Have you ever shopped for electricity rates for your home or business and found yourself obsessed with getting a lower and lower rate? You set out to simply lock in a rate and the next thing you know, you are checking the internet daily for electricity rates, just as you would check stock prices. It can make you want to pull your hair out!

There is a better way to shop for electricity products that will allow you to lock in a very good rate and lower your stress level. The secret is to buy at the right time. An analysis of the Market Clearing Price for Electricity ("MCPE") Index from January 2005 - December 2008 reveals that there are certain months that have historically reflected lower electricity rates.

The bold line on the inserted graph indicates the average MCPE rate for the Houston/CenterPoint area from January 2005 - December 2008. The months with points above this line are indicative of times of the year when electricity rates are historically higher. The months that fall below the line are months when electricity rates are typically lower than average. According to this analysis, the best time to buy electricity is February, followed by January, November, December, and finally, March.

Instead of stressing over $0.0035/kWh that you may save if you go with a different electricity provider, you can simply choose the company you trust and purchase electricity when rates are typically lower. If you have a good payment history with your current electricity provider, they may work with you to accomplish this goal.

When selecting an electricity company, you should consider participating in C.I.A. Services' Electricity Savings Program with Tara Energy. Tara Energy reserves special rates for residents in C.I.A. Services' communities. Plus, through the end of February, you will receive $50 off your residential electricity bill. You can view rates for your home and sign up online by visiting www.TaraEnergy.com using promo code: CIASERVICES1106. For more information or to receive a rate quote for your business, call 866-GET-TARA or email associations@taraenergy.com.

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Hockey Nights 2010

The World Series is over. There is a chill in the air. That can only mean that hockey is back! The American Hockey League season began in October and the Houston Aeros and San Antonio Rampage are doing well. This year we have a third Texas team in the mix - the Texas Stars out of Cedar Park near Austin. And the Texas teams are leading the division with the Stars, Rampage and Aeros in the top three spots ahead of four ice-belt teams.

Our 12th Annual Hockey Night with the Houston Aeros will be held on February 27th when the Aeros take on the 1st place Texas Stars. The Stars are the minor league affiliate of the Dallas Stars so this will become an in-state rivalry (think Texans versus Cowboys). Our 2nd Annual Hockey Night with the San Antonio Rampage will be held on March 27th when the Rampage will take on the Lake Erie Monsters. Currently the Monsters are in the cellar of one of this year's toughest divisions so they are not a push-over. We don't see them often so the game will be exciting.

Each year, we invite our community volunteers, employees and friends to join us to watch a fun game. We have lots of door prizes, our collectible cowbells and programs for hockey newcomers. Everyone has a great time watching a fast-paced and really cool game. Click the photos below to see fun from the last few years.

2007	2008
Houston 2009	San Antonio 2009

Personal invitations with more details will be mailed to our community volunteers and board members in January. Until then, mark your calendars for February 27th in Houston and March 27th in San Antonio. However, if you can't wait, feel free to reserve your tickets now by sending an email to HockeyNight@ciaservices.com.

Santa Calling

Would you like to do something special for a child this Christmas? How about asking Santa to give them a phone call? Watch their eyes light up as they receive a personal phone call from Santa Claus! Think back to when you were a child and the excitement you would have felt with that deep, jolly voice on the other end of the line.

There are dozens of websites where you can customize and schedule a phone call. Check http://www.santashotline.com/ or just type "Santa Calling" into your favorite search engine. Some provide fun phone calls with different themes for free and others can be highly customized for a few dollars. At that price, have Santa call all the good little girls and boys you know!

Upcoming Seminars

Our final seminars for 2009 in the C.I.A. Services Seminar Series occur in November. This is our 7th year of presenting educational seminars for our board members and other community volunteers. Each seminar concentrates on the practical aspects of the topic and provides board members with background knowledge to help them in their decision making. We consistently receive positive feedback on the content and presentation. To view the seminar descriptions and full schedule, click here or visit the Library page of our website.

Each seminar begins at 6:00 p.m. and runs 2 hours. We provide deli sandwiches so you won't have to rush to eat dinner beforehand.  You'll leave with knowledge you can use immediately and a great notebook with the seminar slides, samples and reference materials.

Facilities, Contracts & Maintenance If you don't know the difference between a vacuum breaker and a vacuum head and you're not comfortable wandering around a swimming pool pump room, then this seminar is for you. We'll review your major facilities and equipment including irrigation systems, pool mechanical equipment, gate operators and explain how they work (and fail). We'll move onto the essentials of bidding major contracts. When we're finished, you'll be talking like a skilled contractor! November 9, 2009 (Monday), 6:00 p.m. — North Office November 18, 2009 (Wednesday), 6:00 p.m. — Southwest Office

You can register at any time by calling 713-981-9000 or emailing seminars@ciaservices.com.

Community of the Month

We are proud of every one of our communities so it is always hard to find just one to highlight. We start by having each of our Community Managers write a nomination for one of their communities. We then read them and take a vote. Here are our most recent selections:

• November - Post Wood Civic Association
  North Office - Anna Marron, Community Manager
• October - Plantation at Woodforest Community Association
  North Office - Brenda Ellington, Community Manager
• September - Quail Green Homeowners Association
  Southwest Office - Tony Victorino, Community Manager

To see the full story on these communities and to see the past winners, visit the Community of the Month page on our web site.

Anniversaries

Every month we appreciate the communities that are celebrating their anniversaries with us. Here are the clients that started with us in November.

• Heather Ridge Homeowners Association — 18 years
• Lochshire Maintenance Fund Inc — 16 years
• Atascocita West Community Improvement Association — 12 years
• Community Association of the Highlands — 12 years
• Southdown Community Association — 11 years
• Pine Brook Community Association — 9 years
• Plantation at Woodforest Community Association — 9 years
• Legends Run Homeowners Association — 6 years
• Oak Park Ridge Homeowners Association — 6 years
• Silver Ridge Homeowners Association — 6 years
• The Stable Gate Homeowners' Association — 5 years
• Heron Nest Owners Association — 2 years

Our goal has always been to create a positive, long term relationship with all of our client communities. We are very proud to be managing all of these communities.

Employee Spotlight

• Congratulations to Brenda Alvarez on her 21st anniversary with us. Brenda is a stockholder and Community Manager and the Office Manager for our North office.
• Congratulations to Ed Barnett on his 10th anniversary with us. Ed is a stockholder and Maintenance Coordinator at our Southwest office.
• Welcome to Courtney Chiodi who has recently joined our Southwest office as an administrative assistant.
• And welcome back to Liz Wiles. We are glad to have Liz back coordinating Home Improvement Requests submitted to our Southwest office.
• Thank you to Kim Easterling for conducting the October Board Member Orientation seminar.

Brenda Alvarez		Ed Barnett		Courtney Chiodi

Liz Wiles		Kim Easterling