Competitive PEPCO Suppliers Offer Customers Savings in Maryland

Maryland’s second largest electricity utility is seeing an increase in competitive shopping activity as historically low energy prices are enticing first time shoppers to search for savings. PEPCO Energy delivers power to over 500,000 residential and commercial customers throughout Maryland. While the delivery of power remains a regulated business in the state, Maryland electricity choice allows consumers to shop for competitive power generation offers. Customers who have not shopped pay a default rate through PEPCO Energy for generation supply. Competitive Maryland electricity suppliers are offering fixed electricity rates that are well below the default rate, which results in electric bill savings for those PEPCO customers who take advantage of the choice laws.

The majority of consumers residing in the PEPCO service area are still unaware of their ability to shop the market for competitive electricity rates. Officially the state has been an energy choice state for more than a decade, however it wasn’t until the last few years that competitive electricity suppliers began marketing their services. Prior to this time the competitive companies were unable to offer electricity prices to customers that provided significant savings, if any, against the PEPCO default rate which is officially called the standard offer service (SOS) rate. Falling natural gas prices over the last few years have allowed electricity prices to fall, resulting in enhanced savings opportunities for PEPCO customers living in Maryland.

Lower energy prices and a high SOS PEPCO rate have caught the attention of executives working for competitive electricity companies who are looking for new customers. Initially, as the Maryland electricity choice market started to grow, competitive suppliers focused most of their marketing efforts on the BG&E market which contains nearly double the number of customers as the PEPCO market. WHile BG&E is still attractive for the suppliers, the combination of savings potential and first time shoppers in PEPCO is to enticing to pass up. Meanwhile, as more competitive suppliers enter the market, consumers are benefiting even more as rate offers are being pushed down and their options are expanding.

In order to sell electricity to a PEPCO customer the competitive electricity supplier must be licensed by the Maryland Public Service Commission. For first time shoppers, the rate offered by the competitive supplier replaces the PEPCO standard offer service rate. Electricity choice in the PEPCO service area is providing an easy way for consumers to lower their electric bill. All switches are done electronically, so the customer does not have to stay at home and wait for a technician to come over and do manual work. Below is a list of many of the lowest PEPCO rates currently available, all offers are updated in real time.