The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission encourages residents in Pennsylvania to #SaveInPA – exploring electric power shopping options which could result in substantial savings on the energy portion of their monthly electric bills, especially during high-usage times.
According to data compiled by the PUC’s PAPowerSwitch.com website, more than 3.9 million residential customers across Pennsylvania could #SaveInPA – cutting the size of their monthly bills by using competitive electric suppliers. That figure is in addition to the 1.2 million residential customers in Pennsylvania who currently shop for their electric supply.
Also, the same data from PAPowerSwitch indicates that a typical residential customer in Pennsylvania could save between $2 and $49 per month on their electric bill, based on a survey of supplier offers currently posted on PAPowerSwitch (for a residential customer using 700 kwh of electricity per month).
According to a recent sampling of supplier offers posted on the PUC’s electric shopping website – PAPowerSwitch.com – there are substantial #SaveInPA benefits for consumer energy costs, depending on their utility service territory.
The Commission noted that the greatest potential savings – ranging from 21% to nearly 49% – are currently available in the service territories for PPL, PECO, and Duquesne Light (subject to changes in market prices). Collectively, those utilities serve many of the state’s largest communities, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, along with many of their suburbs, as well as Allentown, Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Scranton.
Consumers can use the PUC’s PAPowerSwitch energy shopping website to explore and compare other offers from competitive energy suppliers which may provide savings compared to their utility’s default service rate.
The website provides consumers with valuable information on how to shop for electric supply services – enabling consumers to quickly compare offers from competitive suppliers against the default service rate from their local utility and learn more on switching to a competitive supplier, or returning to default service, should they choose.
Another alternative for default service customers not participating in the competitive electricity market may be their utility’s voluntary Standard Offer Program (Standard Offer) – providing those customers with the option of receiving service from a competitive supplier at a fixed price that is 7% below the utility’s current PTC. The Standard Offer price is fixed for one year and can be canceled by the customer at any time with no early cancellation or termination fees.
Consumers are advised not to sign a contract without knowing the length of the contract, the price, whether it is fixed or variable and if there are any fees. Information on fixed and variable electric rates is available on the PUC’s PAPowerSwitch website.
Consumers who have questions or disputes may contact the PUC’s Bureau of Consumer Services at 1-800-692-7380. More information on understanding a contract with an electric generation supplier and electric switching can be found on PAPowerSwitch.com.
