Alternative electricity suppliers in Pennsylvania are offering attractive offers to residential customers of Pennsylvania Power & Light (PPL) that are lower than the utility’s price to compare charges. Despite a recent price reduction in the default rate by PPL, the energy choice market is producing rate offers that can provide savings by as much as 15% to the generation supply section of the bill.

On June 1, 2016 PPL was able to drop the default price to compare rate to $0.07491 from $0.07918, which was a modest 5.4% decrease. However competitive rates offered by alternative PPL suppliers have dropped as well providing even larger savings opportunities. The PPL price to compare rates are the result of auctions that are held months prior to the rate actually taking effect. In contrast, competitive rates offered by alternative suppliers are based on current energy market conditions. If wholesale energy rate offers drop after the auction for the Price to Compare rate is complete, alternative suppliers have an easy time undercutting the default price, which gives PPL residential customers a huge incentive to shop for lower electricity prices.

When the price adjustment went into effect on June first, just under 46% of the residential customer pool were purchasing their power from an alternative PPL supplier. The shopping activity in the PPL service area has been above average compared to other competitive electricity markets in the United States and one of the highest in the state of Pennsylvania. However, even with almost half of the customers already active participants in energy choice and a recent drop in the default price, shopping activity could pickup in August as new alternative offers continue to be presented that offer strong electric bill savings.

Here is a list of current alternative PPL electricity rate offers and their comparison to the recent PPL Price to Compare rate.

Western Pennsylvania residential customers who receive their power from Duquesne Light experienced a slight rate hike in early June. The Duquesne Light residential price to compare went up from $0.0777 to $0.0807, representing a 3.9% increase. Meanwhile, competitive electricity suppliers have kept their price offers stable, resulting in large savings for customers who have decided to start shopping for lower rates. The new price to compare is expected to last through the end of the year making the summer of 2016 an idea time for new customers to shop for attractive electricity prices in Pittsburgh.

Prior to the rate change Duquesne Light reported that 31.9% of their residential customers were purchasing their power supply from a competitive supplier. Due to the Pennsylvania Electricity Competition and Choice Act, Duquesne Light customers have the ability to shop for competitive prices for the generation and transmission component of their electric bill. Duquesne Light charges regulated distribution fees for delivering power to the customer’s home or business. The power generation aspect is open to competition, however those customers who do not find a competitive rate pay the price to compare rate offered by Duquesne Light. Competitive offers are yielding savings as high as 20% versus the price to compare rate.

The JCPL price to compare, or basic generation service rate, was adjusted on June 1, 2016 and will reach customers when they receive their electric bills in July. Basic generation service charges include the generation and transmission portion of the JCPL electric bill, which encompasses the portion of the bill that is open to customer choice meaning that consumers have the ability to shop and purchase a lower price from a licensed New Jersey electricity supplier. Customers who choose not to shop for competitive rates remain on the basic generation service rate. Customers who are active in the New Jersey electricity choice market often refer to this rate as the price to compare, since it can be used as a benchmark to compare competitive offers against.

Every year the price to compare rate is adjusted twice a year on June 1, representing the summer rate period, and October 1 which represents the winter rate period. The prices are determined by a series of auctions that occur over a three year period. For example, the price to compare prices for 2016 were determined through auctions that occurred in 2014, 2015, and earlier in 2016. The most significant aspect of the rates this summer is the big jump in price for customers who used more than 600 KWh a month, which is the case for most properties bigger than a one bedroom apartment. During the months of June through September customers on the JCPL price to compare will pay a rate of $0.094604 for the first 600 KWh. The rate will then jump 9.8% to $0.103862 for every KWh consumed above the 600 mark.

Currently njelectricity.org, a New Jersey energy comparison site, is showing 10 competitive plan offers below the $0.09406 price and 17 total plans below the $0.103862 price. Customers on the JCPL price to compare price can save over 20% on their electric bills this summer by choosing a competitive supplier. Surprisingly as of March 2016 only 20.7% of JCPL customers had switched off of the price to compare rate according to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. The recent jump in savings potential caused by lower competitive prices may spark more shopping activity in JCPL this summer.

Below is a list of competitive JCPL offers by electricity suppliers who have been licensed by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

Electricity choice laws that allow customers who are part of First Energy’s Penelec service area to shop for competitive power rates are paying off for those customers who have switched their power supplier. The Pennsylvania Electricity Generation Choice and Competition Act gives every customer who receives an electric bill from Penelec the option to shop for lower electricity prices among a variety of energy suppliers who are licensed by the state. Customers who do not shop pay a default rate for their electric generation supply through Penelec, though the actual money received by Penelec for these charges is passed through to other competitive suppliers who have previously bid for the ability to provide power to the default customer pool.

Recently competitive suppliers have been dropping their electricity rate offers substantially in order to attract more customers. The lower competitive prices combined with a high default rate have ballooned the potential energy savings available for Penelec residential customers who have yet to switch their electricity supplier. For the first time in several years customer who take the time to compare Penelec residential rates can yield energy savings as much as 21% versus the default rate.

The fact that simply switching electricity suppliers from Penelec to a competitive supplier can provide substantial savings on the electric bill has spread slowly throughout the region. Despite more than a handful of suppliers offering rates yielding savings of more than 10% against the Penelec generation rate, only 29.3% of the residential customer pool had entered into an electricity agreement with a competitive supplier as of April 2016. There is still a level of unfamiliarity with electricity choice that keeps many Penelec customers away from the act of purchasing competitive power. Though customers can easily obtain energy savings on their monthly Penelec electric bills by simply choosing a lower electricity rate option, the majority of customers remain on the higher default rate.

Customers looking to shop for energy saving options in Penelec can do so by comparing rate offers from multiple suppliers below. All of the companies are licensed by the state of Pennsylvania and work with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and Penelec to ensure a smooth and unnoticed switch process. One of the major reservations customers have about switching suppliers is the limited information they have about the switch process believing that it consists of repair personal visiting the home and disruption the power service. The truth is that the switch process simply occurs through a computer and does not disrupt the power service even for one second. The customer goes from paying the default rate to the new competitive rate without an actual person coming to the home.

Customers of Eversource Energy living in the Boston and surrounding areas are quickly becoming familiar with the benefits of Massachusetts electricity choice. Competitive electricity suppliers are flocking towards the Boston market offering attractive offers that can save Eversource customers hundreds of dollars per year on their electric bills. The goal is simple for the competitive supplier – acquire as many new customers as possible in what is becoming one of the hottest electricity markets in the country. In trying to accomplish this goal many electricity suppliers are slashing their prices to entice first time Boston electricity shoppers to switch over to their service.

The ability to shop for competitive electricity rates has remained a foreign concept to the majority of Boston residents with switch numbers hovering around the 30% mark. Despite the fact that several companies are offering savings of more than 20% against the Eversource price to compare, seven residential customers out of every ten in the area have elected not to shop for competitive electricity rates. The low shopping numbers are suspected to be caused primarily by a lack of education and understanding of Boston electricity choice laws. Customers who are not participating in energy shopping are often unaware that switching electricity suppliers is an easy automated process that does not require the power to be turned off or repair personal to visit the customer’s property. The electricity switch process is unlike switching cable providers or cell phone carriers which can often require a consumer to dedicate hours to complete the process. In contrast, switching electricity suppliers in Boston can be done in less than five minutes by using an electricity price comparison website.

In order to entice consumers to shop for electricity rates, companies need to offer a price that is below the Eversource price to compare. Eversource Energy is the regulated utility company for the city of Boston and surrounding suburbs. As a regulated utility they are responsible for delivery power to all properties within their service area at distribution rates that are regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Eversource Energy’s role as a regulated company is often a source of confusion to consumers who are being told that Massachusetts is now an electricity choice state. To clarify, it is the electricity generation or supply component that is open to choice, while the delivery of the power remains regulated.

In addition to charging their customers regulated distribution charges, Eversource Energy also charges a default generation rate to their customers who do not switch to a competitive Boston electricity supplier. Currently they are charging this rate to about 70% of their residential customers. When a competitive supplier can offer a rate below the default price to compare rate, they are able to advertise the difference as the amount of customer can save by switching. Eversource Energy is also responsible for invoicing their customers, even the ones who have elected to purchase their power form a competitive supplier. When a customer switches suppliers they still receive their monthly Eversoruce electric bill. The only difference is that the competitive supplier and rate is listed in the electricity generation supply portion of the electric bill. The distribution or delivery section of the bill remains the same regardless of whether of competitive supplier was chosen. Below is a list of some of the more competitive rate offers available in Boston compared to the current Eversource price to compare default rate.

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.

Switching to an alternative electricity supplier is proving to be a smart move for residential customers of Eversource Energy in Connecticut, formerly named Connecticut Light & Power. In January Eversource Energy raised their generation service rate for their residential pool of customers by 16%, an increase that consumers will start to notice when their February electric bills arrive. The generation service rate is the default price for electricity generation supply that Eversource Energy charges their customers who do not switch to a competitive electricity supplier. The new generation service rate, which went into effect on January 1, 2015, went up to $0.09555 from the previous rate of $0.08228 that had been in effect since July 1, 2015.

Competitive Connecticut electricity prices are coming in below the Eversource Energy basic service rate, resulting in opportunities for consumers to save money. Switching electricity suppliers causes the competitive supplier’s rate for electricity to replace the default generation service rate. Switching electricity suppliers in Connecticut does not affect the quality of the power that the customer receives. Even though customers can switch away from Eversource Energy for their electricity generation, they are unable to leave Eversource Energy as their utility, or power delivery, company.

Taking the time to switch Connecticut electricity suppliers is an easy process that can result in large savings. The actual electric switch process is seamless as no maintenance people need to come to the home to enact the change. Everything involved in the switch process happens through computers without any interruption in power service. Compare competitive offers to the Connecticut Eversource default price below from suppliers who are licensed to sell electricity in the state of Connecticut.

Residential electricity customers who receive their electric bill from Met-Ed in Pennsylvania have the opportunity to save money on their energy costs by shopping for lower electricity prices. With all of the fancy energy savings products available – including LED lights, better insulation materials, and solar panels – the easiest way to lower the Met-Ed electric bill remains the simply action of comparing electricity rate offers from competitive electricity suppliers.

Met-Ed, which is short for Metropolitan Edison, is only the fourth largest utility in the state of Pennsylvania providing electricity to right around 561,500 customers. However the service area has recently gotten a lot of attention from competitive electricity suppliers licensed in Pennsylvania due to a large gap that exists between the Met-Ed price to compare rate and the rate that the suppliers can offer. The Met-Ed price to compare rate is what the utility charges their customers for electricity supply who do not choose to purchase power from a competitive supplier. By choosing a competitive rate, the price to compare rate becomes obsolete. The difference between the two rates can result in a substantial savings opportunity for Met-Ed customers.

The unbundling of Meted allows consumers to power shop from dozens of competitive electricity companies now offering electricity supply service. The popularity of electric rate shopping is expanding as family and friends are spreading the word on the benefits of electric choice. As of December 2015, 31.8% of Meted residential customers were buying their power from a competitive supplier. As the fight to gain market share and brand recognition continues, consumers will find it easier to shop around for cheaper rates and better incentives.

Compare competitive Met-Ed electricity rate offers below from suppliers who are licensed by the state of Pennsylvania.

Western Massachusetts Electric Company recently announce a rate increase for their residential class that will take effect at the beginning of the new year. On January 1, 2016 the Western Mass Electric price to compare price will increase to $0.10394 per KWh from the previous $0.09767 rate. The rate change amounts to a 6.42% increase on the generation supply section of the electric bill.

The change will only take effect on customers who are on the basic service rate plan with Western Mass Electric, also known as the price to compare. Customers who do not select an alternative electricity company pay the basic service rate for power supply. Through Massachusetts electricity choice energy consumers have the ability to shop the market for competitive rate plans offered by licensed electricity companies. Some competitive plans offer significant savings (above 20%) against the price to compare default rate, giving consumers the ability to not only avoid the Western Mass Electric rate increase, but to also lower their monthly bills a substantial amount from what they are currently paying.

The Western Massachusetts Electric Company provides power to roughly 150,000 customers in west Massachusetts. The company is owned by Eversource Energy, who recently decided to change the branding of the Western Mass Electric logo on the electric bill to the new Eversource logo. Despite the branding change, the company still has the same ownership. Even though default rate payers can save more than 25% and avoid a price hike in January, to date only about 20% of customers in the area have switched electricity suppliers. The rate increase is expected to spur more shopping activity in the region.

National Grid Massachusetts customers on the variable basic service rate have seen huge volatility in the price that they pay for electricity over the last year. After recent news of National Grid releasing their variable rate over the next six months, it is apparent that the volatility will continue. Consumers on the variable basic service rate can avoid the price uncertainty, as well as reduce their electricity bills, by shopping for lower competitive electricity rates offered by alternative Massachusetts electricity suppliers.

Through State energy choice laws, Massachusetts has opened up their electricity market to allow competitive energy companies to offer service to residential and business customers. The law allows customers who receive their electric bill from one of the three major utilities in the state – NSTAR, National Grid, and Western Mass Electric – to shop for a lower electricity price that would replace their utility default rate for electricity generation supply. The default rate is charged to all customers who decided not to purchase power from a competitive supplier.

Customers on the default rate pay a charge known as the basic service rate for electricity supply which includes the generation and transmission components of the electric bill. Default rate payers have a choice between paying a fixed basic service rate and a variable basic service rate. The fixed rate remains the same for six month periods, while the variable rate changes every month. However, even though the variable rate changes on a monthly basis, customers know what that variable rate will be for the next several months. Both rates are determined through an auction process that National Grid holds for alternative suppliers for the right to service basic service rate customers. The outcome of the auction process is largely dependent on the condition of the wholesale energy markets during the time of the auction.

Both rate structures have been extremely volatile over the last several years, with recent rates being the higher end of the spectrum. The high default rates have allowed for competitive electricity suppliers to offer rates that are well below the basic service offers, presenting an opportunity to for customers to lower their National Grid electric bills. Since 2012, the variable basic service rate has ranged from a low of 6.544 cents per KWh in September of 2012 to a high of over 20 cents per KWh in January of 2015. In November, the variable rate will increase by 26.4% from the October rate. Customer who remain on the variable basic service rate are going to see their total electric bills increase by about 20% as their supply rate goes up from 8.8 to 11.27 cents. The variable rate will continue to rise over the next several months going to 13.38 cents in December and then over 15 cents in both January and February of next year.

The volatility in the rates and increasing electric bill amounts can be stopped by simply shopping for a lower competitive electricity rate. In order to avoid further price uncertainty consumers should find a competitive offer that is fixed and not a floating month to month price. Finding a fixed electric rate will eliminate the uncertainty of volatility in the energy markets that leads to negative surprises on the electric bill amount. Furthermore, if the fixed rate is lower than the variable basic service rate on a monthly basis, consumers will also save money through a lower electric bill.