While most of the marketing efforts of competitive electricity suppliers have been focused on the territories controlled by PECO Energy and PPL Energy, customers of Duquesne Light are finding the largest savings against their utility price to compare default rates.

Duquesne Light customers, who currently have a supply default rate of 8.89 cents, can currently lock in a 24 month rate as low as 7.19 cents which will yield a savings of 19% on the electric bill.  While customers new to electricity choice might be hesitant to lock in a rate for two years, it is important for them to understand the benefits of long term fixed electric contracts.  The fixed electric contract will save customers money right away and protect them from potential default rate increases in the summer and in 2012.  Electricity customers can also lock in for a shorter term at 12 months at a low rate of 7.55 cents resulting in a healthy 15% electric bill savings.

PECO electricity savings and promotions are expanding in the Philadelphia area as suppliers compete for market share.  The PECO territory saw electric price caps expire on January 1 which has opened the door for alternative electric suppliers to offer rates to PECO default rate payers.

Duquesne Light saw their rate caps expire several years ago.  However electric suppliers were slow to enter the market due to the low default price to compare rates that the utility was offering their customers as a result of an auction they held among wholesale energy suppliers.  Now that those default rates are higher than what retail electric suppliers can offer, electricity companies have started to offer service to customers as they can now offer lower electric rates and electric bill savings.  Customers who switch electric suppliers will still receive their monthly electric bill from Duquesne Light.  The only difference will be the lower electricity rate on the bill.

Current Duquesne Light competitive offers:

Texas electric companies are constantly competing for the market share of electricity customers throughout the state.  Electricity choice is more apparent in Texas than any other state as dozens of suppliers compete for customers in every city that is part of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.  The electricity companies are always adjusting their buying strategies so that they can lower their electricity rate offerings to customers.

Electricity customers living in Texas can choose to purchase a variety of electricity rate products.  Gone are the days when someone living in Houston or Dallas moves into an apartment and is given the local utility to call who is the sole company responsible for turning on the power.  Customers can choose fixed rates that are as short as three months to as long as three years.  They can choose an electric company who is offering a low introductory variable rate or take part in reducing their carbon footprint by choosing to purchase green energy in the form of wind power.

In addition to the many electric rate offers available, customers who take the time to shop and compare Texas electric companies can find great bonus promotions including gift cards and cash back awards.  For many Texas consumers, the ability to choose who  supplies your electricity hasn’t fully settled in.  Customers who do not shop for electricity are likely to be paying electricity rates that are anyway from 10 to 100 percent more than they can find in the competitive electric market.

When electric rate contracts expire, the customers go on a month to month rate with the electricity company they chose.  Over time these electric rates tend to creep up.  The electric companies no that there are a large number of power customers who are just going to pay their electric bill and not take the time to shop for lower electric rates.  It is important for customers to stay on top of their electric bills and keep track of when their contracts expire.  Leaving it unattended for too long can result in a much higher electricity bill than is necessary.

If you haven’t compared the Texas electric companies in awhile in your area, take the time and see how much you can save.  Find the electric rate that was charged on your last electric bill and compare it to some of these rates:

Texas Residential Electricity Prices:
All Texas Electricity Prices
	$0.067 /Kwh	Introductory rate with Promos
	$0.099 /Kwh	Low Rate
	$0.085/Kwh	Lowest 6 Month Rate
	$0.0997/Kwh	Wind Power

PECO electric customers are now able to shop  for better rates from alternative electricity companies, but are the prices better?

Some offers in the PECO territory are coming below the PECO default rate, known as the price to compare.  The PECO price to compare is the rate that PECO charges their customers who do not shop the competitive market for alternative electric options.  The price to compare rates are determined by a series of auctions that PECO facilitated in 2010.

The price to compare rates will change every quarter as PECO scheduled additional auctions in 2011 for a percentage of the default service users.  Due to this fact, it is important for PECO energy customers to think not just about what their current default electric rate is, but what it will be, especially in the summer when electricity use is at its peak.

Some customers in the PECO area are locking in long term fixed rates to protect themselves from potential future increases.

In addition to savings, customers can find promotion offers like the $50 gift card above from some electric suppliers, here are some popular choices with great rates.

Other companies are offering variable electric rates that are showing initial savings off of the PECO price to compare rate.  Though it is important for consumers to watch those variable rates closely as they can go up at any time.

Electric rates in Texas are down to levels that have not been seen since 2002 when the electricity market first became deregulated.  The downward trend in electricity prices has been a result of falling natural gas prices throughout 2010.

Both residential and commercial electric customers are benefiting from the lower electric rates.  Residential customers are signing fixed electric rates in the $0.08 – $0.09 cents per KWh range, where previously they had been as high as $0.17.  If you haven’t checked your electric bill rate in awhile, now would be a good time.  Often if you remain with a provider for a long time without signing a contract, they will gradually raise the rate even if the market does not dictate that to happen.  Your bill should clearly state the rate (cents per KWh) that you are paying.  If the rate is above 9 cents and you are not in a contract, shop for a lower fixed electric rate.

Commercial electricity customers are seeing rates below $0.05 per KWh.  This is a huge drop off from where the electricity market was just two years ago when in was not abnormal to sign a fixed electricity contract above $0.09 per KWh.  The lower electric business rates have allowed many businesses to drastically cut down on their energy costs.

The 1.5 million electricity customers serviced by Connecticut utilities CL&P and UI have close to a dozen options when it comes to choosing a Connecticut electric supplier.

CT electric suppliers range from small start up companies to sister companies of fortune 500 energy companies.  Some of the CT electric suppliers are only offering service to residential electric customers, some only to commercial and industrial electricity users, and others are offering service to all energy users.

Currently, more than one million Connecticut customers have not chosen a competitive CT Electric supplier.  Those who have not chosen a supplier pay a high default rate with either CLP or UI, who act as the electricity delivery companies for the majority of the state.  Residential customers can save up to 18.7% by choosing a new electric company to provide electric generation service.

When a customer chooses an alternative electricity generation (or supply) company, they simply are choosing a lower rate versus the CLP or UI default rate.  In most cases, the customer will still get their monthly electric bill from the utility.

Some CT electric suppliers, like MX Energy (click here), offer fixed rates that lock in a specific rate for a specific period of time.  In Connecticut, the default rates are set for one year at a time, so getting a fixed electric rate with an electric supplier can guarantee savings.

Other CT electric suppliers, like Positive Energy (click here), offer a variable electric rate that can fluctuate from month to month but gives the customer the option to leave at any point without penalty.

Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) residential customers are finding lower electric rates in the Connecticut competitive electricity market.  Many CL&P residential customers have still not switched electricity suppliers because they are unaware of the savings and benefits of shopping for low electric rates.

Many electricity customers who have not switched are not well informed on the details of the Connecticut Electricity Restructuring Act.  The act allows for CL&P and United Illuminating (UI) to continue to control the delivery of the power and the billing.  These utility companies only offer supply electricity rates as a default service.  Connecticut customers who do switch electric companies continue to receive their monthly electric bill from CL&P, or UI, but instead of paying the higher default supply electric rate, they pay the new lower rate that they signed for with the alternative electricity company.

Visit our Electricity Prices page for current electric rates in Connecticut.

Both offers can be chosen online.  The fixed electric rate will require a commitment of 6 months.  The variable rate has no commitment, however the rate can go up at anytime.  We recommend the fixed rate offer at this time.

Electricity customers who are serviced by Metropolitan Edison Company (Met-Ed) are preparing to shop the competitive electricity market for the first time.  On January 1, 2011 electric rates for Met Ed customers, that had previously been capped, will expire giving customers the option to stay on the Med Ed default supply price or shop the market for lower electric rates.

It is expected that Met Ed customers who compare electricity rate offers from electricity companies will be able to save money versus the Met-Ed default price to compare rates.  Electricity shopping will result in lower electric bills for those electric customers who are able to lock in lower electric rates than the new Met Ed rates.

Met Ed residential customers should take the time to compare all electric offers.  It is expected that some electric companies will offer residential Met Ed customers variable rates that fluctuate with market rates, while other electric companies will offer fixed electric rates for up to two years that will give households price protection.  Other markets in Pennsylvania have seen low variable introductory rates followed by immediate spikes.  Sometimes a slightly higher fixed electric rate will save you a lot more in the long run compared to a lower variable electric rate.

Met Ed commercial and industrial customers will be given a variety of electricity rate options.  As Met Ed moves from a regulated environment to a competitive market, it will be extremely important that businesses take the time to educate themselves on all of their electricity supply options.  The right choice can save them thousands on their electricity bills.

If you are living in Texas and have noticed in recent months that your monthly electric bill has become higher, it may be time to start looking for a new electricity contract.  The reason for the recent upswing in your electricity bill may very well be due to the fact that your old electricity rate contract has expired.

The Texas electricity market is the most active deregulated electric market in the country.  However, what many Texas electric rate payers do not understand is what happens in many cases to their rates when their electric contract expires.

Usually a person will sign a fixed rate electric contract for a set term, for example twelve months.  When the contract expires, the electricity company chosen by the customer will continue to service the customer usually on a marked up rate.  The longer you go without signing a new contract, the greater the chance your rate will continue to rise.

Electricity customers have thousands of “rolling customers” on their books.   Rolling customers are customers who have expired contracts.  The electricity company continues to serve the customer but instead of charging a fixed rate, they are able to charge almost anything they want, as stipulated in the original contract.  At the point it become a game of economics for the electricity company.  They try to determine what the maximum rate is that they can get away charging you before you will look for a new competitive rate.

Right now electricity rates are very low.  If you are paying over 10 cents per kilowatt hour you should look into securing a lower fixed rate.  Champion Energy is offering low fixed electric rates below 9 cents for customers in Texas.

Recently, we helped customers who were previously with TXU get off of rates as high as 15 cents transferred onto fixed rates of 8.6 cents, a 43 percent savings; all because the customers had gotten “comfortable” with TXU who raised their rates over time to well above the current competitive electric rates.

Connecticut Light and Power (CLP) customers can reduce their home electricity bills by finding a cheaper electric rate for the supply section on their electric bill.  There are still a number of Connecticut residences who are unaware of their electricity choice options.

For CL&P residential customers, you can find your competitive electric rate underneath the section “Supplier Service Detail”.  If it says “Generation Service Charge $0.11051 then you are paying the CL&P default price to compare rate.  This is the rate that you should compare against alternative electric rate offers.

Compared to the default rate, MX Energy is offering the lowest fixed electric rate at $0.095.  This represents a savings of 14% that you can save on your monthly electric bill by taking the time to compare electricity companies.  CLP continues to manage the delivery of the power and will also continue to send out the monthly electric bill even after you choose a lower electric rate.

Connecticut set up their deregulated electricity market so that the Utilities (CLP and UI) do not care if their customers leave their default service and choose an alternative electric company.  Connecticut Light and Power, as well as United Illuminating Company, receive their profits through the delivery charges on your bill which are still regulated by the state.

For the lowest fixed rate in Connecticut, click here and type in your zip code.

Jersey Central Power and Light (JCPL) electricity customers are seeing some of the lowest electric rates since the utility deregulated back in 2003.

The basic generation service, the JCPL default rate, will be $0.110285 per kilowatt hour from October 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011 for small and medium businesses.  From now through the end of September it will be even higher at $0.115462.  Solid 10-15% exist for these businesses who shop and compare commercial electric companies.

Meanwhile, New Jersey residential electric customers in JCPL are paying high default rates of $0.1172 a kilowatt hour.  For the first time since 2003, these electricity customers can save money by finding a lower electric rate through a competitive electric company.

Residential and business customers can find their current default electric rates on their JCPL bill at the top next to BGS Energy Charges and BGS Transmission Charges.  The combination of these two charges make up the total price to compare default rate.  When you choose a lower priced electric provider, their low electric rate will take the place of those two charges.

Depending on the electricity company, you will continue to receive one monthly electric bill from JCPL with the lower rate, or you might receive a bill from the electricity company for the supply charges and one from JCPL for the delivery charges.  Either way, you will save money as long as you sign for a electric rate that is lower than the JCPL BGS default electric rate.

Commercial and industrial electric rates change on a daily basis.  For a list of low commercial electric rates in New Jersey email us with the request and we will email you back a list of electricity companies and their electric rates.