On December 1, 2017 Met-Ed enacted a price hike on their residential electricity customers who are on the utilities default supply service price. The former default price of $0.05995 went up to $0.06816 representing a 13.7% increase that will effect an estimated 335,769 customers who receive their power supply from Met-Ed. Fortunately for these customers there is a silver lining; current competitive Met-Ed prices are well below the new default price presenting a chance for consumers to lower and manage their electric bills.

Even though good savings are available for Met-Ed residential customers only 33% of customers in the region have selected a competitive electricity supplier in order to better manage their energy expenses. The remaining 67% remain on the utility default price. Some energy experts have hypothesized that the reason for the slow switch rate is the confusion among customers concerning what information to provide on the competitive electricity supplier enrollment form. In order to switch electricity suppliers Met-Ed requires that the customer provide their “Customer Number”, a 20 digit number found in the middle of a lot of small print on the Met-Ed bill. Numerous electricity suppliers have reported a high percentage of enrollments being rejected due to customers inputing their “Account Number” which is more easily found at the top of the electric bill.

Customers who input their “Account Number” will unfortunately have their enrollment rejected, a lesson that hundreds of customers learn each month. Requiring the Met-Ed “Customer Number” instead of the “Account Number” has added an extra layer of confusion to an already new and somewhat confusing market. However, more customers are starting to become familiar with the electricity shopping experience in Pennsylvania

Below is a sample Met-Ed electric bill with the “Customer Number” highlighted in yellow. When shopping for low Met-Ed electricity prices be sure to use the correct utility number.

First Energy Corps’ electric utility Penelec announced a large price increase in late 2018 for their customers who are the price to compare residential rate structure. The price increase went into effect on December 1, 2017 and will first become apparent to thousands of customers in January 2018 as the Penelec electric bill with the new higher price arrives in the mail. According to Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission data, the Penelec rate increase will effect close to 358,122 residential customers who are currently on the Penelec price to compare rate structure; a default price given to consumers who have not selected one of the competitive electricity suppliers available through Pennsylvania electricity choice laws.

Default rate payers will see their Penelec electric bills increase by a whopping 25.2% in January from the rate increase that occurred at the end of 2017. The price to compare, which was previously set at $0.05383 per KWh, jumped up to $0.06742 on December 1, 2017 to the surprise of most customers. Most customers experiencing the 25.2% price increase are still uninformed that they are able to shop for lower Penelec electricity prices. Current competitive electricity rates in the region are well below the Penelec price to compare rate, allowing customers the opportunity to pay less for electricity.

Penelec is responsible for delivering power to 500,870 residential customers in Pennsylvania. Only 28.5% of their residential customer pool has elected to shop the market and choose a competitive Pennsylvania electricity supplier, leaving over 358,000 customers who are not participating in electricity choice. Choosing a competitive electric supplier in this market environment is simply about switching out a high default rate for a lower competitive price resulting in electric bill savings. Many first time shoppers are surprised to learn that the quality of power is not effected by switching suppliers since all of the power comes through the same Penelec lines and wires.

The internet and electricity comparison sites have made switching electricity suppliers one of the easiest and quickest ways to save money. In under five minutes a Penelec customer can find a lower electricity price, agree to the Terms and Conditions, and start paying less for their electricity. Below are a variety of options to compare against the Penelec price to compare rate. All electricity suppliers have been vetted and our licensed by the state of Pennsylvania.