How Do I Choose Residential & Commercial Gas or Electric Supplier?

Many states allow consumers to choose from a variety of energy companies.

The ever-increasing demand and ever-depleting supply of energy resources has created a complex array of natural gas and electricity providers in many areas of North America and Great Britain. For businesses and residences, selecting the most efficient and economic choice for heat and power entails determining individual needs and comparing a variety of offers and prices.

Instructions

1. Determine whether or not choice is available. Many U.S. states and portions of Canada have regulated public service providers, meaning prices are approved through legislation for a single company to provide gas and electrical utilities. Derregulated states, such as Geogia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio, as well as many parts of Canada, allow consumers to comparison shop for utilities. In regulated areas, utility companies still provide consumers with different usage and billing options.

2. Compare prices and services. Many online energy comparison sites can be helpful for residential and business consumers to compare prices of rival companies. Competitive utility states generally afford consumers the opportunity to save money through competitive pricing, but the pricing is not regulated, and continued comparisons may be needed to avoid price hikes.

3. Choose the type of service that best suits your needs. For residences, basic gas and electrical utilities charge for usage. Billing can often be averaged to avoid spikes in charges during winter months. For businesses, service can usually receive gas service through full contracts, paying a fixed-fee service and delivery with an additional fee depending on usage, or through naked price contracts that determine pricing based on an evaluated commodity price for usage, service and delivery. Electrical energy, as well, can be determined by fixed kilowatt usage, similarly to residential services, or by purchasing blocks of energy to be used during peak times of business operations.

References

• "energyshop: Natural Gas and Electricity Comparisons"
• "Clean Energy Ideas: Cheap Gas and Electricity"