Energy choice is bringing thousands of consumers lower energy bills in cities across the country who have embraced electricity and natural gas competition. Some areas are seeing larger savings dependent on a number of issues including how the specific state’s energy choice bill was written and how the local utility purchases their power supply for default paying customers, or consumers who are slow to shop for lower competitive electric rates.

Pennsylvania electricity customers in the Duquesne Light area are seeing some of the best electric rate shopping opportunities in the history of energy choice. Duquesne Light delivers power to over 560,000 residential customers in western Pennsylvania in the Pittsburgh area and suburbs. Customers in this area who remain on the Duquesne Light Price to Compare – the default rate structure that non-choice participants pay for power – can enter into an fixed electric rate contract with a competitive supplier that is over 30% lower; simply put, they can save over 30% on their Duquesne Light electric bill.

To date, over 44% of Duquesne Light residential customers have taken the time to search, find, and compare electric rates. These customers are enjoying electric bills that are 30% lower than if they hadn’t taken a few minutes to search for the best Duquesne Light electric rate. All else considered, the switch percentage in western Pennsylvania is healthy and high enough to ensure that Pennsylvania electric choice remains constant in the state. However, this also means that close to 56% of the residential electric bills that Duquesne Light sends out every month are missing out on a huge savings potential.

Here are a list of some of the best Duquesne Light electric rates, updated everyday:

Duquesne Light no longer offers the cheapest electric rates in Pittsburgh. The keystone state’s decision to restructure their electricity market and give consumers a choice of who supplies their home with power has pushed prices down.

Competition has allowed alternative energy companies to enter the market, offering electric rates that are cheaper than Duquesne Light rates. Duquesne Light serves as the regulated power delivery company in the Pittsburgh area. They charge utility delivery rates that are monitored by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, as well as default supply rates for Pittsburgh electricity consumers who do not take the time to shop for cheaper electric rates.

Customers in Pittsburgh looking to lower their Duquesne electric bill can to so easily by selecting a competitive electric rate from an alternative electricity company. The competitive electric rate will simply replace the Duquesne Light default rate on the bill, so if the rate is lower the customer’s bill will be less.

See updated electric rate offers below being offered in the Duquesne Light service area.

Duquesne Light customers who have not shopped for competitive electricity rates are paying much more for power than they need to. Recently Duquesne Light increased their price to compare rate, the rate customers pay for electricity who have not selected an alternative supplier, from 9.32 cents to 9.89 cents. Meanwhile competitive rates give consumers the ability to pay as little as 6.47 cents which is 35% less than the current default rate.

The amount of money electricity consumers can save in the Duquesne Light area is among the highest in competitive energy markets in the country. Word of the potential to save on electric bills is getting around in the Pittsburgh area as 38% of residential customers have switched electric suppliers in order to get off of the high Duquesne Light default rate. Duquesne Light serves around 500,000 residential customers in the Pittsburgh and surrounding areas.

The Duquesne Light customers who are still paying the default price to compare often have a misunderstanding of how Pennsylvania electricity choice has been set up as well as a lack of trust in the alternative energy companies offering rates. These consumers should understand that switching electricity suppliers will not end their relationship with Duquesne Light. Duquesne Light will continue to deliver power to their customers no matter which electric supplier is selected to provide power. In addition, Duquesne Light also continues to send the monthly power bill and respond to power failure and emergencies.

The Duquesne Light price to compare is determine by an auction process where competitive energy companies bid for the right to service default paying customers. These companies have submitted bids with a premium on the pricing since at any time default customers can leave the default rate and sign a contract with an alternative energy company offering a lower electric rate. Duquesne Light collects the money for the default rates and passes it through to the energy companies who have won the previously held auctions. Duquesne Light does not care if their customers switch electric suppliers because their revenues and profit margins are derived from the delivery charges found on the Duquesne Light electric bill.

The delivery charge remain regulated by the state of Pennsylvania. Often consumers fear that if they switch to a lower electric rate than Duquesne Light will “make up the difference” by increasing their delivery charges. This could not happen since the delivery rates are approved at the state level for the entire class of residential customers. Furthermore, as noted above, Duquesne Light does not profit from the price to compare default rate that they charge, so it does not hurt them when a customer switches to a competitive electricity company.

Many Pittsburgh consumers are surprised to learn the Duquesne Light is not the only power company in the area. This is because the Pennsylvania electric choice law allows alternative power companies to offer competitive pricing to power users in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.

Consumers who have not participated in Pennsylvania’s competitive electricity market pay a default rate with Duquesne Light labeled the “Price to Compare”. Regardless of which Pittsburgh power company chosen, Duquesne Light continues to deliver the power to the homes and businesses of Pittsburgh. This is because Duquesne Light is the area’s regulated electric utility company, which means they are responsible for the maintenance and management of the power lines.

Selecting a competitive power company can lower the electric bill for Pittsburgh consumers substantially. Here are some current electric rate offers by Pittsburgh power companies: