Dive Brief:
- A measure pending in the Pennsylvania Legislature would do away with default electricity service and force all residents to buy power from retail electricity suppliers.
- Since the state deregulated its electricity market several years ago, residents have been able to buy power from a provider other than their incumbent utility. Still, six in 10 Pennsylvanians have stuck with their incumbent utility.
- The bill would end default service on June 1, 2015. The state would auction displaced default customers to retail suppliers, who would pay the state $100 per customer.
Dive Insight:
This appears to be a case where the retail suppliers such as Direct Energy, NRG Energy and IGS Energy are driving the measure. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Bob Mensch, had to be told by a reporter from The Morning Call newspaper that his bill would force every resident to choose a retail supplier, something he at first denied would be the outcome.