Businesses in central Pennsylvania who receive their power from Pennsylvania Power & Light will face a sharp price increase that is set to go into effect in March. PP&L announced that their commercial electricity price to compare rate will increase by 8.5% as the current rate of $0.09325 per KWh will rise to $0.10121 per KWh. The rate increase will effect businesses who are not currently purchasing their power from a competitive Pennsylvania electricity supplier and who instead are on the PP&L default price to compare rate structure.

Roughly 47% of commercial customers serviced by PP&L are on the default rate structure. These customers can prevent the rate increase, and even lower their current rate, by shopping for a competitive Pennsylvania commercial electricity rate which would replace the PP&L price to compare rate on the electric bill.

The Pennsylvania electricity choice market has seen more activity in the commercial sector than the residential since the market took off five years ago. Statewide 45.9% of all commercial electricity customers are purchasing their power from a competitive supplier through a contract. In contrast, only 35.9% of residential customers have selected an alternative to their utility. Commercial participation is highest in the PP&L service area. The rate hike that will go into effect on March 1, 2015 is expected to widen the gap even further as business owners who previously did not look into competitive rates will likely take a closer look at their options.

Business owners can compare commercial PP&L electricity rates by selecting their utility and average monthly bill amount. An energy matrix offering different fixed rate terms and start months will populate, allowing the business to decide on when their contract will start and for how long they would like to secure the rate.

To see current commercial electricity rates select the boxes below:

The Western Mass Electric company recent price hike has sent many customers searching for a new electricity supplier in order to save money on their electricity bills. The utility company, which is often abbreviated as WMECO, is the third larges utility in the state of Massachusetts and provides power to about 210,000 residential customers. On January 1, 2015 WMECO customers who were on the default generation rate structure saw a substantial rate increase of 29 percent. This increase can be lowered for those consumers who shop for and find a competitive rate being offered by a Western Mass Electric supplier.

Massachusetts electricity choice is a new concept for many of these consumers causing a wave of confusion and questions to be answered. Electricity choice in Massachusetts allows customers to shop for a competitive generation electric rate that will replace their local utility default rate for generation supply. However, the local utility company will continue to deliver power to their customers at distribution rates that are regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.

Even after a customer switches to a competitive supplier, Western Mass Electric will continue to send the customer their monthly electric bill and respond to power outages and emergencies. The only difference will be the rate for generation charges on the monthly electric bill. In response to the recent default price hike by WMECO, many competitive electricity suppliers are offering lower electricity rates to customers in order to attract new customers. To find a competitive WMECO supplier look at current rates being offered below. All companies offering electricity rates to WMECO customers are licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.

Homes and businesses located in Boston and the surrounding areas are going to experience a sharp spike in the price they pay for electricity in January. NSTAR Electric, the utility company that delivers power to Boston consumers, recently announced a rate increase for power supply of 59.7% that will go into effect on January 1, 2015. NSTAR Electric consumers are scrambling to minimize the damage the price increase will impose by shopping for lower Boston electricity rates offered through Massachusetts electricity choice.

Similar to its neighboring states of Connecticut and New York, Massachusetts is an electricity choice state. Competitive electricity companies are able to solicit power rates to consumers throughout Massachusetts. This allows consumers to shop and try to keep their electric bills down if the market prices become lower than the utility default rate.

As the local regulated electric utility of Boston, NSTAR electric responsible for proving a default rate for electricity supply for those customers who do not shop the market for competitive electricity rates. The NSTAR default rate, labeled the price to compare, is the charge that is set to increase by 59.7% in January 2015. The December 2014 rate of $0.0938 per KWh will be increasing to $0.1498 for those NSTAR customers on the fixed default rate structure. The fixed default rate remains fixed for six month intervals, meaning that the $0.1498 rate will stay in effect through the end of June 2015. Some default paying customers on the variable rate structure will see an even bigger increase in January as those rates are set to go as high as $0.2080.

Customers can avoid the entire price increase and protect themselves from the possibility of an even bigger increase in July by locking in a low Boston electricity rate offered by a competitive supplier. All of the companies offering competitive electricity rates to NSTAR Electric customers are licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Energy.

The price that people pay for electricity in Connecticut is about to take a large increase for many residential customers. Connecticut Light & Power, the state’s largest electric utility, announced that their generation default rate for electricity will increase to $0.12629 in January from the 2014 rate of $0.0999. The increase represents a surge in price of 26% that consumers who remain on the default rate structure will see on their CL&P electric bills in the coming months.

Fortunately consumers of CL&P have the ability to shop for lower Connecticut electricity rates through the state’s energy choice act. Competitive electricity rates offered by alternative energy companies are available that will keep their energy bills under control. The rate hike will only occur for customers who do not shop and choose a competitive rate plan.

The rise in CL&P generation rates has been a trend for the past year. In July 2014 the CL&P default rate increased by 8.2% from the previous rate that had been in effect since January. The new rate that will go into effect on January 1, 2015 is 37% higher than the rate charged to customers in June 1, 2014. The new $0.12629 rate will stay in effect until June 30, 2015, at which point it could go even higher. Locking in a low fixed Connecticut electricity rate will not only offer customers savings right away, but will also provide price certainty for the second half of the year. Below are current CL&P competitive rate offers. Pries are updated on a daily basis.

Energy choice in the state of Massachusetts has been active for the last several years, but for the most part has remained under the radar. Educated consumers who were aware of the choice laws may have participated by locking in a low electricity rate with a competitive Massachusetts electricity supplier or even elected to purchase power derived from renewable resources through the choice market. However, for the majority, energy choice hasn’t been a concern as the competitive rates haven’t offered significant savings off of the local utility default rates; that is about to change in a big way for Massachusetts residences who receive their power from National Grid.

On November 1, 2014 National Grid electricity customers will see the rate they pay for power supply increase by as much as 100%, depending on their rate structure. The 100% increase is not a typo, many National Grid electricity customers in Massachusetts will see their monthly electric bills double due to a rate increase. The rate increase can be avoided, or managed by consumers who search for competitive residential Massachusetts electricity rates as the rate spike will only effect customers on the default basic service rate.

National Grid in Massachusetts offers a default electricity rate for those consumers who have not elected to participate in finding a competitive choice rate. The official name for the default rate is the basic service rate, and it is this rate that will be increasing on November 1, 2014. Basic service customers are either on a fixed rate structure that changes every six months, or a variable rate structure that changes every month.

Massachusetts electricity customers who are on the National Grid basic service fixed rate will see their electricity supply rate increase from $0.08277 on October 31, 2014 to $0.16273 on November 1, 2014 if they do not select a competitive electricity rate plan. The $0.16273 is set to remain in tact through April 30, 2015. Locking in a competitive fixed Massachusetts electricity rate that is lower than the $0.16272 will provide some savings right away, and may protect consumers from another rate increase that could take effect in May of 2015. Customers on the National Grid basic service variable plan do not have it much better as the expected price will get as high as $0.22067 in January 2015

Electricity choice continues to provide lower price options for residential customers who receive their power from BGE. The creation of a competitive electricity market has created an abundance of electric rate options that give consumers an alternative to the BGE default price to compare rate. Electric bills in the BGE service area are increasingly being reduced as a result of Maryland electricity choice laws that allow consumers to shop for competitive power rates.

BGE residential customers who do not shop the electricity choice market for lower rates pay a default rate for their power supply through BGE. The default rate is determined through an auction process where competitive electricity suppliers compete for the ability to service a bundle of the default paying customers. An individual customer can take that default rate, labeled the price to compare, and search for a lower competitive electricity rate. Once selected, the competitive rate replaces the default rate on the monthly electric bill, creating savings if the competitive rate is below the BGE default rate.

BGE electricity choice rates have remained lower than the price to compare for all of 2014. This has resulted in an increase in the participating level in Maryland electricity choice. Those customers who have not taken the time to learn about electricity choice are paying more than they have to on their monthly BGE electric bills.

Residential electricity customers in the Meted service area in Pennsylvania saw their utility price to compare rate increase by twenty-five percent in the summer. This sharp price increase made room for competitive electricity suppliers in the area to offer prices that were significantly lower than the default rate, yielding double digit savings opportunities. As the summer comes to an end, those saving opportunities still exist for Meted consumers who have remained on the high Meted price to compare.

Despite the fact that competitive Pennsylvania electricity suppliers are offering rates with savings of as much as 17% versus the Meted default price, only 35.7% of residential customers in the area have selected a competitive offer. Customers who are skeptical of selecting a competitive electricity rate should know that all competitive rate plans are offered by electricity suppliers who are licensed with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. In addition, even after the switch is made, customers will continue to receive their electric bill from Meted. Instead of being charged the current Meted default rate of $0.09725, the competitive rate would be charged instead, allowing the customer to save whatever difference is yielded.

Current competitive offers in Meted from electricity suppliers licensed by the state of Pennsylvania can be found below. All rate plans are updated in real time.

CL&P has posted a rate increase for their residential customers for the generations portion of their electric bill. The rate increase will take effect on July 1, 2014 and remain in tact through the end of the year. Connecticut Light and Power is the state’s largest electric utility providing power to more than 1.2 million customers. Electricity customers in Connecticut, through the Connecticut Energy Choice Act, have the ability to shop for competitive electric rates from alternative suppliers who are licensed by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.

In 2013, 43% of customers who receive their power from CL&P elected to purchase their power supply form a competitive electricity company. Due to low CL&P default rates, the number of participating electricity shoppers has steadily declined since 2012 reaching its current number at 39.9%. During this time it was difficult for competitive electricity companies to offer rates that were below the default price for electricity. When shopping for the lowest CL&P electricity prices, customers are encouraged to find a fixed rate below the default rate in order to ensure savings on their electric bill. With the CL&P default rate being the lowest fixed rate available during large stretches in 2012 and 2013 many consumers chose to go back onto default service instead of renewing their competitive plan.

Electricity shopping activity is expected to regain its growth due to the CL&P rate increase that will be taking place during the second half of 2014. Residential customers who are on the CL&P default rate will see the price they pay for generation service rise from $0.09235 to $0.0999 per KWH, which equates to a 8.2% increase. The rate increase also comes at a time when competitive electricity companies are seeing wholesale prices stabilize, allowing them to offer competitive electric rates below the default prices.

Below are competitive Connecticut electricity rates offered to CL&P customers. If the fixed rates are below the CL&P default rate the customer will save money on their monthly CL&P electric bill.

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.

Pennsylvania electricity customers who receive their monthly electric bill from the Metropolitan Edison Electricity (Meted) company are likely to see a huge increase on their expenses this summer if they are not purchasing their power from a competitive supplier. On June 1, 2014 the default rate for generation and transmission service for Meted residential customers increased from $0.07753 to $0.09725 per KWh. The increase will result in a 25% increase in the price customers pay for power on their monthly Meted electricity bills. The 25% increase only represents the rise in the rate and not the jump in usage that most consumers see in the summer months compared to the spring. Taking into account both the usage and rate increases, Meted residential customer are expected to see electric bills 35-55% higher in June through August as compared to March through May.

The rate increase will only occur for Meted customers who have not selected a competitive supplier. Customers who have not shopped pay a default rate for power labeled the “Price to Compare”. If a consumer can find a competitive rate lower than the current price to compare they will be able to save money on their Meted electric bill.. Current competitive Meted electricity rates are showing savings as high as 17% versus the Meted default price to compare rate.

Below is a list of updated Meted competitive electricity prices. All offers are updated on a daily basis and are offered from companies who are licensed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.