More PECO customers switching to new power sources
Many Pennsylvanians are switching electric suppliers. Since rate caps came off at the end of 2010, close to 20 percent of PECO customers switched suppliers. In other parts of the state where caps were lifted earlier, about 40 percent of customers have dumped their old utility. Sonny Popowsky is the Consumer Advocate of Pennsylvania, an office that represents the state’s consumers in utility matters. He said there are a couple of reasons to switch.”Most customers I believe are switching because they can save money,” said Popowsky. “They can save 5 or 10 percent on their electric bills–on the generation portion and that can add up to $10 a month, over $100 a year. And we have a number of products being offered that are what we call green products, or renewable energy products and those tend to cost a little bit more.”Popowsky said as consumers get better informed, and summer cooling bills climb, he believes more PECO customers will switch. It might just take a year to catch up with areas of the state where competition had a head start.PECO spokesperson Cathy Engel Menendez said this is a great opportunity for PECO customers to choose a supplier and possibly save money. “For our customers we are really working to help them understand that they are not leaving PECO,” said Menendez. “PECO will still deliver their electricity. We will still respond to emergencies, provide billing and customer service.”
For residential consumer electric shopping guides from the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate go to:
www.oca.state.pa.us/Industry/Electric/elecomp/ElectricGuides.htm
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