Past Experiences Show Need for Help in Choosing a Pennsylvania Energy Supplier
On Saturday, January 1, electric rate caps expired for the remaining Pennsylvania electric customers at PECO, Met-Ed, Penelec, and West Penn Power (Allegheny). New, competing energy suppliers are offering residential customers savings of 10%, and are offering business customers savings of 20-30%. However, as reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer , some customers are reluctant to switch due to their experience with alternative electric suppliers more than 10 years ago, when competition was first introduced to Pennsylvania’s electric industry. The Inquirer relates the story of Jim McLaughlin, one of the few customers who shopped for an alternative energy supplier before. According to the Inquirer, “McLaughlin doesn’t remember the details, but he says the choice brought ‘negligible savings’ for his home in Broomall. What he does recall is a hassle when the new supplier eventually went belly-up. Now, as a slew of power providers is again vying for his business, McLaughlin may
Texas PUC Proposes to Create RPS Carve-Out for Solar, Other Resources
The Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Texas has issued proposed rules to encourage the development of renewable resources other than wind, through a “carve-out” in the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). The carve-out would essentially require retail electric providers to meet a minimum percentage of their sales using non-wind-based renewable resources, such as solar, geothermal, and biomass power. The PUC’s draft, officially called a proposal for publication, does not represent set policy at this time. It will be subject to a formal comment period over the next several months where stakeholders and the public can give their viewpoints on it. The Commission has indicated that it won’t act on the proposal until after the upcoming Texas legislative session, where non-wind RPS bills are likely to be introduced (as they have been in past years). However, with both redistricting and a Sunset Commission review of the PUC dominating this upcoming legislative
Arctic Weather Provides Reminder That Low Natural Gas Prices, And Electric Rates, Can Change Quickly
The arctic weather which blanketed nearly all of the U.S. last week provides a stark reminder that energy prices , whether due to weather or other market shocks, can quickly change, and customers need to protect themselves from this volatility while electric rates are still low. SaveOnEnergy.com offers both business and residential customers the fastest and easiest way to lock-in the lowest energy rate , by putting suppliers in head-to-head competition for your business. While natural gas is still trading at a relatively modest level in the mid $4/MMBtu range, gas was below $3.50/MMBtu as recently as late October, and has been climbing steadily with winter heating demand since then. Even though natural gas never tested $5 last week despite the frigid cold, prices did jump 30¢ from the low $4 range. It’s also worth remembering that gas prices spiked as high as $6/MMBtu last December and January, and such
Pennsylvania PUC: Now is the Time to Shop for Lower Electric Rate
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) confirmed last week that now is the time for customers at PECO and other utilities to shop for a lower electric rate ahead of the expiration of electric rate caps which end on December 31. Shopping for a low cost energy supplier only changes one thing about your electric service — it gives you a lower monthly bill. Nothing else changes. PECO, Met-Ed, Penelec, or whoever your utility is, will still deliver your electricity over the same wires, using the same meter, and will still respond to outages and emergencies in a non-discriminatory manner no matter who you buy your power from. “If a thunderstorm rolls through, (and) you picked an alternative generation supplier , PECO will still service you as a customer so nothing changes,” Public Utility Commissioner Robert Powelson explained. Customers shouldn’t worry about offending PECO or their respective utility by shopping
More Than 650,000 Pennsylvanians Choosing a Lower Electric Rate
An additional 30,000 Pennsylvanians have made a choice and have shopped for a lower electric rate , according to the most recent statistics released by the Office of Consumer Advocate. The vast majority of these new shoppers, who are saving money every month on their electric bill by choosing a new energy supplier, are at PPL Electric Utilities. Over one-third of PPL residential customers have now switched to a competing energy supplier , while migration among commercial customers (41%) and industrial customers (80%) is even higher. In total, more than 650,000 Pennsylvanians have made a choice in who supplies them with electricity, under the state’s competitive electric market. The number of Pennsylvanians choosing a lower electric rate through competition is expected to skyrocket starting January 1, 2011 when rate caps come off at the remaining utilities, including at PECO in the Philadelphia area. Customers who don’t choose a new electric
Pennsylvania Electric Customers Have Less Than 90 Days to Avoid Rate Hikes By Locking in a Rate
Pennsylvania businesses and residents have less than 90 days to avoid looming electric rate hikes of about 30% starting January 1, 2011 by exercising their right to choose a competing electricity supplier offering a lower rate. Because of the time it takes to complete a switch to a competing supplier , Pennsylvanians actually have less than 90 days to complete their switch and be assured of avoiding the rate hikes. Fortunately Pennsylvanians can find the lowest electric rates with just a few clicks of the mouse at SaveOnEnergy.com , drastically reducing the time and hassle in finding a low energy rate. Although the end of electric rate caps, and the associated rate hikes of up to 30%, have been looming for Pennsylvania customers for more than a year, many customers have put off shopping for a lower electric rate because of more pressing tasks. However, customers cannot afford to procrastinate
Pennsylvania Businesses Can Use SaveOnEnergy.com to Lock-In Today’s Low Electric Rates to Avoid Rate Hikes
Electric rate caps at the remaining Pennsylvania utilities which have kept prices low for the past decade are going to expire on December 31, 2010 in several areas of the state, including for customers of PECO in the Philadelphia area. With the expiration of these rate caps, Pennsylvania electric rates for businesses are projected to increase 30%. With the introduction of electric competition, Pennsylvania business customers can avoid these rate hikes by shopping for a lower electric rate on SaveOnEnergy.com , which is the only source for Pennsylvania business customers to get competing rate quotes from up to eight different energy suppliers, maximizing customers’ savings. Customers can save up to 20%, or more, on their electric rate by leveraging the power of competition through SaveOnEnergy.com . Now is a particularly good time to shop for a low electric rate in Pennsylvania, as summer usage has tapered off, driving electric demand
Pennsylvania Customers Must Shop, Compare Rates to Maximize Electric Savings
While the introduction of competition to the electric industry in states such as Pennsylvania offers customers “substantial savings,” research confirms that customers need to shop around and compare electric rates to avoid leaving money on the table. As reported in Procurement Leaders magazine, “the ongoing deregulation of the US electricity industry can help procurement make substantial savings.” However, the story noted that rather than just accepting the first offer from a competing energy supplier that is lower than the projected utility rate hikes coming to Pennsylvania starting January 1, 2011, “companies should competitively shop around for electricity among multiple suppliers to achieve the optimum supply agreement.” ” [C] ustomers will often leave dollars on the table,” if they simply take the first competitive electric offer they come across, rather than making electric companies compete for their business, Procurement Leaders noted. Fortunately, SaveOnEnergy.com makes getting energy suppliers to compete for your
SaveOnEnergy.com Helps PPL Electric Customers Facing Contract Expiration to Shop for Lower Rate
Even though electric rate caps are expiring for Pennsylvania customers at PECO, Met-Ed, Penelec, and West Penn Power (Allegheny) on December 31, 2010, those aren’t the only Pennsylvania customers that need to be in the market for a lower electric rate before the end of the year. Many customers at PPL Electric, whose rates expired December 31, 2009, are facing a similar deadline at the end of the year. Namely, many customers at PPL shopped for a lower electric rate last year and signed 12-month contracts, which are going to expire in just under four months. These PPL customers need to make sure that they shop for a lower electric rate before their contracts expire, to ensure that they aren’t stuck paying higher electric rates . Currently, 40% of commercial customers and 80% of industrial customers at PPL have shopped for electricity supply, and are buying their power from an
Lowest Pennsylvania Electric Rates at SaveOnEnergy.com, Not From Door-to-Door Solicitors
With Pennsylvania electric rates projected to increase up to 30% starting January 1, 2011 as rate caps expire for the remaining areas of the state, Pennsylvania businesses are being bombarded by promises of lower electric rates and savings from all types of sources: door-to-door solicitors, tv and radio ads, billboards, and social network marketing. However, Pennsylvania businesses have to be careful when shopping for a low electric rate, especially when approached by door-to-door sales agents claiming to be brokers or consultants. In many cases, these self-identified brokers are merely marketing arms of specific energy suppliers . They are not truly independent brokers that work to get customers the lowest energy rate. Instead, they are simply a “hired gun” sales force whose job it is to enroll the customer with their client. Small businesses, particularly storefront businesses and mom and pop shops, need to be acutely aware of this, since they