(Source: Business Wire)In the eleven months since Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the formation of Boston Buying Power, hundreds of Boston's small businesses have teamed together to purchase electricity and control energy costs on the open market. In a recent example of Boston Buying Power program participants gaining access to energy prices and plans not normally available to individual small businesses, retail energy provider Constellation NewEnergy, a subsidiary of Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) signed 178 businesses to an aggregated electricity supply agreement for 117,000,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. The agreement gives participating businesses access to fixed pricing for a year and includes a provision that 10 percent of the electricity will come from renewable energy sources.

"Boston Buying Power gives service providers like Constellation NewEnergy the ability to offer large groups of small businesses competitive rates, fixed prices that shield against market fluctuations, and renewable energy offerings," said John Bennett, senior vice president of sales for Constellation NewEnergy. "Constellation NewEnergy is very pleased to be serving more than 400 businesses in total through the Boston Buying Power program, and delivering the benefits of competitive energy markets to a wider range of Greater Boston customers."

Taylor Consulting, the national utility management firm that serves as the Boston Buying Power preferred broker, oversees the program's electricity procurement, holding auctions every 45 days and aggregating individual businesses into purchasing groups. Taylor also offers participants state-of-the-art energy management platforms that give customers insight into energy usage and potential for further benefits through efficiency improvements.

"Combining the leverage gained through volume with the expertise from industry leading energy consultants and service providers gives Boston's businesses of all sizes the ability to make competitive energy markets work for them," said Scott Stiner, chief operating officer of Taylor Consulting. "Boston Buying Power demonstrates the City's commitment to a healthy and competitive small business community and the level of participation so far indicates that individual businesses are responding more than favorably to the program."

After justnine months, Boston Buying Power has already proved to be a tool for the business community that provides long-range stability at a time of otherwise uncertainty. Since Mayor Menino launched the program last November,more than 800 commercial and industrial companies, as well as non-profits from across the City, have benefited from being enrolled in the program.

For more information or to enroll in Boston Buying Power contact 888-317-3923/sales@utilitymodule.com or visit www.bostonbuyingpower.com.

About Constellation NewEnergy

Constellation NewEnergy (www.newenergy.com) is a leading competitive supplier of electricity, natural gas and energy-related services to commercial, industrial and institutional customers throughout the United States. A subsidiary of Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG), Constellation NewEnergy operates in all competitive energy markets throughout the U.S., providing products that enable customers to effectively manage and control energy costs.

About Constellation Energy

Constellation Energy (www.constellation.com) is a leading supplier of energy products and services to wholesale and retail electric and natural gas customers. It owns a diversified fleet of generating units located throughout the United States, totaling approximately 9,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and is among the leaders pursuing the development of new nuclear plants in the United States. The company delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland. A FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Baltimore, Constellation Energy had revenues of $19.8 billion in 2008.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.