Summer electricity rates have increase by 20 percent for residential customers who receive their power bill from the Penelec electric utility company. Penelec announced in late May that their default generation and transmission charges would increase on June 1, 2014, giving consumers little time to shop for competitive power prices.

Penelec imposes a default rate, which is called the price to compare by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, to all of their customers who have not chosen a competitive electric supplier to provide power supply. The default rate includes generation and transmission charges. Distribution charges continue to be charged by Penelec and are regulated by the Pennsylvania PUC. Prior to June first, the Penelec price to compare for residential customers was $0.07709 per KWh and included both generation and transmission service. On June 1, 2014 that rate increase by 20% and is now $0.09254.

Penelec residential customers who are on fixed rate contracts with competitive suppliers do not have to worry about the rate increase. Those customers will continue to pay the rates outlined in their agreements with the competitive energy companies that they have chosen. Default paying customers can save money and avoid the rate increase by shopping for low Penelec electricity rate plans offered by power companies who are licensed by the Pennsylvania PUC. Below are several offers from licensed competitive electricity supplies.

Residential electricity customers in the PECO Energy service area will see a rate increase that will go into effect on December 1, 2013. The rate PECO customers pay for power supply, which includes generation and transmission charges, will increase from a current high rate of $0.0935 per KWh to an even higher $0.0972. The 4% increase comes at a time when residential customers in the area can find competitive power rates under $0.08 per KWh.

Competitive power companies in Pennsylvania have been able to offer lower electricity rates to PECO consumers since 2011. The PECO rate increase that will go into effect in December is only for residential consumers who have not shopped for competitive electricity rates. These customers pay a default rate that is determined by an auction process. Competitive rates, which are based on the energy wholesale buying strategies of competitive energy companies, have been able to offer attractive electric rates well below the PECO default rate.

At this point in time only about 31% of residential PECO customers are participating in Pennsylvania electricity choice by purchasing their power supply from a competitive electricity supplier. With current competitive prices yielding 19% savings versus the December 2013 PECO default rate there is no reason for a default paying customer to not start power shopping. The rate increase is expected to give a slight boost in competitive electricity company sales, however there is really no reason for everyone in the south eastern part of Pennsylvania to take five minutes and find a price plan that will substantially reduce their electricity bills. Online energy price comparison sites have made it easy for PECO customers to compare electricity rates on one platform. While many people just want to get the lowest possible fixe rate that is available, some consumers might opt to pay a slightly higher price in order to lock in a longer term so that they are protected from future price increases like the one about to take place. The online energy price comparison tool allows consumers to quickly compare prices and make a strategic decision.

Below are the lowest fixed electric rates available for PECO Energy customers. We recommend locking in fixed rate as opposed to a variable rate option as variable plans have been seen rising rather rapidly after the first month of service. Even though you can switch suppliers if the variable plan rises, it still takes up to two months for the switch to take place which will leave you in limbo with the variable price supplier free to charge whatever they want.

Electricity choice in the city of Dallas provides the 1.2 million consumers residing in the area many options of who to purchase their power from, how the power is generated, as well as the terms and conditions associated with the plan. Due to the Texas electricity restructuring act that went into full effect in 2002, dozens of Dallas electricity companies compete for customers by offering lower prices, reward programs, renewable energy, and superb customer service. Taking the time to compare Dallas electricity rates can provide a substantial savings on the monthly electric bill for consumers. If you are able to find a competitive electricity rate that is lower than your current electricity rate you will achieve instant savings.

Many Dallas electricity consumers do not stay on top of the market and simply get into a routine of automatically paying their monthly electric bill without taking notice to the price for electricity that they are paying. This of course is a common practice in power market that are still regulated. Some Dallas citizens never took the time to learn about energy choice or may have shopped for competitive rates early on but then forgot to keep their company honest by searching for a lower Dallas electricity rate. Also, being the ninth largest city in the United States, many current Dallas residences are new to the area and moved from cities where the electricity market was regulated. These customers might have been directed to a specific electricity company by their landlord who in turn received a referral payment. It is important for all Dallas electricity customers to understand their options surrounding electricity choice.

September 18, 2013

Already one of the most successful electricity choice markets in the country, Pennsylvania could get a boost in their number of power shopping customers due to recent utility rate increases. The state’s second largest electric utility, and most active service utility market in regards to number of shoppers, has increased their default electricity rates by 18.5% since May. Pennsylvania Power & Light (PP&L) raised their price to compare default rates to 8.227 cents from 7.4 cents on June 1. Another rate increase to 8.77 cents went into effect for the 57% of PP&L residential customers who are still buying their power from the utility’s default rate service program.

In terms of number of residential customers currently purchasing their power from a competitive supplier PP&L is Pennsylvania’s most active choice utility market. Currently 534,341 residential customers encompassing 43% of the total residential class has elected to shop for lower PP&L electricity rates found through third party suppliers. Customer who have locked in fixed electric rates with alternative energy companies will not be affected by these rate increases. Customers who are still on the PP&L default rate can prevent the rate increase by locking in a low fixed electric rate available in the competitive market. Competitive electricity prices replace the PP&L default rate on the electric bill offering easy-to-see savings.

Many residential customers who have not shopped for competitive electric rates are intimidated by the number of offers being solicited to them from numerous energy companies who they have never heard of before. Customers should take ease in the fact that all energy companies offering them service are licensed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. They should however be careful of deceitful marketing practices that offer a teaser rate that quickly jumps up after the initial month of service. Below is a list of electricity rate offers pre-screened by electricitywatch.org, all prices are apples-to-apples comparisons to the PP&L default rate.

Though Pennsylvania has had an active energy choice market for several years, only recently have customers living in the Meted utility service area seen the benefits. As a result of rising Meted generation and transmission rates, competitive electricity suppliers have started offering low electric prices to customers with properties in the Meted service area.

As the fourth largest power utility in Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Edison serves over a half million residential electricity customers, all of which are now able to shop and compare Met-Ed electricity rates in order to save money. Many competitive energy suppliers were slow to enter the Met-Ed market because the default rates in the area had been low over the past couple of years. This price environment did not allow for competitive rates to offer savings to Met-Ed consumers which is often needed in a newly deregulated market in order to stimulate shopping. With the default rate recently increasing and competitive power rates dropping, the opportunity for competitive electricity suppliers has finally arrived and the result has been lower Met-Ed electric bills for consumers who take the time to power shop.

Current competitive electricity rates are providing significant savings to Met-Ed residential electricity customers. The switching process in Met-Ed simply requires a consumer to choose a competitive electric rate and enroll either online or by phone. Once the switch request is in you can expect the new electric rate to kick in at the next available scheduled meter read date. After that you simply get your Met-Ed electric bill as usual with the competitive electric rate replacing the Met-Ed default price to compare rate.

The number of PSEG electricity customers who are purchasing their power from competitive suppliers remains below 14% as of May 2013. Though the number of competitive power shoppers has steadily increased, the overall electric switch numbers are low compared to other competitive power markets in the United States. The slow number of shoppers has occurred despite rising PSEG default rates and low competitive electricity rates that are yielding electric bill savings above 20% in some cases.

For those PSEG power customers who have accepted New Jersey electricity choice into their lives, the result has been lower PSEG electric bills and price security into the near future. There are currently 246,000 residential customers in the PSEG service area buying their power from competitive energy companies out of 1,835,000 households in the area. These consumers have taken the time to compare electricity rate offers and find the best offer that fits their specific needs.

Many people have pointed to the slow growth of the New Jersey electric choice market to the limited marketing the state has implemented to educate their citizens. In contract, the Texas and Pennsylvania state governments have marketed electric choice with consumer friendly websites. In both states residential electricity switch percentages are hovering around 50%.

Others have pointed to the difficulty in finding the correct identification number on the PSEG electric bill to submit a switch request. In Pennsylvania the number needed to submit a switch request for the two largest electric utilities PPL and PECO Energy, is a simple 10 digit account number clearly visible at the top of the electric bill on every page. In contrast, the number needed for PSEG electric switch requests is the POD ID number which is an 18 digit number that follows the letters “PE” and can only be found in one small place situated mid-page. Some elderly consumers have complained that once they actually find the number the print is too small to even read. Furthermore, if PSEG also provides gas to the customer, a second POD ID exists on the bill for gas service which the customer often confuses as the electric POD ID.

Though electricity choice in New Jersey has had its hurdles, the private sector has stepped in to help push the ball that is already rolling slowly. Competitive suppliers are offering lower electricity prices and information sites such as NJelectricity.org have been developed to help educated New Jersey consumers about their energy choice options.

Competitive PSEG electricity rates updated daily:

The Met-Ed electricity default rates will increase for all rate classes across the board, including those for small and large businesses, starting December 1st. The new Met-Ed default rate for a business customers will go up to $0.09133/kWh. This will be an increase of 12% for companies who are still using Met-Ed as their default electric supplier. Businesses in the Met-Ed territory who are still on default service can expect to see the increase reflected on their first Met-Ed electric bill received in 2013.

Pennsylvania competitive electricity commercial rates are substantially lower than Met-Ed’s default rate. Commercial customers in Pennsylvania looking to switch to a competitive electricity supplier can expect to save 20-35% based on current market conditions. If a business looking to lower their costs decides to lock in a rate with a competitive electricity supplier they will still only receive one electric bill from Met-Ed.

With January and February expected to be cooler than last year, the demand for energy will go up which is sure to put more upward pressure on commercial electricity rates. Pennsylvania businesses looking to get off the Met-Ed default rate should consider locking in a rate before the holiday season swings into full gear.

After having seeing a significant rate drop on electricity prices for the summer, PECO electric customers were surprised to learn that their power generation rates are expected to go back up in October. PECO Energy announced the expected rate increase, which will last through the end of the year, on their website in July. The finalized actual rates should be posted in August, but for now the increase will raise generation supply charges by over 18% on the PECO electric bill.

Fortunately customers can get a lower PECO bill by shopping for competitive electric rates through alternative energy suppliers. PECO Energy, who delivers power to the Philadelphia region in southeast Pennsylvania, charges customers who have not selected a competitive supplier a default electric rate. The default rates include the charges on the bill for generation and transmission. When consumers use their right to shop the market and select a lower electric rate, the competitive rate replaces the default generation and transmission charges on the bill.

Customers who have locked in low fixed electricity prices in previous months will not be effected by the PECO rate increase in October. The Pennsylvania electricity market gives consumers the ability to take control of their electric bill. Those consumers who have embraced competitive electricity are reaping the benefits while those who have shied away are paying more to power their homes than they need to. News of the PECO rate increase should provide a reason for many first time shoppers to explore the competitive market and find a low electricity rate.

Electricity choice in Connecticut is clearly working as competition is forcing prices on a downward trend. Just a few short years ago consumers in Connecticut were paying the highest electricity rates in the country, causing state senators to draw up a Energy Bill to end electric choice. The bill was eventually vetoed by the governor, and with time prices have dropped.

Connecticut Light & Power customers have seen electricity deregulation and competition bring down their generation rates by more than 30%. In 2009, the generation default rate for CL&P residential customers was over $0.11 per KWh. Now, in 2012, that default rate has dropped to $0.0828, with competitive electricity rates as low as $0.0769.

Consumers who do not shop for competitive electricity pay the default rate that is offered by CL&P. Though they may not realize it, the drop is a result of increased competition. However, to maximize the benefits of Connecticut electricity choice, consumers should shop for low electricity prices.

Below are some current competitive electricity rates from Connecticut Power Companies offering service in the CL&P territory. Even after a competitive rate is chosen, the customer will still receive their monthly electric bill from CL&P, and CL&P will continue to respond to power failures and emergencies. The only thing that changes is the rate (i.e. you pay less on your monthly electric bill).

The vast majority of Philadelphia electricity customers are serviced by the utility PECO Energy.  At the beginning of 2011 PECO customers had their electric rates, which had been capped since 1997, lifted.  This launched the beginning of true electric choice in the area.

PECO energy customers have the ability to shop and compare electric rates, which  have been resulting in electric bill savings for thousands of Philadelphia residences and businesses.  Customers can compare competitive electricity rates in Philadelphia against the PECO price to compare.  PECO default rates increased in July, making competitive electric rates even more attractive.

Competitive Philadelphia electricity rates are providing as much as 18% savings versus PECO default rates for residential customers, and between 10-20% savings for business electricity customers.

Below are current PECO Residential Electric Rates

Below are current PECO Business Electric Rates