Pennsylvania Saved $800 Million with Electric Choice Last Year

Electricity competition has given Pennsylvanians cheaper, cleaner and more reliable electricity for decades. 

That's according to a recent study conducted by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. The report — which was conducted 20 years after the state's Electricity Competition and Customer Choice Act — found that the breakup of electric utility monopolies and a competitive market structure saved Keystone State consumers more than $800 million last year alone.

Cheap natural gas and a competitive system have allowed customers to access significant savings. In 1996, the average retail price for electricity in Pennsylvania was 15 percent higher than the national average. Last year, the average price was 0.1 percent below the national average. For businesses in Pennsylvania, that has translated to retail electricity rates lower than utility default service rates. Furthermore, the statewide average annual distribution rates to the commercial and industrial sectors have generally decreased, providing additional cost savings to both sectors.

Of course, Pennsylvania isn't alone in adopting a deregulated model. In the U.S. and Canada, many states and provinces have replaced a monopoly system of electricity and natural gas with competition, allowing energy providers to vie for your business. Today, consumers in deregulated energy markets have real energy choice and can choose who supplies energy to their home or business. 

Energy choice offers homes and businesses a number of benefits, including the power to switch providers, flexible pricing options, best-in-class customer care, cutting-edge technology, meaningful ways to save energy and "green" energy options. 

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