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I am a First Energies (Penelec, Penn Power, etc.) customer, can I switch to Northwestern REC service?
No. You cannot change the "distribution" or electric lines that serve your home/business. Northwestern REC is a distribution electric cooperative. Northwestern REC is not an Electric Generation Supplier (EGS).
What is Retail Choice?
Retail Choice (also known as Retail Competition, Electric Choice, or Deregulation) comes from a 1996 law in Pennsylvania that gives consumers the ability to choose the company that supplies their electricity. The idea behind the law was to encourage competition in the generation (energy supply) market to lower electricity prices for consumers.
What exactly can customers choose?
They can choose the company that supplies the “generation” or energy supply portion of their service. If a co-op member chooses another supplier, Northwestern REC would still deliver that power to the member over cooperative lines.
What is an electric generation supplier or “EGS”?
An electric generation supplier (EGS) is a company that has been licensed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to provide electric generation service to all or a portion of Pennsylvania.
If the law allowing Retail Choice was enacted in 1996, why haven’t members heard much about Retail Choice until now?
Retail Choice was relatively active in Pennsylvania in the 1999-2001 timeframe, although few, if any, Electric Generation Suppliers (EGSs) chose to supply cooperative members. Then market prices for electricity increased dramatically in 2000-2001, and soon almost all of the EGSs disappeared. Currently there are no EGSs that wish to serve Northwestern REC members. Even so, the co-op’s rates remain competitive with those charged by neighboring investor-owned utilities that have EGSs serving their territories.
Why should anyone switch?
The most obvious reason anyone would switch is price. Also, some consumers may be willing to pay a premium for the opportunity to receive power supply from an EGS that sells green or renewable energy. Since an EGS is not available to serve Northwestern REC members yet, members should contact the cooperative about other ways to lower their electric bills, including energy efficiency measures and conservation practices.
Can everyone shop for an EGS?
All consumers in Pennsylvania have the right to shop for electric generation supply (if an EGS is available), except for consumers of certain municipal electric systems.