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What is deregulation?

Energy deregulation lets the customer choose who will supply their gas and electricity. Customers can look for competitive prices and possibly save money on their gas and electric bills.
 

Why would I want to choose?

A free energy market gives the consumer the option to shop for the best deal on an energy provider. It gives consumers a choice about who will supply their energy and ultimately, how much they will pay.

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Who will read and maintain the meters at my business?

Your utility will continue to read the meter.
 

Will choosing a new supplier change the reliability of my service?

No, your utility company owns the poles, wires and gas pipelines. Regardless of whom you choose as a supplier, your utility will continue to deliver your gas or electricity with the same reliability as before. You will continue to have access to your utility customer service representatives, and crews will still respond to emergencies and power outages.
 

If one company supplies my electricity/gas and another provides the rest of my electric/gas service, who will I call about outages or repairs?

As a delivery customer, you will still call your utility company about electricity/gas outages and repairs (delivery refers to the facilities including poles, transformers, wires, and pipelines which carry and distribute the electricity/gas provided by your electric/gas supplier). If you have questions about the supply portion, you will call your new supplier.
 

How will I be billed?

If you choose a competitive supplier, you may receive consolidated or dual billing:

One bill from the supplier for the electricity or generation portion, and one from the utility for the delivery of the power.
Or the utility may bill you on behalf of the competitive supplier and include the supplier's charges as a line item on its bill, or the supplier may bill you on behalf of the utility and include the utility's charges in the supplier's bill.
 

What is an Alternate Retail Electricity Supplier?

A supplier is a company that provides electricity or natural gas to commercial and/or residential customers in a competitive market. To operate in a service territory, suppliers must be accepted by that state's regulatory agency and must meet certain criteria, which varies across utilities and states.

A supplier also may offer other energy-related services such as energy efficiency programs. A competitive supplier can be a company affiliated with your local electric utility company or an independent electricity supplier.
 

Can a supplier turn off my service?

No. Only your current utility is authorized to connect and/or disconnect your service. If you lose your supplier for any reason, you will be given advanced notice and allowed time to choose a new supplier or return to the local utility.
 

Will I save money if I switch suppliers?

Your savings will depend on several things, including how much you currently pay for electricity or natural gas, how much electricity or natural gas you use, and your agreement with the supplier.
 

Is there a chance I will lose service temporarily when I switch companies?

No. There will be no interruption of service if you switch to a competitive supplier or from one utility to another.