United Illuminating residential customers who have grown tired of rising standard electricity supply rates are turning to competitive prices to lower their monthly power bills.  With the United Illuminating standard default rate changing twice a year and being unpredictable, long term fixed competitive rates have gained in popularity.  The problem that many first time shoppers in the second largest Connecticut utility face is not knowing where they can accurately compare electricity prices.

Comparing electricity suppliers in Connecticut is an easy task that can be completely handled on the computer.  One tool that is becoming increasingly popular to help United Illuminating electric choice shoppers choose and compare rates are one stop shop online comparison sites.  The most informative comparison sites, such as ElectricRate.com, give consumers easy access to compare the lowest United Illuminating electricity rates to the United Illuminating standard offer service.  This allows shoppers to see just how much money they can save by choosing a specific plan.

The benefit of viewing multiple offers at once brings up the competitive level amongst the suppliers to another level.  Upon completion of comparing the options and choosing a rate plan, the switch process begins online without having to worry about scheduling a time for a person to come to your home and change wires.  When the contract comes to an end online comparison sites will provide their customers with the ability to compare and switch to yet another supplier that might be offering an even lower price than the existing competitive supplier is providing.

Often customers choose a plan and when it comes time to renew or find a new plan they get lazy and just stick with whatever their current competitive supplier is offering.  By not taking the time to compare current Untied Illuminating electric rates, the customer is in peril of severely overpaying for their power.  Often competitive Connecticut electricity suppliers offer their lowest rates to brand new customers and present higher prices to existing customers who are coming off of contracts because they know that a large percentage of their existing customers will not take the time to compare.  Good online comparison sites will represent their customers and provide them with updates informing them that their contracts are set to expire and current offers to compare.

Below are daily updated United Illuminating competitive rates that can be compared against the utility standard offer service.

Energy choice is providing savings for Connecticut electricity customers. Connecticut’s energy choice laws allow consumers to shop for competitive electricity generation rates. Currently competitive rates are being offered that are significantly lower than the local utility (CL&P, United Illuminating) generation default rates.

The utility generation default rates are set for an entire calendar year. As an electricity shopper, if you can find a competitive fixed electric rate that is lower than the default rate (see below) than you can guarantee yourself electricity bill savings. Connecticut Light & Power and The United Illuminating Power Company offer default electricity rates for consumers who are slow to learn about Connecticut energy choice.

The expenses customers pay for default service are actually passed through CL&P and United Illuminating to competitive energy companies who have bid to service the default class. Many people refuse to shop for lower electric rates because they believe that staying loyal to CL&P and United Illuminating will promote the local economy. That thought process is false as the default revenues already go towards competitive energy suppliers. The Connecticut energy choice laws have unbundled the CL&P and United Illuminating so that they now only focus on delivering the power in their regulated local utility territory. Connecticut Light & Power and The United Illuminating Company do not profit from generation supply rates, and therefor do not care if their customer’s shop for lower competitive energy rates.

Connecticut consumers continue to benefit from the state’s decision to deregulate their electricity market several years ago. Electric choice in Connecticut is providing energy customers with lower prices and more options when buying their electricity.

Almost everyone in Connecticut is serviced by either Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) or the United Illuminating Company. Prior to CT Energy Choice these two utilities were regulated monopolies of electricity generation, transmission and distribution. The decision to create an energy choice market changed the role of CL&P and United Illuminating Company for their customers. Now they are only responsible for the transmission and distribution of electricity and are no longer in the business of offering generation rates to customers. Consumers can shop for competitive generation electric rates to find the offer that best fits their needs.

Consumers who do not shop for lower electricity prices pay a default rate that is charged by their utility company and regulated by the state. The default charge is determined by a series of auctions that the state holds for competitive energy companies who bid to serve a certain percentage of default paying consumers. While the money for default generation rates are collected by the utilities (CL&P and United Illuminating), the revenues for these charges are passed through to the energy companies who have won the previously held auction. Electricity choice is about customers getting the best deal that they can find, and not settling for a default rate.

While Connecticut has been a very successful energy choice state, the majority of customers are still paying high default electric rates. Less than 40% of CL&P residential customers and only 45% of United Illuminating residential customers have chosen to purchase energy from alternative suppliers. Currently CL&P default paying customers can save 10% on their monthly electric bill by choosing a low cost electric supplier. United Illuminating consumers can save as much as 20% versus their default generation prices.

Electric choice is working in Connecticut as competitive electricity prices continue to fall for United Illuminating power customers . It is hard to argue against 15% savings, which is what current (Summer 2011) low electric rates in the United Illuminating (UI) territory are yielding for customers who have switched off of default rates and moved towards competitive electricity prices.

UI customers are still relatively new to the idea of receiving multiple electric rate offers. Though Connecticut electricity has been deregulated for some years now, competitive electricity offers were not offered to residential customers until just a few years ago. Savings were small at first, but with the UI Generation Service Charge (GSV) rates recently increasing and wholesale rates remaining low, competitive electric companies have been able to offer attractive electricity prices.

UI electricity customers can be reassured that selecting a low electric rate from a alternative supplier will not upset UI or end the business relationship. The United Illuminating Company is in the business of delivering power, and they continue to charge regulated rates to all of their customers for this service. They also continue to send their customers the monthly electric bill. The generation default rate that customers pay with UI is passed through to competitive electricity companies who have won auctions for the right to service default paying customers. Believe it or not, even if you haven’t selected a competitive supplier in Connecticut, you are already paying a competitive supplier through default service.

Electricity competition is working in the United Illuminating Company service area because customers can choose from a variety of electric suppliers at electricity prices that are lower than default rates.

Current Low Electric Rate for United Illuminating Customers:

Electricity customers being serviced by United Illuminating (UI), a utility company servicing southern Connecticut, are shopping for lower electric rates as prices in the competitive market have become much lower than UI default rates.

United Illuminating power company offers a default rate of 10.62 cents per KWh for their customers who have not done power shopping. Customers who compare electric rates will find savings of 10% or more. The high UI default rates has made the United Illuminating territory attractive for competitive electricity companies to enter the market, causing prices to go down further.

MX Energy is the leading competitive supplier in the area with more than 19,000 UI customers. When UI customers choose an alternative supplier for their electric generation supply, UI continues to deliver the power and send the monthly electric bill to the customer. Electricity shopping is purely about finding savings and getting a lower rate on the monthly electric bill. Nothing else changes when a switch is made; there is no interruption of service and no one has to come to your home to adjust any lines and wires.

Here are some current competitive electricity rates for United Illuminating Customers:

Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) residential customers are finding lower electric rates in the Connecticut competitive electricity market.  Many CL&P residential customers have still not switched electricity suppliers because they are unaware of the savings and benefits of shopping for low electric rates.

Many electricity customers who have not switched are not well informed on the details of the Connecticut Electricity Restructuring Act.  The act allows for CL&P and United Illuminating (UI) to continue to control the delivery of the power and the billing.  These utility companies only offer supply electricity rates as a default service.  Connecticut customers who do switch electric companies continue to receive their monthly electric bill from CL&P, or UI, but instead of paying the higher default supply electric rate, they pay the new lower rate that they signed for with the alternative electricity company.

Visit our Electricity Prices page for current electric rates in Connecticut.

Both offers can be chosen online.  The fixed electric rate will require a commitment of 6 months.  The variable rate has no commitment, however the rate can go up at anytime.  We recommend the fixed rate offer at this time.

Connecticut Light and Power (CLP) customers can reduce their home electricity bills by finding a cheaper electric rate for the supply section on their electric bill.  There are still a number of Connecticut residences who are unaware of their electricity choice options.

For CL&P residential customers, you can find your competitive electric rate underneath the section “Supplier Service Detail”.  If it says “Generation Service Charge $0.11051 then you are paying the CL&P default price to compare rate.  This is the rate that you should compare against alternative electric rate offers.

Compared to the default rate, MX Energy is offering the lowest fixed electric rate at $0.095.  This represents a savings of 14% that you can save on your monthly electric bill by taking the time to compare electricity companies.  CLP continues to manage the delivery of the power and will also continue to send out the monthly electric bill even after you choose a lower electric rate.

Connecticut set up their deregulated electricity market so that the Utilities (CLP and UI) do not care if their customers leave their default service and choose an alternative electric company.  Connecticut Light and Power, as well as United Illuminating Company, receive their profits through the delivery charges on your bill which are still regulated by the state.

For the lowest fixed rate in Connecticut, click here and type in your zip code.

Though Connecticut has some of the highest utility electricity rates in the country, many Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating Energy customers are discovering that shopping for lower electric rates can result in lower Connecticut electric bills.

The restructuring of Connecticut’s electricity market allows energy users to choose who supplies the generation component of their electricity bill.  Those customers who do not shop and compare electricity companies remain on the CLP or UI generation default electric rates.

Connecticut Light and Power (CLP) and United Illuminating (UI) continue to control the delivery component of the bill as well as the invoicing of the electric bill itself.  Choosing an alternative energy company to supply your electricity simply results in the rate on your bill changing so that you pay less and have a lower electric bill.

Connecticut electric rate payers are finding savings for their residential homes as much as fifteen percent, while commercial and industrial electric customers are saving as much as twenty-five percent.  If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to compare electric companies and find the lowest electric rates in Connecticut.

Nearly 80,000 businesses in Connecticut are still paying default electric rates with either Connecticut Light and Power or United Illuminating Power Company.  That is 80,000 companies who are over paying for electricity by as much as 25% in some cases.

The generation rate that CLP charges their customers who have not chosen an alternative electricity supplier is 11.723 cents per kilowatt hour.  ElectricityWatch has found fixed rate offers as low as 9.5 cents per kilowatt hour, an easy way to save 19% on the electric bill.

Over 70% of Connecticut Light and Power residential electric customers are paying the generation default rate of 11.051 cents.  They too can secure a competitive generation electric rate of 9.5 cents and save money on their electric bill.

Email us for a list of commercial electric providers and rates in order to compare electric companies side by side.

There are currently savings for Connecticut electricity customers who are serviced by the utility the United Illuminating Company (UI).  Both residential and business customers are finding savings by shopping the competitive electric market.

Residential electric customers in the UI service area are paying a default rate of 11.568 cents per kilowatt hour.  The lowest electric rate in the UI utility area that we found was for 9.6 cents per kilowatt hour, a 12% savings.  Similarly, a 9.6 cents electric rate was found for small business customers in Connecticut compared to the UI default rate of 11.5918,  1 7.3 percent savings.

Electric savings are real in Connecticut.  If you have not looked into competitive power prices we strongly encourage you to do so.  There is no reason to pay 12-20% more a month on your electric bills when you can easily save money by signing an electric contract with a reputable electric supplier. 

For a list of electric suppliers in your area send us an email with your state and local utility company. 

We are also seing electric rate savings in the following utility service areas:  PSEG, ACE, JCPL, CPL, PPL, BGE, Delmarva, all of Texas