Gelo Cristal, a company located in Vale do Paraíba, in the interior of São Paulo, you achieved monthly savings of around 30% on your electricity bill throughout 2024.
The factory specialized in selling cubed and crushed ice is one of the more than 26 thousand consumers who migrated to the Free Energy Market last year - a record volume and three times greater than in the whole of 2023, according to CCEE (Electric Energy Commercialization Chamber).
“The amount saved is significant, because electricity is among the three biggest costs of our production”, explains Anderson Luiz Silvério, director of the company.
To this market in which consumers have more freedom to negotiate their contracts and the price of electricity, Gelo Cristal had the of Armor Energia, a retailer that represents companies before CCEE, conducting and facilitating the process.
Migrations triple in 2024 and break record in the free market
“There are currently many opportunities for small and medium-sized companies in the Free Market, which provide savings and also the possibility of investing in energy transition, with the acquisition of electricity generated by renewable sources”, highlights Fred Menezes, executive director of Armor Energia.
Contracts can be drawn up according to the needs of each company, but the most common models are the “guaranteed discount”, in which the consumer receives a percentage discount on the energy distributor’s tariff, and the “fixed price”, in which a value per MWh is defined and the consumer is protected against price fluctuations in the Regulated Market – especially tariff flags and their additional charges.
According to CCEE, almost 75% of consumers arriving at Mercado Livre are small and medium-sized companies, whose hip must occur through a retailer.
Economy in the Free Market
The electricity bill has always been one of the main production costs at Gelo Cristal, alongside expenses with diesel oil for distribution and plastic for packaging.
“During the period of highest demand, energy costs reach R$45 per month, so a 30% reduction is very significant,” explains Silvério.
In addition to ice production, the maintenance of freezers and refrigeration chambers contributes to the high electricity consumption of this sector. The search for alternatives began when Gelo Cristal invested in generating solar energy for its own consumption.
“At that time, a company of our size could not enter the Mercado Livre, so we invested in solar energy, and we have 184 photovoltaic s installed that meet part of our consumption”, explains the businessman.
But the opening of the market to all high and medium voltage consumers, which took place at the beginning of 2024, changed the scenario and brought new alternatives.
“The opening of the market presented an even more advantageous opportunity, because it offers savings and does not require an initial investment, which is a high value for the company's cash flow”, assesses Silvério.
Savings on the electricity bill allowed the company to invest in innovation, new machinery and an increase in production capacity. “It will double, from 45 tons/day to 90 tons/day,” says Silvério.
Currently, distributed generation with solar s meets 40% of Gelo Cristal's energy demand, complemented by energy purchased on the Free Market, which represents 60% of consumption.
“We are still looking for sustainable alternatives for other areas of the company, but we are pleased to say that our electricity supply is now 100% renewable,” concludes Silvério.
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