For as long as most of us can remember, public utilities have been operated as regulated monopolies. In the last several years, state by state, those utilities have been, or are being, deregulated. The U.S. electric and natural gas industry has undergone and continues to undergo change in the way it delivers electricity and natural gas to the millions of households and businesses nationwide. What has been referred to as “government sanctioned” monoplies is changing or has changed in your State already.
Energy deregulation breaks up the monopoly on electricity and natural gas long held by utility companies. Before deregulation, one company provided all aspects of your electric and gas service like generation, sales, delivery, billing, etc. Utilities could own the means to produce energy (generation), own the infrastructure that delivers the electricity (transmission and distribution), and as a result they were able to charge you the customer “some market based” price for electricity and gas. After deregulation, these components were separated into three stages, generation, transmission, and distribution. In deregulated states, utilities were forced to sell off their generation assets, this means they no longer could produce the electricity and sell it to you as well. This opened the door to retail energy suppliers, who buy energy in the wholesale market from generation companies to sell to the utility’s customers.
The rules differ from state to state, but generally speaking, the power plants, retail suppliers, and delivery companies (the ones who own the poles, wires, pipes, and mains or known as your utility company) are no longer a single company.
Lower electric and gas prices for your home or business, the ability to choose or “shop” for your energy needs among several different suppliers. When customers don’t shop they will receive their energy supply from their utility company and miss out on potential savings.
Take advantage of a new way to reduce your energy bill by contacting National Energy Discounters for your free price quote. You will get the same reliable service as your current provider. You can immediately start saving money on your energy bills for your home or business. You know have an option – a choice to choose.