Bidding for energy supply with request for service

• US 6,598,029 B1
• Filed: 04/04/2000
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Geophonic Networks Inc.
• Original Assignee: Geophonic Networks Inc.
• Inventors: Coyle, William F., Johnson, Jack J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHARLES, DEBRA F
• Application Number:
  US09/542,451
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 705/412, 705/400, 705/10, 705/40, 705/34, 705/63, 379/112, 379/115, 706/45, 706/46, 706/47, 706/48, 706/49, 706/50
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/00 Coin-freed apparatus with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator (Moderator) receives bids from the competing suppliers of the rate each is willing to charge to particular end users for estimated quantities of electric power or gas supply (separate auctions). Each supplier receives competing bids from the Moderator and has the opportunity to adjust its own bids down or up, depending on whether it wants to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier'"'"'s bids can also be changed to reflect each supplier'"'"'s capacity utilization. Appropriate billing arrangements are also disclosed.

The technology required to facilitate forward delivery transactions, in which a buyer and seller agree to the terms of a transaction today but schedule the delivery for a future time, would be helpful to end users, resellers and suppliers. The Moderator can facilitate such transactions by processing requests for end users or resellers (as buyers) for energy needs to be delivered in the future by suppliers. In order to provide the Moderator with sufficient information to process such a request, the buyer will enter the information describing the request on a software-derived template and transmit such information to the Moderator.

Claims

1. A method for creating an automated bidding process among energy Providers and Buyers of energy in which a moderating computer collects economic incentive data from each energy Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, processes the economic incentive data and selects a first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to a first Buyer, based on an economic choice, wherein the method comprises, in the Moderator:

a. receiving from the first Buyer, a request for energy supply to be delivered to a specified delivery destination during at least one specific future time interval;

b. processing the request and distributing the processed request to a plurality of energy Providers;

c. receiving a response, including the economic incentive data, from at least one of the energy Providers;

d. transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

e. entering the economic incentive data in a database, processing the economic incentive data, producing derivative data and storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in a database of the Moderator as first Buyer set data;

f. processing the first Buyer set data and selecting a first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the first Buyer; and

g. transmitting a selection notification to the first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers, selected by the Moderator to provide energy to the first Buyer.

2. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator transmits to the first Buyer at least a portion of the information contained in the selection notification.

3. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator transmits to the first Buyer'"'"'s local energy distribution company at least a portion of the information contained in the selection notification.

4. A method of claim 1 including, in the Moderator, transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to the first Buyer.

5. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator receives the request from the first Buyer by means of the first Buyer entering request data into a first software defined template.

6. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator maintains a website or computer bulletin board comprising a first software defined template in which the first Buyer enters request data.

7. A method of claim 1 in which the request data comprises a plurality of the following elements:

the delivery destination of the energy to be supplied;

the specific future time interval;

an amount of required energy;

required quality of service criteria;

a set of acceptable energy Providers; and

the maximum acceptable economic incentive.

8. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator distributes the processed requests to the energy Providers by posting the processed requests on a website or computer bulletin board maintained by the Moderator and accessible to the energy Providers.

9. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator receives, from at least one energy Provider, the response to the request by means of the at least one Provider entering response data into a second software defined template.

10. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator receives response data from at least one energy Provider by means of a website or computer bulletin board comprising a second software defined template.

11. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator receives a set of decision rules from the first Buyer and processes the request, together with the set of decision rules, to formulate a processed request.

12. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator receives a set of decision rules from the first Buyer and processes the economic incentive data and the decision rules to generate first Buyer set data.

13. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator selects the first Provider which is a default energy Provider.

14. A method of claim 1 in which, in response to a query, at least a portion of the economic incentive data is transmitted by the Moderator to the first Buyer or to at least a portion of the energy Providers.

15. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator transmits at least a portion of the economic incentive data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers subsequent to the selection of the first Provider.

16. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator receives, from the first Buyer'"'"'s local energy distribution company or an independent third party meter reading service entity, periodic usage reports associated with the first Buyer.

17. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator transmits, to the first Provider, periodic usage reports associated with the first Buyer.

18. A method of claim 1 in which the request and periodic usage reports associated with the first Buyer are made available by the Moderator to the first Provider and the first Buyer by means of an Internet website or computer bulletin board.

19. A method of claim 1 in which the Moderator selects more than one energy Provider to supply energy to the first Buyer at the same delivery destination for at least a portion of the same specific future time interval.

20. A method of claim 1 in which the first Provider receives periodic usage reports associated with the first Buyer from the first Buyer'"'"'s local energy distribution company or an independent third party meter reading service entity.

21. A method for creating an automated bidding process among energy Providers and Buyers of energy in which a moderating computer collects economic incentive data from each Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, processes the economic incentive data and distributes processed data to a first control computer associated with at least one Buyer, thereby enabling the first control computer to select a first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the Buyer, based on an economic choice, wherein the method comprises:

a. in the Buyer, formulating a request for energy supply to be delivered to a specified delivery destination during at least one specific future time interval and transmitting that request to the moderating computer;

b. in the moderating computer, processing such request and distributing a processed request to a plurality of energy Providers;

c. in at least one energy Provider, receiving the processed request, formulating a response to the processed request and transmitting such response, including economic incentive data, to the moderating computer;

d. in the moderating computer, receiving the response from at least one of the energy Providers, including economic incentive data specifying the economic incentive each energy Provider will place on a unit of energy provided to the Buyer, processing the economic incentive data to determine which of the economic incentive data correspond to the first control computer and to produce derivative data, and storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in a data base of the moderating computer as first control computer data;

e. in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to the first control computer associated with the Buyer;

f. in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

g. in the first control computer, receiving the first control computer data, processing the first control computer data, and generating provider selection data; and

h. in the first control computer, selecting the first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the Buyer.

22. A method of claim 21 in which the first Provider receives periodic usage reports associated with the Buyer from the Moderator, from the Buyer'"'"'s local energy distribution company, or from an independent third party meter reading service entity.

23. A method of claim 21 including, in the first control computer, notifying the moderating computer of the selection of the first Provider to provide energy to the Buyer.

24. A method of claim 23 including, in the moderating computer, transmitting a selection notification to the first Provider.

25. A method of claim 21 in which the moderating computer performs at least a portion of the functions of the first control computer.

26. A method of claim 21 including, in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to the Buyer.

27. A method for conducting an automated bidding process among a plurality of energy Providers and Buyers, comprising:

a. transmitting a Buyer'"'"'s request for energy supply to a moderating computer;

b. processing the request and distributing the processed request to a plurality of energy Providers;

c. in a first Provider, formulating a response to this request and transmitting the response, including economic incentive data, to the moderating computer;

d. in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to at least a portion of the energy Providers;

e. prioritizing the economic incentive data that apply to the Buyer;

f. designating the first Provider to be the designated Provider of energy to the Buyer on the basis of the prioritized economic incentive data; and

g. transmitting to the first Provider a notice of its designation and periodic usage reports, thereby enabling the first Provider to efficiently adjust its energy supply during the time interval in which the first Provider supplies energy to the Buyer.

28. A Moderator for enabling an automated auction among a plurality of energy Providers and Buyers of energy in accordance with economic incentives arrived at through a bidding process, comprising:

a. a computer with a processor and a memory;

b. means for receiving from a Buyer, a request for energy to be delivered to a specified delivery destination during at least one specific future time interval and storing the request in the memory;

c. means for processing the request to formulate a processed request;

d. means for transmitting the processed request to the plurality of energy Providers;

e. means for receiving a response, including the economic incentive data, relating to the request for energy from at least one energy Provider and storing the data in the memory;

f. means for transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

g. means within the processor for producing derivative data based on the economic incentive data and storing the economic incentive data and derivative data in the memory as first Buyer set data;

h. means for processing the first Buyer set data and selecting a first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the Buyer; and

i. means for transmitting a selection notification to the first Provider.

29. A Moderator of claim 28 including means for transmitting to the Buyer at least a portion of the information contained in the selection notification.

30. A Moderator of claim 28 including means for transmitting to the Buyer'"'"'s local energy distribution company at least a portion of the information contained in the selection notification.

31. A Moderator of claim 28 including means for transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to the Buyer.

32. A Moderator of claim 28 including means for receiving a set of decision rules from the Buyer and processing the economic incentive data and the decision rules to generate first Buyer set data.

33. A Moderator of claim 28 comprising a website or a computer bulletin board accessible to the Buyer, provided with a first software defined template, for entry of request data by the Buyer.

34. A Moderator of claim 28 comprising a website or a computer bulletin board, accessible by the energy Providers, for posting processed requests.

35. A Moderator of claim 28 comprising a website or a computer bulletin board accessible by the energy Providers, provided with a second software defined template, for the entry of response data by the energy Providers.

36. A Moderator of claim 28 comprising an adjunct computer equipped to handle at least a portion of the Moderator'"'"'s processing and communication functions.

37. A Moderator of claim 28 including means for transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers subsequent to the selection of the first Provider.

38. A Moderator of claim 28 including means for receiving and responding to queries, from the Buyer or the energy Providers, requesting at least a portion of the economic incentive data.

39. A Moderator of claim 28 including means for transmitting, to the first Provider, periodic usage reports associated with the first Buyer.

40. A Moderator of claim 28 including means for receiving, from the Buyer'"'"'s local energy distribution company or an independent third party meter reading service entity, periodic usage reports associated with the Buyer.

41. A Moderator of claim 28 including means to make periodic usage reports associated with the Buyer available to the first Provider and the Buyer by means of an Internet website or computer bulletin board.

42. A Moderator of claim 28 including means to select more than one energy Provider to supply energy to the Buyer at the same delivery destination for at least a portion of the same specific future time interval.

43. A method for managing the provision of energy, by a first Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, to a Buyer of a plurality of Buyers in accordance with economic incentives arrived at through a bidding process involving a central processor, referred to as a Moderator, comprising the steps of:

a. in each of the energy Providers, collecting energy availability data corresponding to the energy the Provider can make available to the Buyer, and entering the energy availability data into its network management computer'"'"'s network management database;

b. in the Buyer, formulating a request for energy supply to be delivered to a specified delivery destination during at least one specific future time interval and transmitting that request to the Moderator;

c. in the Moderator, processing such request and distributing a processed request to a plurality of energy Providers;

d. in at least one energy Provider, receiving the processed request, formulating a response to the processed request and transmitting such response, including economic incentive data, to the Moderator;

e. in the Moderator, receiving the response including the economic incentives from at least one of the energy Providers, entering the economic incentives from each energy Provider in the Moderator'"'"'s database, and sorting the economic incentives to identify all economic incentives associated with the Buyer;

f. in the Moderator, transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentives received by the Moderator to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

g. in the Moderator, processing the economic incentive data, generating provider selection data, and populating the Moderator'"'"'s database with the provider selection data;

h. in the Moderator, selecting a first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the Buyer, in accordance with the provider selection data;

i. in the Moderator, notifying the first Provider of the selection and transmitting, to the first Provider'"'"'s network management computer, periodic usage reports associated with the Buyer; and

j. in the first Provider, processing the periodic usage reports from the Moderator and adjusting its energy production in accordance with the periodic usage reports.

44. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator notifies the Buyer that the first Provider has been selected to provide energy to the Buyer.

45. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator notifies the Buyer'"'"'s local energy distribution company that the first Provider has been selected to provide energy to the Buyer.

46. A method of claim 43 including the Moderator transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to the Buyer.

47. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator makes available at least a portion of the economic incentive data by posting it to a website or a computer bulletin board maintained by the Moderator and accessible to a plurality of the energy Providers and to the Buyer.

48. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator receives a set of decision rules from the Buyer and processes the economic incentive data and the decision rules to generate provider selection data.

49. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator receives, from the Buyer'"'"'s local distribution company or an independent third party meter reading service entity, periodic usage reports associated with the Buyer.

50. A method of claim 43 including the Moderator transmitting periodic usage reports to the Buyer.

51. A method of claim 43 including the first Provider and the Buyer querying the Moderator for the periodic usage reports.

52. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator distributes the periodic usage reports by posting them on a website or a computer bulletin board maintained by the Moderator and accessible to the first Provider and the Buyer.

53. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator transmits, to the Buyer'"'"'s local distribution company, periodic usage reports associated with the Buyer.

54. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator distributes the processed requests to the energy Providers by posting the processed requests, and the Moderator receives the response to the processed request, at a website or a computer bulletin board maintained by the Moderator and accessible to the energy Providers.

55. A method of claim 43 in which at least a portion of the Moderator'"'"'s processing and communication functions are performed by a computer adjunct to the Moderator.

56. A method of claim 43 in which at least a portion of the first Provider'"'"'s network management computer'"'"'s processing and communication functions are performed by a computer adjunct to the first Provider'"'"'s network management computer.

57. A method of claim 43 including the further step of, in at least one energy Provider'"'"'s network management computer, receiving management instructions from that energy Provider'"'"'s network management administrator and formulating economic incentives for at least a portion of the Provider'"'"'s available energy, based on the management instructions, the energy availability data and the economic incentives available from at least one other energy Provider.

58. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator transmits to the first Provider a specification of the estimated energy requirements the first Provider should expect to provide to the Buyer.

59. A method of claim 43 in which the Moderator selects more than one energy Provider to supply energy to the Buyer at the same delivery destination for at least a portion of the same specific future time interval.

60. A method for managing the provision of energy, by a first Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, to a Buyer associated with a control computer in accordance with economic incentives arrived at through a bidding process involving a central processor, referred to as a bidding Moderator, comprising the steps of:

a. in each of the energy Providers, collecting energy availability data, corresponding to the energy the Provider can make available to the Buyer, and entering the energy availability data into the network management database of the energy Provider'"'"'s network management computer;

b. in the Buyer, formulating a request for energy supply to be delivered to a specified delivery destination during at least one specific future time interval and transmitting the request to the Moderator;

c. in the Moderator, processing the request and distributing a processed request to a plurality of energy Providers;

d. in at least one energy Provider, receiving the processed request, formulating a response to the processed request and transmitting such response, including economic incentive data, to the Moderator;

e. in the Moderator, receiving the response from at least one of the energy Providers, including economic incentive data specifying the economic incentive each energy Provider will place on a unit of energy provided to the Buyer, processing the economic incentive data to determine which of the economic incentive data correspond to a first control computer associated with the Buyer and to produce derivative data, and storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in a data base of the Moderator as first control computer data;

f. in the Moderator, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to the first control computer associated with the Buyer;

g. in the Moderator, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

h. in the first control computer, receiving the first control computer data, processing the first control computer data, and generating provider selection data;

i. in the first control computer, selecting the first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers for the provision of energy to the Buyer;

j. in the Moderator, notifying the first Provider of its selection and transmitting, to the first Provider'"'"'s network management computer, periodic usage reports associated with the Buyer; and

k. in the first Provider, processing the periodic usage reports from the Moderator and adjusting its energy production in accordance with the periodic usage reports.

61. A method of claim 60 in which the first control computer is a computer adjunct to the Moderator.

62. A method of claim 60 in which the Moderator performs at least a portion of the functions of the first control computer.

63. A method of claim 60 in which the Moderator notifies the Buyer and the Buyer'"'"'s local energy distribution company that the first Provider has been selected to provide energy to the Buyer.

64. A method of claim 60 in which the Moderator transmits at least a portion of the economic incentive data to the Buyer.

65. A method of claim 60 in which the Moderator receives, from the Buyer'"'"'s local distribution company or an independent third party meter reading service entity, periodic usage reports associated with the Buyer.

66. A method of claim 60 in which the Moderator transmits periodic energy usage reports to the Buyer.

67. A method for billing a Buyer for energy purchased, resulting from a bidding process involving a central processor, referred to as a Moderator, wherein the method comprises, in the Moderator:

a. receiving from a first Buyer, a request for energy supply to be delivered to a specified delivery destination during at least one specific future time interval;

b. processing the request and distributing a processed request to a plurality of energy Providers;

c. receiving a response, including economic incentive data, from at least one of the energy Providers;

d. transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

e. entering the economic incentive data in a database, processing the economic incentive data, producing derivative data and storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in a database of the Moderator as first Buyer set data;

f. processing the first Buyer set data and selecting a first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the first Buyer;

g. processing at least a portion of the information contained in the request, the identity of the first Buyer, the identity of the first Provider, and the economic incentive data transmitted by the first Provider to the Moderator in response to the request, to produce a billing record and storing the billing record in a billing database; and

h. processing the billing record to generate a bill for energy purchased in connection with the request.

68. A method of claim 67 in which the Moderator transmits a bill to the first Buyer and the first Provider.

69. A method of claim 68 in which the bill is transmitted to the first Buyer and the first Provider prior to the specific future time interval.

70. A method of claim 67 further comprising posting the bill in electronic form at an Internet website or a computer bulletin board accessible to the first Buyer and the first Provider.

71. A method of claim 67 in which the first Buyer is a reseller of energy supply.

72. A method of claim 67 in which at least a portion of the Moderator'"'"'s processing and communication functions are performed by a billing computer.

73. A method of claim 72 in which the billing computer is a computer adjunct to the Moderator.

74. A method of claim 72 in which the billing computer is controlled by an agent independent of the Moderator.

75. A method of claim 67 in which the Moderator processes the economic incentive data collected from the plurality of energy Providers and distributes processed data to a first control computer associated with the first Buyer, thereby enabling the first control computer to select the first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the first Buyer, based on an economic choice, and to transmit notice of that selection to the Moderator.

76. A method for billing a Buyer for energy used during a billing period, resulting from a bidding process in which the Buyer transmits to a moderating computer a request for energy supply to be delivered to a specified delivery destination at a specific future time interval and, in response to such a request, the moderating computer collects economic incentive data from each Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, processes the economic incentive data and selects a first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the Buyer, based on an economic choice, wherein the billing method comprises:

a. storing in the database of the moderating computer a request identifier associated with the request for energy supply, the Buyer submitting the request, the first Provider selected to provide energy to fulfill the request, and the economic incentive data transmitted by the first Provider to the moderating computer in response to the request;

b. receiving, in the moderating computer, energy usage data, including at least a Buyer identifier, an usage reporting interval and the amount of energy used;

c. associating the energy usage data with the request identifier to produce a billing record including the request identifier, the Buyer identifier, a first Provider identifier, the energy usage data, and the portion of the economic incentive data applicable to the energy used by the Buyer;

d. storing the billing record in a billing database; and

e. sorting the billing database and generating a bill for energy usage associated with each Buyer identifier during the billing period.

77. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer sorts the billing database by Buyer identifier and by request identifier and generates a bill for energy usage associated with each Buyer identifier and the applicable request identifier during the billing period.

78. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer sorts the billing database by Buyer identifier and by first Provider identifier and generates bills for energy usage associated with each Buyer identifier and the applicable first Provider identifier during the billing period.

79. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer receives the energy usage data from a metering device measuring the energy supplied to the Buyer.

80. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer receives the energy usage data from the Buyer'"'"'s local energy distribution company.

81. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer receives the energy usage data from an independent third party meter reading service entity.

82. A method of claim 76 in which the Buyer identifier includes information identifying a metering device measuring the energy supplied to the Buyer.

83. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer receives energy usage data by querying a metering device measuring energy supplied to the Buyer.

84. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer transmits a bill to the Buyer and the first Provider.

85. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer generates and transmits a bill to the Buyer and the first Provider prior to the specific future time interval.

86. A method of claim 76 further comprising posting the bill in electronic form at an Internet website or a computer bulletin board accessible to the Buyer and the first Provider.

87. A method of claim 76 in which at least a portion of the processing and communication functions of the moderating computer are performed by a billing computer.

88. A method of claim 87 in which the billing computer is a computer adjunct to the moderating computer.

89. A method of claim 87 in which the billing computer is controlled by an agent independent of the moderating computer.

90. A method of claim 76 in which the Buyer is a reseller of energy supply.

91. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer receives the energy usage data from a metering device measuring energy supplied to an end user served by a Buyer who is a reseller.

92. A method of claim 76 in which the moderating computer processes the economic incentive data collected from the plurality of energy Providers and distributes processed data to a first control computer associated with the Buyer, thereby enabling the first control computer to select the first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the Buyer, based on an economic choice, and to transmit notice of that selection to the moderating computer.

93. A method for creating an automated bidding process among energy Providers and end users in which a moderating computer collects economic incentive data from each Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, processes the economic incentive data and distributes processed data to a first control computer associated with at least one end user, thereby enabling the first control computer to select a first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the at least one end user, based on an economic choice, wherein the method comprises:

a. receiving in the moderating computer, economic incentive data specifying the economic incentive each Provider will place on a unit of energy provided to the at least one end user, processing the economic incentive data to determine which of the economic incentive data correspond to a first control computer and to produce derivative data, and storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in a data base of the moderating computer as first control computer data;

b. in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to the first control computer associated with the at least one end user;

c. in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

d. in the first control computer, receiving the first control computer data, processing the first control computer data and generating provider selection data; and

e. in the first control computer, selecting the first Provider of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the at least one end user.

94. A method of claim 93 including, in the first control computer, notifying the moderating computer of the selection of the first Provider to provide energy to the at least one end user.

95. A method of claim 94 including, in the moderating computer, transmitting a selection notification to the first Provider.

96. A method of claim 93 in which the moderating computer transmits to the first Provider periodic usage reports associated with at least one end user.

97. A method of claim 95 including, in the moderating computer, transmitting to the at least one end user at least a portion of the information contained in the selection notification.

98. A method of claim 95 including, in the moderating computer, transmitting to the at least one end user'"'"'s local energy distribution company at least a portion of the information contained in the selection notification.

99. A method of claim 93 including, in the first control computer, transmitting a selection notification to the first Provider.

100. A method of claim 99 including, in the first control computer, transmitting to at least one end user'"'"'s local energy distribution company at least a portion of the information contained in the selection notification.

101. A method of claim 93 in which the first control computer is a computer adjunct to the moderating computer.

102. A method of claim 93 in which the moderating computer performs at least a portion of the first control computer'"'"'s processing and communications functions.

103. A method of claim 93 including, in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to the at least one end user.

104. A method of claim 93 comprising, in the moderating computer, receiving decision rules from the at least one end user and processing the economic incentive data and the decision rules to generate first control computer data.

105. A method of claim 93 comprising, in the first control computer, receiving decision rules from the at least one end user, processing the first control computer data and the decision rules to generate provider selection data, and selecting the first Provider of the plurality of Providers for the provision of energy to the at least one end user.

106. A method of claim 93 in which the end users include resellers of energy supply.

107. A method of claim 93 in which the first Provider selected by the first control computer corresponds to a default energy Provider.

108. A method of claim 93 in which the moderating computer transmits at least a portion of the first control computer data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers subsequent to the selection of the first Provider.

109. A method of claim 93 in which the moderating computer transmits, to the at least one end user, periodic usage reports associated with the at least one end user.

110. A method of claim 93 in which the moderating computer transmits to the first Provider (i) a specification of estimated energy requirements the first Provider should expect to provide to the at least one end user and (ii) periodic usage reports associated with the at least one end user.

111. A method of claim 93 in which the at least one end user'"'"'s local energy distribution company transmits periodic usage reports to the first Provider.

112. A method of claim 111 in which the local energy distribution company includes an independent third party meter reading service entity.

113. A method of claim 110 in which the specification and the periodic usage reports are made available to the first Provider by means of an internet website or computer bulletin board.