Pa. residents shop for electric deals

    Black Friday marks the unofficial start of Christmas shopping. But residents of Pennsylvania now have the chance to shop for new electricity suppliers. The first day consumers can switch to a new power supplier is January 1, but the hard sell has begun.

    Fliers touting the competitive prices offered by new power companies are arriving in mailboxes across the state. The end of government imposed rate caps means electricity bills will jump, but it also means consumers now have a choice.

    Jennifer Kocher, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Utility Commission, said the new companies are offering a break on the PECO price.

    “The price to compare for PECO is 9.92¢ per kilowatt hour so that’s kind of the magic number and anything below that can save you money or anything above that that’s offering a green product is also an option,” said Kocher.

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    Kocher adds that some companies are offering a penny less than the PECO rate, which could mean a savings of $50 to $200 dollars a year depending on electricity use.

    If customers do switch, PECO would continue to deliver the electricity and service to the account.

    “We like to make it easy for residents and call PECO the UPS of power. They will just literally be getting that package to your door. Where you get the package is up to you,” explained Kocher.

    Once consumers decide to make a switch it could take two to six weeks for the transfer to take place.

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