An electric or gas supplier is the company that simply generates your electric or gas supply while your utility continues to deliver it.

By lowering your generation or supply rate, you can save a hundred dollars a year or more, depending on your monthly or annual usage. Shop for electricity now.

Yes, all suppliers have to be licensed in each state in which they provide electric or gas supply.

Deregulation offers electric and gas customers in several states the option to choose a competitive company to generate their electric or gas supply. When switching suppliers, consumers can benefit from cost savings and excellent customer service while still receiving the same reliable service from the utility for any service needs.

Utilities make their profits on the delivery of your energy but not the supply, so they encourage you to take advantage of lower electric or gas supply rates.

They will simply generate your power supply while the utility continues to deliver it, maintain your lines, billing, etc.

There are three components to your utility bill, including supply (or generation), delivery, and transmission. By switching suppliers, you will be able to affect the charges for the supply portion of your bill.

The charges are for:

Supply or Generation: The cost to produce the energy you consume Transmission: The cost to move the energy supply from the place of production to the utility’s distribution system. Distribution: The delivery of electricity or gas to your home or business.

No, you will still receive the same bill from the utility you currently use unless otherwise noted when selecting a plan. The only changes to your bill will be the supplier and the supply rate listed.

No.

This is the price that the utility charges to generate your electricity or gas supply. This is the price located above the comparison chart when comparing plans from competitive suppliers on Make the Switch USA, so you can estimate your potential savings.

It can take 1-2 billing cycles to reflect your new supplier and rate on your bill. Once you enroll, it can take a few business days for your new supplier to process and verify your account with the utility. After that, you will officially be switched following your next meter reading.

A variable rate is a rate that may fluctuate on a monthly basis based upon current market conditions. Wholesale market conditions are the biggest reason rates could go up or down.

A supplier’s variable rate should only change once a month (if it changes at all). For variable rate plan customers, you will see the new rate each month reflected on your bill.

Suppliers will generally notify you about a month or two prior to the plan expiration date to see if you want to continue at the new fixed rate they are offering. If you don’t respond, your subscription will automatically be renewed, or you can switch suppliers at that time.

A fixed rate is a rate that you can lock in for a specific length of time, generally 6, 12, or even 24 months. Business customers can get fixed-rate contracts for up to 60 months, depending on the supplier.

No. Your new supplier will notify your utility that you have switched. If you are already with a competitive supplier other than the utility and are switching again, you can simply switch to the new supplier, and the utility will notify your previous supplier that you have transferred companies. If you believe your previous supplier may have a cancellation fee, you may want to contact them prior to switching again.

Unless you're able to get a release from your current contract, you should adhere to any previous contractual obligations you have with your current supplier.

You still call your utility company for any service needs, outages, or emergencies.

If you have previously switched suppliers and are not sure of their cancellation policy, it is a good idea to contact them to find out if there is a cancellation fee before switching to another supplier.

No, you can continue to use the meter you have.

No. The switch from one supplier to another is seamless, and there is no interruption in service.

No. Your utility company will immediately resume its role as your default electric or gas supplier.

You will see your new supplier and lower rate listed on your bill in 1-2 billing cycles.

No. A current utility account must be in place before you are able to switch suppliers.

No. Competitive suppliers have one flat rate throughout the day and night, so depending upon your on-peak and off-peak usage, it may or may not make sense to switch suppliers.

Yes, you can switch suppliers in an effort to save money on your bill. Any budget plan you have in place with the utility will remain uninterrupted.

The money that you deposited in a pre-pay plan and any interest will continue to be applied to your utility account, no matter who supplies your energy.