The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC) oversees utilities in Pennsylvania, including electricity and natural gas.
They approve your local utility’s electricity rates, called the Price to Compare. They also license and oversee Electric Generation Suppliers (EGS).
You can pick any licensed electricity supplier in PA to provide your electricity. Your local utility continues to send your bill and respond in emergencies no matter who you pick for electric supply.
That’s a quick summary of what you need to know about PA PUC.
Electricity Deregulation in Pennsylvania
In 1996, Pennsylvania passed the Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act. This law restructured the state’s electricity markets to provide electricity choice for consumers. Full deregulation started in Pennsylvania in 1999.
Price caps for formerly regulated utilities ended in 2010, and shortly afterwards, multiple electricity suppliers entered the market. These electric generation suppliers (EGS’) are licensed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and offer fixed rate electricity plans, variable rate electricity plans and green renewable energy plans.
No matter what supplier you choose to provide your electricity, your local distributor continues to read your meter, delivery power, respond in the case of an electrical emergency or outage, and issue your bill.
Most consumers look for supplier rate that’s lower than the price to beat or price to compare. Others choose a supplier to get green energy. And others switch to a fixed rate plan for budgeting, to avoid the utility’s multiple price changes each year.
Additional Resources:
Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act of 1996
Natural Gas Choice and Competition Act
What does the PA Public Utility Commission do?
According to their website, “the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission regulates the many essential utility services that Commonwealth residents and businesses rely on every day.” That includes safe and reliable delivery of electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications and wastewater services.
PA PUC manages the following for electricity in Pennsylvania:
- Reviews rate case filings from Pennsylvania electric utilities. The utility companies (like PECO, PPL, Met-Ed and others) base their rates for delivery and supply on their costs. The PA PUC must review and approve their rates for delivery and supply.
- Oversee consumer complaints and consumer affairs
- Manages utility assistance programs
- Manages license and oversite of electricity suppliers, aggregators and brokers.
- Provides electricity shopping tools and education
What is PA Power Switch?
If you want to compare electricity rates in Pennsylvania, PA PUC has an official shopping website called PAPowerSwitch. This site lists rates from most (if not all) electricity providers in Pennsylvania.
But sometimes more isn’t always better.
ElectricityPlans.com is a PA Power Switch alternative.
We make it easy to choose from the best electricity rates in PA. We only work with quality suppliers that have made it through our vetting process. Plus, we calculate your estimated bill for each plan for you and present everything in a simple format.
Shop PA Electricity Rates by Zip Code
Price to Compare Rates in PA
Pennsylvania distributors (utilities) set their price to compare based on their electricity costs. The PA PUC reviews and approves these rates before they go into effect.
Utility rates change quarterly for these distributors: PECO, Met-Ed, Penelec, PennPower and West Penn Power. Their rates change March, June, September and December.
Other distributors, including PPL Electric Utilities and Duquesne Light, change their rates twice a year, in June and December.
You can view a price to compare rate history for each of those utilities by clicking the links above.
What is the Office of Consumer Advocate?
The Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) serves as Pennsylvania consumers’ representative to the Public Utility Commission.
They maintain information on supplier rates, called the Electric Shopping Guide. They also maintain information on electricity switching statistics.
Their largest role is managing consumer concerns over their electricity bill.
If you think that you have been switched to a supplier without your consent (slammed) or have a complaint about your electricity supplier, you can call the OCA toll free at 800-684-6560 or email them at consumer@paoca.org.