Your energy bill is made up of several charges, including the cost of transmission and distribution of the energy. But only the energy portion of the bill is competitively priced. The wires and pipes that bring electricity and natural gas to your home, business or factory are still owned by the traditional utility company, and the transmission and distribution charges are still set by regulators. But the energy is competitively priced and provided by suppliers, called ESCOs, competing for the customer’s business, which helps lower electricity rates. The utility will provide one consolidated bill, which helps keep shopping for energy uncomplicated.

The bottom line is in certain states, a part of your utility bill is competitively priced, if you opt-in.

This market, called the retail energy market, is the subject of today's episode of Raising Your Antenna. Joining us to demystify the retail energy markets and address the challenges and opportunities in today’s retail energy market are Jack Doueck and Larry Leiken, co-founders of the Energy Marketing Conferences. EMC is the largest gathering of retail energy executives in North America and it takes place twice a year: Houston, Texas in the Spring and New York City in the Fall. This year's conference in NYC will be September 12 at the Midtown Hilton Hotel.