the purpose use, (interior or exterior, light or heavy duty lifting and manoeuvring capacities), you should be aware that all lift trucks come with hydraulics for lifting, lowering and perhaps side to side shifting placement of loads, and may be available in different fuel types; natural gas, propane, diesel and regular gasoline, and currently the most environmentally friendly, “battery electric”. With basic preventative maintenance, a good quality used lift truck can provide years of reliable service without any problems.

Perhaps the most obvious benefit from any lift truck is the ability to increase throughput by enabling (with ease) the movement of bulk or cumbersome items, loading trucks, stocking tall shelves, quickly filling customer orders, and minimizing needless back injuries, employee lost time, insurance claims and premiums.

No need to worry if the cash outlay isn’t there, you don’t have to take out a bank loan to purchase a good quality used lift truck. Frankly, the best, quickest and simplest solution is to lease it and write the lease cost off as a full business expense. Besides, it may not have much (if any) remaining book value. And, all other related costs can be put into a monthly payment plan that fits with your operational budget. Since it’s used, applicable taxes are usually much lower and can be spread over the term of the lease in your monthly payments, along with all delivery, training and preventative maintenance contract needs.

Couple this with the many benefits of using the equipment for all your businesses material handling needs and it becomes very clear why you should lease a used lift truck rather than purchase it. It’s all about your return on investment (ROI).

Good quality used lift trucks are available through a variety of sources, including private sellers, wholesale dealers, manufacturers’ pre-owned inventory, and FREE to post online classified ad sites where all of these sources are likely to be found.

The general rule of thumb for shopping is no different than it is for any big ticket item, and that being the need for doing your homework (product research) before venturing out to acquire a quality used lift truck. Of course, the internet is the best and first place you should go for consumer reports and user forum comments to find out the preferred brands and why, compare prices, get different model specs and features etc. And, as with any significant acquisition, it’s important to read through all the fine print, as some deals may appear much better than others.

Lastly, when introducing a lift truck into your workplace, ensure that all your employees receive proper training (mandatory in some states and provinces). Check online for material handling equipment training courses available in your area. Remember, this is a cost you can most likely have built into your equipment lease.

Again, a good quality used lift truck can make a huge difference to your business. Not only with improving productivity and throughput but with increasing the morale of your entire workforce. And, without a doubt, leasing makes much more sense than buying.

Design types

The following is a list of the more common lift truck types. It is arranged from the smallest type of lift truck to the largest:

• Hand pallet truck
• Walkie low lift truck (powered pallet truck, usually electrically powered)
• Rider low lift truck
• Towing tractor
• Walkie stacker
• Rider stacker
• Reach truck (small forklift, designed for small aisles, usually electrically powered, so-named because the forks can extend to reach the load)
• Electric counterbalanced truck
• IC counterbalanced truck
• Sideloader
• Telescopic handler
• Slip Sheet machine
• Walkie Order Picking truck
• Rider Order Picking truck (commonly called an "Order Picker"; like a small forklift, except the operator rides up to the load and transfers it article by article)
• Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks (commonly called "Flexi Truck")
• Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck - 'Man Down' (a type of reach truck designed for aisles less than five feet wide) and 'Man Riser' Combination pickcle Picker/ Stacker truck
• Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader
  

Look for Lift Trucks now.

This article was written by LeaseArrangers.com, a FREE to post classified ad site for B2B, B2C, and C2C buyers and sellers of big ticket items like Equipment, Real Estate, Transportation and more. Lease – Rent - Buy - Sell

Rules for Business Survival

How Your Business can Survive Tough Times

In a state of mass economic turmoil it’s crucial for your business to live by these three primary rules. And, by doing so, even at the very worst of times, your business will prosper.

1. Keep Overhead Costs Down:

Minimize overhead expenses everywhere you can. You’ll be surprised by how good it feels to “tighten the belts” and how quickly you and your staff become accustomed to working with less and in the long run understanding that “Less equals More”.

One of the largest expenses for most businesses is leased space. In this economy, many landlords are quite willing to renegotiate and make amendments to existing leases, especially if you’ve been a good paying tenant in the past. After all “a bird in hand is better than two in the bush”.

It’s not uncommon for a Landlord to let you pay only the additional rent portion for a 6 month period and add the base rent portion to the back end of your lease, or quite possibly lower the base rental rate for the next year or two by extending the term.

If you’re uncomfortable approaching your landlord, there are reputable tenant representatives who, for a very reasonable fee, and on a “pay per performance” basis, can either assist you with renegotiating your lease or they’ll do it for you. Obviously, the latter is at a higher fee, but in many cases, worth every penny if you have a difficult Landlord.

Remain flexible

If your lease is about to or has already expired and you need to find an alternative place to conduct business, in this economy it’s best to first consider subleasing (lease takeover) or any other short term options like sharing space with a strategic partner. Or, if you’re searching specifically for office space, consider executive office suites with all amenities and services included. This approach will keep you flexible with a quick early out.

Other areas to quickly reduce overhead costs could include renegotiating the lease or rental contract you have in place on your photocopier, computer systems, or heavy equipment like forklifts or special machinery, and quite possibly your cellular phone contracts. You can also approach your credit card companies and negotiate a reduced interest rate in order to keep the outstanding balance payments low.

On the other hand

If you find that you no longer have a need for your business space, equipment, machinery, or even a vehicle of any kind, a great option is to place an online ad to either have someone take over your lease or buy it outright. At LeaseArrangers.com you can post your own FREE ads related to items available and wanted for lease, lease takeover, sale, and rent.

Most leases are easily transferable, however, there may be a processing fee attached. It’s always best to check first with your lessor on the transferring details. Alternatively, if you find yourself in the market for additional equipment in order to capitalize on your competitor’s lack of performance, or you see a growth opportunity that you can’t pass up, you should consider taking over a lease yourself or leasing a used item rather than going with new.

Some leasing agents and companies have repossessed or off-lease inventory listed on their site or you can find a wide range of items available on FREE to self post sites like LeaseArrangers.com. And, you can even get a FREE lease quote from them on most items posted for sale over $5,000. The rule of thumb is; if it’s over $5k and can be registered on title, it can be leased.

2. Be Customer Selective:

By listing your current customer base; determine who's profitable, and who's not. If some are draining your resources, either raise their prices or get rid of them. Just like low to mediocre performing employees, you can't afford to carry unprofitable customers. The primary objective is to be lean and mean without sacrificing the quality or level of service everyone knows you provide.

This approach will force you to identify your ideal customer and to be much more selective of whom you want to do business with. Remember, your customer pool is always where your busy competitors market their products or services.

Unfortunately, in any tense economy it’s not a simple task to attract and secure new customers. Why?

The internet has made it far too easy for your new and existing customers to find your competitors. Although there’s more than enough room for everyone, you need to take a close look at how your products or services can be seen before your competitors, and directly in front of your target market!

Keep marketing

For many businesses, next to the leased space and employee salaries, advertising and marketing is the next biggest expense. When the economy weakens, the knee-jerk reaction is to do the exact worst thing - slash and try to go forward with very little or without altogether.

However, numerous studies have shown that companies who maintain (or better yet, accelerate) marketing activity in weak economic times reap the rewards in droves for the long term.

Statistically, a potential customer needs to actually see your brand a minimum of 7 times before you stand a chance of them becoming your customer. Can you really count on one person going back to your website 7 times? Not likely, but if they keep ending up on your site because they were on another site then I would venture to say 7 times will go by quickly.

If you have a specific product or product line you’re selling, the first thing you need to do is find a FREE (to post) site other than your own to put each of these products on display (preferably in different relevant categories).

Also, web feeds today can take a product for sale on your site and make it an ad on “their site” – a great example of this is LeaseArrangers.com. As they in turn promote their site to their various target markets, your products are found again and again by your potential customers.

And, if you don’t presently have your product items displayed on your website, LeaseArrangers.com is a place where after you post 10 or more items, they can transfer these ads to appear syndicated on your site under a linked “Our Product Inventory” heading that looks like it was always meant to be there.

Promote wisely

A very wise and cost effective approach to market your business products and services is to find a good website graphics student to create a series of electronic flash & still banners that promote your company, and then pay a small monthly fee to strategically place them in key category positions on various classified sites.

Banner ads that link back to your website, or directly to your product or service demo video can be a very smart and inexpensive way of promoting your company. Especially, if placed on “Next Generation” up and coming niche market websites where they offer a variety of local to national exposure positioning options.

When it comes to the big guns like MSN or Yahoo, unless you’re a fortune 100 to 500 company looking for some added brand exposure, the cost of placement and positioning on these sites will unlikely make financial sense.

Nonetheless, get pricing from numerous sites even if you think you can’t afford it. Use social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, mySpace, LinkedIn etc. for back linking to your business blog. Make a video about your product or service with your webcam and put it on YouTube linking back to your website. Use your local board of trade or chamber of commerce to get your message out. Attend networking events and don’t be shy to promote yourself behind your brand!

Regardless of the economic times, don’t be afraid to ask your current advertising suppliers for better pricing or longer terms. And, despite what your advertising and marketing budgets may be, you need to maintain good existing customers and attract and secure an abundance of new ones.

3. Continuously Improve:

Ask any successful business owner what their secret is and they’re likely to tell you “hard work and dedication”. Very true, however, this is tied directly to their commitment to continuously improve their business model and quickly adapt to change whenever necessary.

Ultimately, at all times every business leader needs to get the most from their work force, and openly communicating and planning every goal and objective with them is the key to a successful business.

That being said, instilling realistic performance measures and linking everyone’s compensation increases to the company’s achievements will drive a team approach that ensures the company will be agile enough to manoeuvre through the tides…smoothly!

Think creatively

Remember, salaries and wages are the single largest expense for most small businesses and during recessionary times there are many talented people looking for work.

If you've been muddling along with non team oriented employees, take note that they're likely dragging your business down, or at the very least, restricting it from improving and getting better. If you can't quickly bring their performance level up to where it needs to be, do the difficult thing and make some drastic changes. In this economy, there’s at least five others with an equal or better skill set waiting to take their position…tomorrow morning!

Constantly be attentive and on watch for fresh ideas and opportunities. Stay abreast of all press releases, news and trends related to your business industry and activities. Interact with a wide variety of entrepreneurs to get a clear picture of what they're doing. Learn from what's going on around you, and be poised to jump on good strategic opportunities when they come your way.

When the going gets tough, keen success driven business leaders really get going. Always be prepared to make changes in a proactive frame of mind. Your business can not only survive the recession, but also gain from it, provided however, you live by these fundamentals.

Post or Search for Equipment, Real estate, Transportation and More

This article was written by LeaseArrangers.com, a FREE to post classified ad site for B2B, B2C, and C2C buyers and sellers of big ticket items like Equipment, Real Estate, Transportation and more. Lease – Rent - Buy - Sell